Cornelli

by Johanna Spyri

  Next morning Mux had hardly opened his eyes when he desired to go againstraightway to Cornelli, for this had been promised him the nightbefore. Before he succeeded, however, he had to submit to his usualfate in the morning. He ran into the room at last, neatly washed andcombed and with cheeks shining like two red apples. Cornelli was alreadysitting in a corner of the room, listening attentively to Agnes'playing. He flew towards her and saw his beloved book already in herhands.

  "Oh, now we shall read and tell stories all day long," he called outhappily. "All the others have to go to school."

  But Mux had forgotten that breakfast came first of all. After the mealthe two sisters departed, but Dino knocked and clamored for Cornellito come to him. Mux loudly protested against this and only calmed downwhen Cornelli promised to keep him company during Dino's rest hour.He kept on objecting and murmuring to himself even after she had gone.

  Cornelli was quite thrilled and overcome by the thought that anybodyshould love her so, and it did her more good than anything else. Assoon as she came to Dino's room he asked her if she would read to him,too, for he had found out how much she enjoyed reading to Mux out ofhis picture book.

  "Have you entertaining books, too?" asked Cornelli with hesitation.In her mind she saw her own beautiful books at home, that she had leftalone because so many things in them had been unintelligible.

  "I should say so! You just ought to see them," said Dino. "Please takedown the book called 'Funny Journeys.' There are pictures in it, too.They are not as big as in the other book and are not colored, but theyare so comical that they make one laugh all the time."

  Cornelli got the book down, and in a little while merry peals oflaughter filled the room. The mother, who heard, was happily smilingand saying to herself: "No, no, all is not yet lost."

  So the week passed by. Cornelli spent most of her time reading aloudto Dino and to Mux. She grew more eager all the time in this occupation,and if Mux would suddenly want to play with soldiers, Cornelli wouldsay: "You can easily play that alone. Let me read this and later I'lltell you all about it." So she had soon finished reading the whole bigbook.

  Cornelli had so far scarcely become acquainted with the two girls, andNika had rarely spoken to her. On Saturday morning the mother enteredDino's room just after Cornelli had finished reading such a funny talethat both children still laughed aloud at the remembrance.

  "Children, to-morrow Cornelli's father is expecting to hear from me.He will want to know if he is to come to fetch her home, or if he isto leave her here another week. Cornelli herself shall decide, but weall want her to stay."

  "Don't go, don't go! Tell him not to come for a long while," Muximplored her. The little boy had slipped in behind his mother and waskeeping a tight hold on Cornelli, as if her papa might come at onceto pull her away.

  "No, no, Cornelli, you won't go away yet," Dino now said. "To-morrowI am allowed to get up for the first time and you must be there to seeif I can still walk. After that you must stay here till I go to school;won't you, Cornelli? You don't want to go, do you?"

  "You must not urge her too much," said the mother. "Maybe Cornelliwould rather go home, and by your talking you might keep her fromsaying so." But being urged by the two children was such a joy toCornelli that she never even hesitated.

  "I should love to stay," she said.

  "Oh, how splendid!" Dino exclaimed. "Please ask for at least two orthree weeks, Mama. It is so nice to have Cornelli with us."

  "I shall ask Cornelli's father to let us have his daughter a whilelonger," said the mother, "I cannot possibly settle the time, herfather will do that."

  "Oh, yes, a while longer is just right. Then it is so easy to ask fora little more time, for we can say that we meant that by a littlelonger," said Dino.

  The same day, later on, while Dino was resting, Cornelli was sittingwith Mux. They were both so happy over the prospect of remainingtogether that Mux opened the piano and asked Cornelli to sing withhim. Cornelli could not play, so promised that she would try to sing.She asked Mux to choose a song, but he knew none.

  "You sing one," he proposed, "and I might know it, too."

  Cornelli was just in the mood to sing once more. She began a song withher bright, full voice and Mux listened admiringly.

  The snow's on the meadow, The snow's all around, The snow lies in heaps All over the ground. Hurrah, oh hurrah! All over the ground.

  Oh cuckoo from the woods, Oh flowers so bright, Oh, kindliest sun, Come and bring us delight! Hurrah, oh hurrah! Come and bring us delight!

  When the swallow comes back And the finches all sing, I sing and I dance For joy of the Spring. Hurrah, oh hurrah! For joy of the Spring.

  Suddenly the door flew open and Agnes burst into the room.

  "But why didn't you ever say anything?" she cried out. "To think ofit! Why did you never say a word, Cornelli?"

