When the family sat together in the evening, Father Lorenz said, “Come now! Singing is the best remedy against sad thoughts.”
He began a song himself. The others, joining in, kept it up right through the evening.
Next day Faz’s plan did not succeed. Just as the brothers were ready to depart and were taking leave from Vinzi, they heard the repeated sounds of a whip. This warned Father Lorenz that the fruit dealer had arrived even earlier than he had said. As he could not leave his horses, he wanted to notify them of his coming and looking at the road a few steps away from the house, he saw that his signal had been understood.
The whole family including even the inmates of the stable, strolled over to the street, and the fruit dealer could not help wondering at the strange procession.
Vinzi climbed up to his high seat, and after he had taken leave of each separately, the horses started off. All five gazed after Vinzi with genuine grief, and Russli alone felt slightly consoled by the thought of the promised surprise.
When the wagon passed the spot where the tower stood in the meadow, the whole edge of the road was peopled with a crowd of noisy boys. More and more seemed to gather and finally they thundered a loud “Hurrah!” and cried “Come again!” which was repeated a second time in such a noisy way that the four horses actually reared. Black Vereli had been the instigator of this, and at the last greeting of the Tower Boys his voice could be distinctly heard above all others.
At his bench alone sat the grandfather, waving his hat high in the air, and Vinzi replied by swinging his cap.
In the convent a window opened and a hand kindly waved good-bye to Vinzi. It was that of Pater Silvanus.
After a short upward stretch by wild mountain beeches and old gnarled fir-trees the drive quickly went downwards into the valley.