“Even Mammina wouldn’t know us if she were to see us now,” Beppina whispered, despairingly.
“That’s just why that woman did it!” gasped Beppo, with sudden illumination. “She doesn’t care a bit about saving our clothes! She wants to disguise us, so people will think we belong to them!”
“Oh, dear!” shuddered Beppina. “Let’s change back again.”
They seized their clothes, but just then they saw Carlotta’s glittering black eyes gazing in at them from the end of the van. It was as if she knew their very thoughts.
“Avanti, avanti!” she called. “Is it that you are lazy? Come! We must be on the road!”
Not daring to linger or protest, the two strange little figures came tumbling out of the straw at once, and, after washing in the brook, sat down on a fallen log to eat their breakfast. Carina perched beside them on the log, and, when she had finished her own portion, leaped on Ugolone’s back, and, leaning down, snatched away some of his breakfast from under his nose. In vain poor old Ugolone growled and slapped at her with his clumsy paws. He was always too slow to catch her.
The children were so absorbed in watching this drama that they did not notice what Carlotta was doing meanwhile, but later, when they looked for their own clothes again, they had mysteriously disappeared, and were not seen again.
When they had finished breakfast, Carlotta called to Beppina, “Come here, poverina! Your hair is full of straw. I will fix it for you.” Beppina obeyed, and the woman coaxed her tangled locks into place, combing them with her fingers, and at last succeeded in plaiting them into a number of tight braids which she wound about her head. “There,” said she when this was done, “now you will no longer need your hat.”
“But,” said Beppina, “I want my hat! Only peasants go bare-headed.” The woman gave a short laugh, and her teeth gleamed so white between her lips that Beppina thought of the wolf who tried to pass himself off for Red Riding Hood’s grandmother.