  "But what should I have said?" Cornelli asked, very much frightened.

  "You must not be afraid," Mux now calmed her, "I'll help you, if sheshould want to hurt you."

  "Don't be so unnaturally stupid, Mux!" his sister ejaculated as sheran to the next room. Here her mother was already standing in the opendoor. "Have you heard it, Mother? Come out and let Cornelli sing hersong again!"

  "Yes, indeed! I have heard it with pleasure and great wonder," saidthe mother, approaching Cornelli. "You have a voice, dear child, thatwe all should love to hear again. Have you often sung before?"

  "Oh yes," said Cornelli. "Martha has taught me many songs, but--"

  "What do you mean by but?" Agnes quickly interrupted her. "I know nowwhat a voice you have. I have to go quickly to my music lesson, butyou must sing a lot with me to-night. No buts will be allowed then."

  "Oh, Cornelli, won't you sing with us tonight?" asked the mother kindly."We know now how well it sounds, and I do not see why you should stillhesitate."

  "I can't sing properly when I am afraid, for then it does not soundwell," Cornelli replied.

  "Why should you be afraid?" asked the mother. "You know us all so wellnow."

  "Oh, because I am not like Agnes and Nika. I can't do anything theydo and I don't look the way they do," said Cornelli. With these wordsshe frowned again in the old way, so that one could see it through thethick fringes of hair that covered her forehead.

  The mother said no more and went out.

  "Just stay with me, Cornelli; then you don't have to be afraid ofanything," Mux said protectingly. "I am afraid of nothing in the wholeworld--except of the dark," he added quickly, for he had seen Cornelli'spenetrating eyes looking at him through her hair, and felt that he hadto tell the truth, for she was sure to find him out. "No," he continued,"I won't be even afraid of that if you stay with me all the time."

  Agnes had finished her school work sooner than ever that day. She ranto the piano and called to Cornelli: "Come here! Mux can play alone,for we must sing now."

  So Cornelli went up to the piano.

  "I shall sing the first stanza of this song and then you can sing itwith me the second time," Agnes said and began: "The beauteous moonis risen."

  "Oh, I have known that song a long time. Shall I sing the second voice?"asked Cornelli.

  "What? Can you really sing second voice? Can you really do it? Oh,that would be wonderful! Go ahead and do it!" said Agnes excitedly.

  So the two girls sang alone together, for Nika had not finished herwork, and the regular time for the evening songs had not yet come.Agnes was radiantly happy while she was making experiments with a newvoice.

  Nika was still absorbed in her work, the mother only entered the roomnow and then, and as Agnes was singing with her, Cornelli did not havethe feeling that anybody was listening. So she sang quite freely andlet her whole, full voice flow out. Agnes became more eager all thetime, and it really sounded as if a whole chorus were singing in theroom.

  At last the mother stood still, and Nika, lifting her head from herwork, listened, too.


  When the song was done, Agnes clapped her hands and said: "Oh, Cornelli,your voice is as clear as a bell! Oh, if I only had a voice like that!What wonderful things I could sing then! Do you know many songs,Cornelli? Just tell me all you know."

  Cornelli looked over the song book before her. She knew quite a numberof the songs in it, for Martha had taught her many.

  Agnes was in raptures: "Oh, now our evening songs won't be like afeeble chirping any more; now everything, everything will be different!"she cried out. Suddenly struck with a new idea, she ran over to herother music books.

  She got a book of songs for two voices, which she had only been ableto use at her music lessons and never at home, for Nika could not joinher. "Come, Cornelli, try to sing after me now. This is your part, andwhen you know it, I'll sing mine. Here are your notes," she instructedCornelli, and with that she began to sing.

  Cornelli did not know the notes very well, because Mr. Maelinger hadnot instructed her very deeply in that subject. Her ear, however, wascorrect, and she could immediately repeat a melody. Agnes began withthe easiest songs, and it did not take Cornelli any time to learn them.She soon knew where to pause and where to take up her part again. Soa second piece was started and soon a third. Then they repeated themall again and before long they could sing three songs quite well.

  "Once more, once more," Agnes urged her. It went better every time,and in the end they sang together perfectly. Agnes jumped up from herseat and exclaimed: "Oh, you are a wonderful Cornelli! Who would havethought it? Please do not go home yet. Stay here, and then we can singtogether every day. Have you heard it, Mama?"

  The mother affirmed it and told them that she and Dino had both enjoyedthe singing. Dino had asked to have his door kept open, for he hadwanted to hear it all.

