FRÄULEIN ROTTENMEIER
would follow, had been so overcome with amusement at the first miaus that he had hardly been able to finish handing the dishes. The lady’s distressed cries for help had ceased before he had sufficiently regained his composure to go back into the dining-room. It was all peace and quietness there now; Clara had the kittens on her lap, and Heidi was kneeling beside her, both laughing and playing with the tiny, graceful little animals.
“Sebastian,” exclaimed Clara as he came in, “you must help us; you must find a bed for the kittens where Fräulein Rottenmeier will not spy them out, for she is so afraid of them that she will send them away at once; but we want to keep them, and have them out whenever we are alone. Where can you put them?”
“I will see to that,” answered Sebastian willingly. “I will make a bed in a basket and put it in some place where the lady is not likely to go; you leave it to me.” He set about the work at once, sniggling to himself the while, for he guessed there would be a further rumpus about this some day, and Sebastian was not without a certain pleasure in the thought of Fräulein Rottenmeier being a little disturbed.
Not until some time had elapsed, and it was nearing the hour for going to bed, did Fräulein Rottenmeier venture to open the door a crack and call through, “Have you taken those dreadful little animals away, Sebastian?”
He assured her twice that he had done so; he had been hanging about the room in anticipation of this question, and now quickly and quietly caught up the kittens from Clara’s lap and disappeared with them.
The castigatory sermon which Fräulein Rottenmeier had
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