“We’ll pretend we are a family,” suggested Alida, “and we must always stay the same. Hugo is the proprietor of an estate and I am his sister, the unmarried lady of the mansion. Jos is our manager.”
“Then Stefeli can be the mistress,” was Hugo’s proposition.
“But Hugo, she couldn’t be,” Jos cried out. “Stefeli cooks for us and sets the table. She couldn’t be the gentleman’s wife, she must be my wife.”
“Jos is right,” decided Alida, “we’ll have it that way, then.”
“You see the owner has a mother; that’s much better than a wife,” said Hugo. “When Mrs. Lesa visits us some day, you’ll have to receive her as my mother and prepare a great feast for her.”
This thought met great approval, and they began to plan immediately for this feast. Alida invented such astonishing plans for the celebration with torches and rockets that Jos said, “Then our cows will all jump over the hedges from fright and the people at the feast will have to climb after them in their festive jackets.”
All four burst into loud laughter at this picture, which brought a sudden end to these extravagant plans. Their meal was ended and they settled here and there in the shadows of the broad branches. Soon all four were sound asleep, fanned by the leafy bows above them. They slept as well as if they had been lying on regal couches. On Hugo’s pale cheeks the air and sunshine, gently caressing him, roused a faint rosy color.
Talking merrily, the whole company afterward came wandering down from the pasture, aglow from the golden light of the setting sun. As usual Jos went to the stable and Hugo disappeared with him.
“Oh, dear, now he begins it, too,” said Stefeli. “I only wonder what he wants to do there still.”
“Just let him go,” remarked Alida, “I am glad of it. He is much happier when he is with Jos. I have noticed that today.”