ows, but one can't ask him. Are you afraid of Mr.
Trius, too?" Maezli asked.

"No."

"But he always goes about with a big stick. Kurt has made a song about
him where he tells everything that Mr. Trius does," Maezli chattered on.
"It begins like this:

Old Trius lives in our town,
A haughty man is he,
And every one that he can catch
He beats right heartily.

I don't remember the rest, but it is quite long. But he wants to make a
song about Salo now, because he is so awfully nice. He said it as soon
as Salo went away today. We all like him, and Bruno said that if he made
a stupid song he would tear it up."

"Is everybody here called Salo and Bruno?" the gentleman burst out
angrily.

"No, nobody except Bruno, you know; he is my big brother," Maezli
explained. "Salo only came yesterday and went away again to-day. But he
did not want to go and we wanted to keep him. But he was not allowed to.
If his sister is well again, she has to go away, too. But we don't know
her yet. Her name is Leonore."

"Who sent you here?" the gentleman ejaculated harshly. But Maezli only
looked at him in astonishment.

"Nobody has sent me. Nobody knows where I am, not even Apollonie," Maezli
began to explain. "I only ran away because Apollonie had to tell Mr.
Trius so many things and I wanted to see the mignonette. I am visiting
Apollonie because mama has to nurse Leonore, who is ill and can't come
down. Because I don't obey Kathy very well and she has to cook, I spend
the days with Apollonie. Oh, here he comes!" Maezli interrupted herself
suddenly, for she was frightened. Coming close to her new acquaintance,
as if to seek his protection, she whispered confidentially. "Oh, won't
you help me, please, if he tries to hurt me?"

Mr. Trius was rushing towards them, holding out his stick in front like
an emblem of his profession. The gentleman only made a light gesture
with his hand, and Mr. Trius disappeared as he had come.

"Won't he hurt me if I come down to the door where he stands?" Maezli
asked. She retreated slightly from her protector, whom she had held
tightly in her fear of the stick.

"No," he replied curtly, but his voice did not sound as severe as before,
a fact which Maezli noticed immediately. She was very grateful to him for
chasing Mr. Trius away and she now felt desirous of doing him a service
in return.

"Do you always have to sit alone here all the time? Does no one come to
see you?" she asked, full of