Then all understood how the children came to sing the New Year’s Carol.
Barbarossa rose and said: “I move that we take our little runaway friends back to their mother. To-morrow we must visit the places made famous by the brave William Tell, so let us have a moonlight party to the mountains to-night; the moon is full.”
“And you, old Mediciner, shall have your first patient. You shall go as Dr. Barbarossa and give good advice.”
“And take my medicine with me, Maximilian?” he said, putting a flask of wine into his pocket. “Some of you fellows bring another one.”
All agreed to the moonlight party, but as they were gathering up their alpenstocks, Maximilian said, “Do you think this small bit of humanity with her tiny bare feet can keep up with your long strides? I propose that our landlord give us a horse and chaise, and we can also take in it the large provision basket our landlady has so nicely packed.”
“Good,” said Barbarossa; “you shall go in it with the Queen Titania, and we will walk with Barty for our guide.”
So the party set out while the skies were all aglow with the sunset hues and the snow-white peaks growing rosy with the reflected light.
Franzelie was supremely happy, and her kind friend so won her childish heart that she told him all about their mountain life, the goats, the haymaking, and what they did in the long winter.