“We must thank God for that.  But you need to get strong, and I hope that you may find the needed recreation and change here.”  Then she accompanied the two girls up to their room at the top of the house.  As Mea was to be Leonore’s sole nurse from now on, Mrs. Maxa wanted to reassure herself that nothing was missing.  It was in Mea’s nature to endow every new friend with marvellous qualities.  Her imagination was always as active as her heart, which she gave unreservedly on such occasions.  Unfortunately Mea suffered many disappointments in that way, because on nearer acquaintance her friends very seldom came up to her expectations.  She always tried hard to hold on to the original image, even if it did not in the least coincide with what her friends proved to be in reality and this brought on numberless fights with Kurt, who, with his usual shrewdness, could not help revealing to her the real state of affairs.  This always disillusioned her finally, for it was hard to deny his proofs.  Whenever another girl woke a passionate love in her, she was bound to expect something unusual from her.

A week had passed since Leonore had spent her first day as convalescent among the family.  As Mea had the privilege of being in the closest, most intimate contact with her new friend in the late evening hours, she was in a state of perfect bliss.  Every moment of the day that she was home she tried to be at Leonore’s side and in her walks to and from school there existed for her no other subject of conversation than Leonore.

It was quite unusual that Kurt had not produced a rhyme about her great devotion.  He had not once said:  “Things will be different after a while.”  Brother and sister this time were entirely of one opinion about her:  it even seemed as if Kurt himself had caught a touch of the friendship fever, as he used to call Mea’s great devotion.

Apparently Bruno was of the same opinion, too.  In all his free hours he used to sit in a corner of the room with his books, paying no attention to anything else, but since Leonore had come he always joined the merry group and generally had something to relate or to show for Leonore’s entertainment.  This he did in a quiet, gentler manner, such that it seemed as if he would hardly have behaved otherwise.

Lippo felt so comfortable in Leonore’s presence that he always kept as close to her as possible.  Even when he told his experiences at great length, she never became impatient, but encouraged him to go on when his brothers and sisters made sarcastic remarks about him.

From time to time he would confidentially say to her:  “Just stay with us always, Leonore.  You are at home here now, even if you have no home anywhere else.”  This was uttered in a spirit of utter conviction, as the little boy had heard it from her own lips and was sure that this would be the best for them all.

Leonore blushed a deep scarlet at these words, as if Lippo had pronounced a thought she did not dare to foster in her own heart.  Once his mother had noticed this, so she told Lippo one evening, not to say this again.  As it was impossible to keep Leonore, it was much better not to speak of it, as it only gave her pain.  As this was a firm command, Lippo obeyed faithfully.  He kept on, however, showing Leonore that he loved to be with her.