Part 15 (1/2)
”Oh, yes, how splendid!” Maria was delighted. ”And to think it was Captain Riccardi all the time. No wonder now that he talks sometimes in his sleep of the little goat-herder and her flowered dress. He was an observer, Roderigo told me. That is a very important thing to be, and he was hidden high up in a tree. That is why you did not see him.”
Lucia thought of the telephone.
”I know now, of course, for I saw him climb up it and talk over the wire to the soldiers miles away,” she exclaimed. ”But how could I think to look in a tree for a soldier?” she laughed.
A bell tinkled, and Maria sprang up.
”I must go, it is my time to be on duty,” she said, smoothing her ap.r.o.n and settling her cap importantly, ”I will come back when I can.”
Lucia looked envious. ”Do not be long,” she called after her.
She settled back with a sigh, and the little goat came over to have her neck patted. Lucia stroked it lovingly.
”Garibaldi,” she said aloud, ”we are in a dream, you and I, and soon we will both wake up and find ourselves back in the white cottage with Nana scolding because we are late for supper. And we'll be sorry too, won't we? For that will mean that the beautiful sheets and the soft pillow will vanish the way they do in the fairy tales, and this lovely garden will go too.”
”But what if there were another one to take its place?” a voice inquired from the doorway.
CHAPTER XIV
THE FAIRY G.o.dFATHER
Lucia turned and looked up quickly. She was startled and not a little embarra.s.sed at having her confidence overheard.
Through the door that led from the ward the American was pus.h.i.+ng a bed on wheels. Lucia had seen that same bed many times before. It had belonged to the old Mother Superior of the convent, and many a bright morning she had seen it out in the garden as she sat at her desk in the schoolroom above.
She looked at the white pillow half expecting to see the old wrinkled face of Mother Cecelia, but instead Captain Riccardi looked up at her and smiled.
”See, I've found you at last,” he said, as Lathrop pushed the bed beside Lucia's chair. ”I was beginning to think that you were just a dream child, and that I had imagined about the milk.”
Lucia laughed gayly.
”No, Captain, that was not a dream, or I hope it wasn't, for if the milk was not real then I dreamed about the pennies, and the sick soldiers never got them.”
”Sick soldiers! Did you give away the money?”
”Oh yes, sir, how could I keep it? I did not know you were a Captain, I thought--”
”You thought I was just a poor soldier, eh?”
”Well, yes, if you will excuse me for saying so, I did, but anyway I would not have kept the money.”
”Why not?”
”How can you ask? Why because, to accept pay for something--and such a little thing as a pail of milk--”
”Two pails.”
”No, just one, they were only half-full, but no matter. I wanted to give away the milk, not sell it, and so I put the pennies in the box at church.”