o run to her friends with this sugar-plum, was deeply
mortified, and after gazing ruefully from Luisa to Franco, ended by
pulling a real sugar-plum from her pocket, and offering it to Maria.
Then, having made out that the Maironis wanted to go away in the boat,
and longing to be allowed to stay with Maria a little while, she begged
and entreated so hard that they finally started, leaving orders with
Veronica to put the child to bed a little later.

Maria did not seem any too well pleased with the company of her elderly
friend. She remained silent, obstinately silent, and before long she
opened her mouth and burst into tears. Poor Barborin did not know which
Saint to appeal to, so she appealed to Veronica, but Veronica was
discoursing with a customs-guard, and either did not or would not hear.
Barborin showed her rings, her watch, even the big bonnet, _a la
vice-reine Beauharnais_, but nothing would do, and Maria continued to
weep. Then she bethought her of going to the piano, where she strummed
eight or ten bars of an antediluvian jig over and over again. Then
little Princess Maria became more amiable, and allowed her old
court-pianist to lift her as carefully as if her little arms had been a
butterfly's wings, and place her on her lap as softly as if there had
been danger of the old legs crumbling to dust.

When the jig had been repeated five or six times Maria began to look
bored and tried to pull the elderly pianist's hand from the key-board,
saying in an undertone: "Sing me a song." Obtaining no answer, she
turned, looked Barborin straight in the face, and shouted at the top of
her voice: "Sing me a song."

"I don't understand," Barborin replied. "I am deaf."

"Why are you deaf?"

"I am deaf," the unfortunate woman answered, smiling.

"But why are you deaf?"

Barborin could not imagine what the child was saying.

"I don't understand," said she.

"Then you are stupid," Maria announced with a very serious face, and
knitting her brows, she repeated in a whining voice: "I want a song!"

A voice from the little garden said--

"Here is the person for songs."

Maria raised her head and her face became radiant. "Missipipi!" she
cried, and slipping down from Barborin's lap, ran to meet Uncle Piero
who was coming in. Signora Pasotti rose also, astonished and smiling,
and stretched out her arms towards this old and unexpected friend.
"Behold, behold, behold!" she exclaimed, and hastened to greet him.
Maria was c