"Why not before daybreak?" he growled.

"Because you might have been still in bed and could not have unlocked the
door. But for that I should have come then," Apollonie quickly retorted.

So he silently led the way, for he had had to realize that Apollonie was
not in the least backward now that she had the master's full support.
She first sought out her old chamber, and Loneli was extremely puzzled to
see her grandmother wiping her eyes over and over again. The whole thing
was like a beautiful fairy story to the child, and she loved the charming
room with the dark wainscoting along the wall.

But Apollonie did not indulge very long in dreams and memories. Soon
after, she was making war on the fine spider-webs in the kitchen, and in
a couple of hours it already looked livable and cosy there. Mr. Trius
smiled quite pleasantly when he entered, as he was just on the point of
brewing himself and his master a cup of coffee. The only thing he
usually added was a piece of dry bread, as he was too lazy to get milk
and butter from the neighboring farmers, and his master had never asked
for either. The steaming coffee and hot milk and the fresh white bread
Apollonie had prepared looked very appetizing to him. The wooden benches
were clean scrubbed, and he didn't object to absence of the annoying
spider-webs, which had always tickled his nose.

Apollonie, pouring the fragrant beverage into a large cup, politely
invited Mr. Trius to take his seat at the table. He could not help
enjoying the meal and the new order of things in the kitchen. Apollonie
now prepared the breakfast tray, setting on it the good old china that
the Baroness had always used. She had put a plate with round
butter-balls beside the steaming coffee-pot, and fresh round rolls peeped
invitingly from an old-fashioned little china basket.

When Apollonie came to her master's room, he exclaimed, "Oh, how good
this looks! Just like old times."

At first he thought that even looking at it would do him good, but
Apollonie did not agree with him.

"Please take a little, Baron," she begged him, "otherwise your strength
will not come back. Take a little bit at first and gradually more and
more. I know you will like the butter. Loneli got it at the best farm
hereabouts."

After tasting a little the Baron was surprised how good it was.

When her master was comfortably sitting in the lovely morning sun,
Apollonie fetched Loneli out. She wanted the child to thank him f