  "Do you know what we'll do, Cornelli?" said Agnes. "To-morrow morningwe'll study a festive duet. We shall greet Dino with it when he comesback to this room again for the first time."

  Cornelli gladly agreed.

  It was time now for their accustomed evening song, which had been putoff longer than usual that day. Agnes was of the decided opinion thatit was not suitable to end this day with a mild evening song. Shesuggested a loud hymn of praise and thanks. She started it withenthusiasm, and all the others soon joined.

  The unexpected joy and great friendliness Agnes had shown had madeCornelli so happy and astonished that she sat a long time on her bedin the little room. She was wondering to herself why she could neverbe quite happy in spite of everybody's goodness, but she knew soonenough why this was so. Her old fear had not left her. She fullyrealized that she looked different from other children and that herhorns would get worse, till they could not be hidden any more. Theneverybody would think what Mux had thought, even if they did not sayit.

  Next morning, when Cornelli had just gotten up, Mrs. Halm entered herroom. "Cornelli," she said, taking the child's hand, "you have madeus all so happy! You have done much for Dino by helping him to passmany pleasant hours, and you have entertained my little restless Muxso wonderfully that he can hardly live without you any more. I shouldlike to do something for you now; I should love to make you look festiveto-day and get rid forever of everything that disfigures you."

  The mother had already begun to smooth out the child's thick hair.

  "Oh no, oh no, please don't do it!" Cornelli cried out, "then everythingwill be lost. I want to go home, oh, I must go home! Oh, they will alllaugh at me and they won't like me any more. Oh, you don't know howit is."

  "I know everything, dear child," the mother said quietly. "Dino hastold me everything. Don't you know, child, that I love you? You know,Cornelli, that I would not do anything that might hurt you the leastbit, or that would not help you. I want to free you from an error,Cornelli."

  "No, no, it is not an error, surely not," Cornelli called out in hergreat anxiety. "My cousin said it and Miss Grideelen said it, too.They saw it, and I know it. Oh, please don't brush my hair away."

  "Cornelli," the mother went on calmly, "the ladies told you they sawlittle horns on your forehead, that got bigger every time you wrinkledup your brow. You are afraid that this is really so and that it isgetting worse. You understood it in a way they did not mean. They onlywanted to tell you that when you frowned you looked as if you had hornson your forehead, and they said it to keep you from frowning. Theymeant well by you, but you misunderstood them. But you can understandme. Just let me help you to be happy again.

  "Have you any confidence in me, Cornelli? Tell me, do you think thatI would do anything that would make you repulsive in the eyes ofeveryone? Do you believe that? I know you don't, child!" Cornelli onlygroaned a little.

  With nimble hands the mother had in the meantime kept on smoothing andcombing the child's heavy hair. It already lay beautifully parted onboth sides of her face. The brown, wavy hair framed a snow-white brow,for not a ray of sunshine had penetrated through the hair all summerlong. The mother finished the two heavy tresses and wound them aboutCornelli's head like a crown. Smilingly the mother looked intoCornelli's face. The great change had thrilled her with joy.

  "Now come with me to the children. We shall see if they can notice anychange," she said, and taking the little girl's hand, she led her away.Cornelli was extremely glad to enter the room at the mother's side,for she would not have dared to go alone. When the door opened, shelooked shyly at the floor.

  Mux had already been waiting for his companion and now ran to meether. "What have you done, Cornelli?" he cried out in sudden surprise."Your forehead looks quite clean and neat, and you have shiny eyeslike a canary bird, and you don't look like an owl any more."

  "Why Cornelli! You are transformed!" Agnes exclaimed. "Just let me seeyou. Make a little room, Mux! No, I don't know you any more. It isfortunate you did it, for it is a pleasure to look at you now."

  "Your mother has done it," Cornelli explained confusedly, for she wasquite overcome at all these manifestations of joy.

  Nika also glanced up at her. "You are a different child, Cornelli, andI do not see how you could ever have gotten the way you were."

  These words were said in such a charming manner that a deep sensationof well-being filled Cornelli. She tried to fight against it, however,for she did not think it possible that she should suddenly become freedfrom her horrible, sickening fear.

  Agnes was very anxious to practice their song for the festive receptionof the newly risen Dino, and Cornelli, too, was filled with ardor. Thetwo children kept up their singing quite a while, for Agnes could notweary of trying the songs for two voices which she had never beforebeen able to use.

  Dino did not come until lunch time. Though he was still very pale, hefelt extremely lively. "Hurrah, Cornelli!" he cried out as he enteredthe living room. "Now you look again the way you used to in Iller-Streamwhen you forgot to pull your curtains over your brow. You even lookbetter than that, Cornelli, you look perfectly splendid! Another hurrahfor this great joy!"

