Allan had a letter to write to Dr. Francis and his friends in Hamburg; so Nettie was obliged to amuse herself.
She obtained permission from her mamma to take Froll out upon the balcony, and played with her for a little while quite happily. But by and by Froll spoiled all the fun; for she would climb up the blinds and mouldings to the utmost limit of her chain, which was just long enough to admit of her reaching the window-sill and thrusting her head into the room where Mrs. Hyde lay. Now, Mrs. Hyde was really afraid of Froll, and these performances were not calculated to cure her headache. She spoke to Nettie once or twice from the room; but finding the monkey’s visits repeated, she sent Allan down to tell Nettie that, if Froll came up to her window again, she must return to her cage, and Nettie to the parlor.
“I won’t let her go up again,” said Nettie. “Now, Froll, be good; do climb down the other way, after this cake. See, Frolic, see!” and she threw a little fruit cake over the railing.
Quick as a flash, Froll went after it; so very quickly, as to pull the end of the chain from Nettie’s hand.
Before the child had time to think, the mischievous monkey had seized the cake, and was travelling quickly up the blinds and moulding, over the sill, and, as Nettie drew a frightened breath, in at the window.
“O, dear!” said Nettie; “now I’ll have to be punished. It’s silly of mamma to be so easily frightened.”
Her mamma, meanwhile, had just fallen into a doze. The rattling of the chain startled her; she opened her eyes, and saw the ugly little black monkey perched close beside her. She was quite startled, and very angry with Nettie, of course: after securing the monkey safely in her cage, she called Nettie to her, and speaking quite severely, told her to return to the parlor, to sit down on the lounge, and neither to rise from it, nor touch anything, until her father and Eric came home. Poor Nettie! It was very dull indeed for her, and before long she was sobbing quite bitterly.
Meanwhile Allan finished his letter, and took up his cap, meaning to take a walk around the square. Looking into the parlor, and seeing Nettie’s distress, he resolved to give up his walk and to comfort Nettie.
“I wouldn’t cry, Nettie,” he said, so softly and kindly that she stopped crying, and looked up at him. “I will stay with you now. I’ve written my letter.”
Nettie’s face lighted up instantly, but fell again as she exclaimed,—