CHAPTER VI
HIGHER UP THE MOUNTAIN
ABOUT three weeks after Vinzi had come to his uncle’s house a good friend of his father, who had business in Domo, came to see him. He brought him and the Lesa family greetings from Vinzi’s parents. On his way home he expected to stop as he had promised to bring Vinzenz Lesa news of the boy. His parents wanted to hear how he took to the life on the mountain and how he got along with his relatives. They also wondered if he annoyed his relatives by his silent dreamy ways. The uncle and aunt were to decide when the boy was to come home. As soon as they were ready to let him go, they could entrust him to some companion or send word to Leuk where they could find one. The man was to return in five or six days, of which the fifth day had just passed by.
Lorenz entered the room. His wife had set the supper table and was quietly awaiting the return of the boys, when she could place their welcome meal before them.
“The man from Leuk won’t come today,” said Lorenz. “I suppose he’ll be here tomorrow early. We must let them know down there how much we like Vinzi.”
“Indeed we will,” agreed the wife. “I was just wondering to myself why they sent him here. I would keep such a lad at home. One usually sends a boy away when he isn’t quite as he ought to be, or if he has queer ideas in his head that he might lose among strangers. But there are very few boys like Vinzi. Since he has come here I hardly recognize our own. Take Russli, for instance. Every morning he had to be dragged by violence to the fountain, and while he got washed, he usually shrieked like mad. Now he runs over to the stream behind the hay-rick as soon as he is out of bed. He loves to wash himself there, he says, because Vinzi does it, too, and likes it. Russli rubs and scrubs himself cleaner than he would ever have let me do. He wants to look like Vinzi, whom every one likes to look at. Russli never comes home in tears the way he used to, either. One might have supposed that they had nearly killed him the way he carried on. When I ask him what has made the change in him, he answers that Faz is not allowed to beat him, because Vinzi takes his part. If I ask Faz how it is that he leaves Russli in peace he answers that Vinzi keeps him in order and he needs no beating. ‘I like it better that way,’ he says sensibly. ‘I wish Vinzi would stay with us always.’ Faz would never have said such a thing before, for he used to enjoy giving blows. Jos was the only one who never gave us much trouble.”
“Oh, I suppose the eldest sons are always considered models by their mothers.”
“Oh, well, Jos can show himself anywhere,” the woman continued. “I never saw a better-mannered boy than Vinzi, though. Jos has noticed that and has begun to imitate him, which suits him very well. He would only need a hat on his head and the kind of cloak around his shoulders that strangers on the stage-coach wear, to look like a gentleman’s son.”
“That’s not necessary,” interrupted the husband.
“And we never should have found out that Jos has such a beautiful voice if Vinzi had not started him with his music,” continued the wife. “And just think of our peaceful evenings with the lovely singing every day. We are not disturbed any more by one boy throwing the other under the table, while the third one is breaking his chair by riding on it. I think that the music has somehow tamed them. They are hardly the same boys! I just want to say one more thing. Why did your cousin Vinzenz send the boy up here instead of keeping him at home? I am sure his wife did not wish him to go—I guess that much. Tell me, what do you think?”
“You can be sure that Vinzenz had a good reason,” replied the husband. “I have asked myself the same question and have not been able to answer it. I remember his mentioning something to me about the boy. When the man from Leuk asked us if Vinzi did not annoy us with his long fits of silence, I recollect that he thought our boys were more merry at their work. As he wished his boy to be the same he thought the totally different surroundings here might help him. He was in the right, too. Vinzi is as gay as a lark, nowadays, and makes the others gayer than they ever were.”