  The next moment a surprise came for Dino: the lovely festive song whichAgnes and Cornelli were singing in his honor. The voice of the latterwas full of purity and strength, and Dino kept on signalling to Nikaover and over again, saying in a low voice: "Do you hear it? Do yousee it? Do you notice it at last?"

  It was quite evident that two had not been of the same opinion aboutCornelli till that day.

  So they all had a merry feast. In Cornelli's heart the feeling ofdelicious well-being gradually began to drive away all other sensations.Her old gaiety broke forth boundlessly and roused all the others aswell to great merriment and joy. Dino looked quite well again, and hiseyes fairly beamed with happiness. Even the mother joined in their gaymood, and she had to glance over and over again at her two daughters,who had seldom shown such unclouded joy. She heaved a secret sigh,however, and asked herself: I wonder how long this happiness will last,for we have hard times before us.

  "Wasn't I right, after all?" Dino said to his sisters, when Cornellihad retired and the family separated at bedtime. The sisters till n
owhad made disparaging remarks to him about Cornelli. "We do not seewhat attracts you in her," they had said. "We don't understand how youcan find her entertaining," and so on.

  When Cornelli was alone in her room that night, she felt as in a dream.What had happened to her? Was it really true that the great sorrowwhich had weighed on her and had taken all her joy away had foreverdisappeared? The mother had told her firmly that it had been an error,and the children had proved it to be so by their reception of her. Soshe could be happy again as she had always been. Cornelli was filledwith joy and praise to God at this thought.

  "How wonderfully God has led me," she said in her heart. She rememberedhow anxiously she had prayed to Him to prevent her from being sent totown. Now she had come to town, but in such a different way from whatshe had feared! She had been freed from her trouble by going away.Martha had certainly been right and she would always try to rememberthis. In the future she would pray to God that she might do everythingaccording to His will, and she made up her mind that she would neveragain try to force the fulfilment of her own wishes. She felt that sheowed the good Lord in Heaven especial praises, so she lay down to sleepquite late, and because of her happiness, even stayed awake a longtime after her prayers were said.

  "I have to tell you something, Cornelli," said the mother next day,when all the family was peacefully gathered around the supper table."You know that I have written to your father asking him to let youstay here a little longer. He has answered me, saying that he wouldbe very pleased if his little daughter could stay with us for a yearand could take all the lessons that my daughters are taking; but heleaves you free to decide about it. So you must write to your fatherto let him know the answer to his proposal.

  "Oh, you must stay here, Cornelli. Won't you please stay?" Dinoexclaimed. "Then you can be here till summer time and we two can goback to Iller-Stream together, for it is quite settled that I am goingagain to our good old Martha."

  "And I'll go, too," Mux said with conviction. "Do you know, Cornelli,"he whispered into her ear, "I'll stay with you all the time in yourown house and Dino can go alone to old Martha."

  Agnes was simply enchanted with this new prospect. "Oh, how wonderful,how wonderful!" she exclaimed over and over again. "Now we can havesinging lessons together and sing again at home. Oh, that is toowonderful!"

  Nika also begged Cornelli to stay. "I hope you will tell your fatherthat you intend to remain with us, Cornelli," she said. "We are onlyjust beginning to know you well."

  Cornelli's eyes sparkled with pleasure, for now the whole family wantedto keep her with them. Suddenly a thought flashed through her. Whenher father had threatened to send her to town for a year, she had beenterribly upset, and now the year spent in town with this family seemedlike pure pleasure. How different everything had been from what shehad thought and feared.

  "I should love to stay here!" she exclaimed with deep emotion. "CanI write to Papa now?" That suited Mrs. Halm exactly. Sitting downbeside Cornelli, she also wrote to Mr. Hellmut, and both letters weresent at once.

  Two days later Mr. Hellmut was sitting at the breakfast table, lookingat his mail. First of all he opened a fat envelope which had come tohim from town. There were two letters in it which caused him greatsurprise. Mrs. Halm wrote that all the members of her family hadjoyfully received his proposal to leave Cornelli with them for a longerstay. She told him that they had all become so fond of Cornelli thatshe would have left behind a feeling of real loss.

  Cornelli's letter read as follows:

  DEAR PAPA:

  I should love to stay here, for the mother and all the children arevery good to me, and I love them dearly. I should also like to learnlots and lots of things. Nika and Agnes know so much and are so clever,and I should be so glad to learn what they know. I shall be unspeakablyhappy if you will let me stay. Please give my love to Martha, Esther,and Matthew.

