The child pondered and looked up for an instant as if to find out whether the stranger was to be trusted on such slight acquaintance.
“No,” he finally answered cautiously, “she’s not strict, and since I’ve been sick she lets me do anything I want. Maybe she’ll even let me keep a dog.”
“Shall I ask her?”
“Oh, yes, please do,” Edgar cried delightedly. “If you do I’m sure she’ll give in. What does he look like? White ears, you said? Can he do any tricks yet?”
“Yes, all sorts of tricks.” The baron had to smile at the sparkle of Edgar’s eyes. It had been so easy to kindle that light in them.
All at once the child’s constraint dropped away, and all his emotionalism, kept in check till then by fear, bubbled over. In a flash the shy, intimidated child of a minute before turned into a boisterous lad.
“If only his mother is transformed so quickly,” the baron thought. “If only she shows so much ardor behind her reserve.”
Edgar went at him with a thousand questions.
“What’s the dog’s name?”
“Caro.”