The mother’s heart beat with joyous anticipation, and Stefeli in her excitement could not sit still any longer but flew restlessly here and there in the most aimless fashion. She felt as if she could not possibly live through those days. She constantly counted the hours; if a day had twenty-four hours, five days had five times as many. Oh, that made a dreadful lot of hours. But she had reckoned the hours when she was asleep and luckily one did not feel those. So the counting had to begin anew. Strangely enough the fifth day had come at last and much sooner than she had dared to hope.
Stefeli had returned from a stroll with Mr. Delrick just as her father had come in from the field. “Vinzi may come any moment now,” he said to the mother. “Let’s have supper so he can sit right down with us.”
Mr. Delrick was called and they began to eat. Stefeli could scarcely swallow from nervousness, and the mother, too, could not disguise her agitation.
“Here he comes!” suddenly cried the child, as she bounded away.
None of the others had heard anything, but a few moments later Stefeli entered the room, triumphantly holding Vinzi’s hand. The joy of the parents at their son’s return was not noisy, but it could not be doubted. Vinzenz Lesa’s look betokened real pride when he led the boy up to Mr. Delrick.
The latter gazed at him keenly, for his thoughts had long been busy with him. He did not need to wonder when he saw the splendid lad who had so completely won his mother’s heart and upon whom his father had built his hopes.
Everybody sat down, and Vinzi was asked to tell about his relatives. He grew constantly more lively and could not say enough of their kindness to him. When the father wished to know how the pasture up there had pleased him, Vinzi in blissful remembrance described the mountain-pasture to them. The violets up there filled the air with fragrance and the high larches spread their wide branches over the moss-covered stones. The cows grazed quietly between the trees so that their bells resounded far and wide like a song of peace.
The mother asked if beautiful flowers grew on the pasture. Here Vinzi grew still more enthusiastic and told them about the red field of roses which gleamed in the sunshine and from below made the whole mountain look like fire. Vinzi also spoke of his sleeping room and how he had loved to have his own little house which was filled with the delicious fragrance of hay.
Father and mother looked quite amazed at their son. Never before had he spoken with such surety and animation, and both had the same impression. They said to themselves that Vinzi was not the boy who had left them. The father added to himself, “He has matured up there. That is good, for he’ll know now what he wants.” And the mother thought, “New life has sprung up within him. I wonder what will be the outcome.”
Next morning Stefeli was on her feet especially early, for the joy of having Vinzi with her again had not let her sleep any longer. She had wanted to knock on his door in order to keep him from oversleeping. Now everything would have to go back to the old order and they would be able to go together to the pasture as of yore, something she had a tremendous longing for.