  YOUR CORNELLI.

  After reading the letters, the Director shook his head. "What on earthhas happened?" he said to himself. "A few weeks have hardly passedsince they told me that this child could not be set to rights, and Ihave myself seen how stubborn she was and how strangely she behaved.And what a change already! However, I must not take literally what hasprobably been written in a moment of excitement."

  Mr. Hellmut was very glad about Cornelli's intention to remain in town,for thus his greatest care had been taken from him. A lovely woman,who with her children had made a most favorable impression on him, hadpromised to devote herself to his child, and he only wondered how longthe present arrangement would last.

  Mrs. Halm had soon arranged a regular course of studies for Cornelli.Agnes was very anxious for her to start music lessons right away, forshe thought that that was the most important thing. Cornelli herselfwas eager to do this, for she wanted to learn everything that Nika andAgnes were learning. So she threw herself with fresh energy into allthe fields of study that were opened to her.

  Dino also was going to school, for he had entirely recovered. Everymorning the four children started out gaily, talking eagerly whilethey walked down the street, until they finally separated for theirvarious schools. If they met again on their way home, they were stillmore lively, for they would tell each other all their experiences.Cornelli surpassed them all in that respect. She had the talent ofdescribing everything in such a funny and vivid fashion that she madethem all laugh.

  Mux alone was unhappy in these days, for he had lost his belovedcompanion. Full of anger, he would meet the four laughing schoolchildren when they were coming up the stairs and would say: "If I ownedall the schools I would certainly burn them."

  "But I hope not all the teachers, too, Mux," said Dino, "for then onewould have to tell an even worse tale about you than you were tellingabout Agnes."

  The door between Cornelli's and the sisters' room was always open now,for they all had wished it. There was not a single evening on whichthey did not make use of the last moment for talking to each otherabout their mutual interests.

  Cornelli was filled with admiration for Nika and for everything shedid. She could not understand how Nika, who was so lovely and coulddo such wonderful things, could have a sorrow. She had never forgottenabout it, because she had often noticed that the young girl sufferedfrom some grief.

  Even Agnes often stopped laughing quite suddenly. She would say: "Yes,Cornelli, it is easy for you to be jolly. It is easy for you." SoCornelli knew that Agnes also carried a care about with her. When Agnesfrowned and made dreadful wrinkles, Cornelli was quite sure that thenher sorrow was hurting her. She would have loved to help her, but shehad never asked her friends about it. She knew that she had been gladwhen nobody had asked her about her own trouble.

  One day it happened that Agnes came home from her music lesson quiteupset and terribly excited. "Oh, Mama," she called from the door, "theteacher has given us the pieces today which we have to play for ourexaminations. He has given me the most difficult one, and while givingit to me he said: 'I shall really make something fine out of you.'"

  Agnes was throwing her music sheets away as if they were her greatestenemies; then she ran away to her room. There she threw herself downon a chair and began to sob loudly. Cornelli had followed her, for shewas filled with sympathy. Putting her arms about Agnes, she said: "Tellme, Agnes, what makes you cry. I know what it is like to have to crylike that. But why do you do it now, when your teacher has just praisedyou?"

  "What good is that to me?" Agnes burst out. "How does it help me toplay ever so well? What good would it ever do me even to practice dayand night? Nika and I can only keep on one year more, and theneverything is over. Then she can't paint any more and I can't have anymore music lessons, for we shall have to become dressmakers. We won'teven have time to go through the higher classes in school. I would athousand times rather travel through the world and sing in front ofthe houses for pennies--yes, I'll do that!"

  "Can't your mother help you?" asked Cornelli, remembering the mother'shelp in her own case.


  "No, she can't; and she is very unhappy herself. There is not a soulon earth who could help us, for our guardian says that it just has tobe."

  Cornelli was quite crushed by this explanation, for now she understoodquite well why Nika often had such sad eyes. The hopeless prospectmade Cornelli's heart heavy, too. When Agnes had had such a passionateoutbreak, she did not regain her composure for several days. Then Nikawould not say a word, either, and the mother only looked very sadlyat her children.

  Then Dino also became silent, for he knew what tormented his motherand his sisters. He would have loved to help them, but he knew no way.So Cornelli could not laugh any more, either, and her friend's greatsorrow weighed on her, too, for she had experienced a heavy griefherself and had not forgotten what it was like.

  CHAPTER X

  NEW LIFE IN ILLER-STREAM