error. No fear must be shown now, not an
eyelid must quiver. Ah, she had learnt to dissemble more easily now.
The woman was filled with an almost fierce, triumphant joy, which gave
a natural cheerfulness to her voice as she added, "He's such a judge
[Pg 141] of good living, he'll have nothing but what's good." And then
she said in a friendly tone, as though she had quite forgotten
Marianna's pointed words and the coffee she had taken, "Jendrek must
have told a lie, then. Here." She put her hand into the little bag that
hung on her belt near her keys, and brought out a new shilling. "Here,
Marianna. I'm sorry that I've wronged you so long in my thoughts."

The servant forgot to thank her mistress, but stared at her completely
bewildered as she left the kitchen. Oh, she--she was really--she,
she--had she really put nothing into the coffee? Marianna felt she was
too stupid, her head ached with all the thinking; it would be better to
leave it alone. The Pani had given her a new shilling bit, the Pani was
good. She was happy now.

Mrs. Tiralla stood outside the door and called for her daughter, and
when Rosa obediently came she gave her a basket and put on her
broad-brimmed straw hat with her own hands, "There, my darling," and
told her to go and look for mushrooms for her father's supper.

Many different kinds of mushrooms were to be found in the
Przykop--yellow, red, brown, orange-coloured, and greenish. When Rosa
had gone out the first time to find some she had felt very anxious.
There was a dark brown one growing under a pine tree, big and firm,
with a strong smell and very appetizing in appearance. But she had eyed
it very uncertainly. Was that the devil's toadstool, which the
schoolmaster had marked on the board at school as poisonous, or was it
one of the dainty _boleti edules_, which her father liked so much? Oh,
dear, she had not listened very attentively; Mr. Boehnke had given them
all the characteristics, but she had been dreaming as usual. [Pg 142]
Her thoughts had flown away into infinite space, away over the board
which Mr. Boehnke was holding before them. He used to be very annoyed
with the other children if they were not attending, but he was never
annoyed with her, for she was Rosa Tiralla. Oh, if only he had been.
She did not know what to do. She hesitated doubtfully; should she take
the mushroom or not? There were many of the same kind growing in the
moss; they seemed to smile at her.

A wood-pigeon wa