As soon as Barbara returned to the villa, she threw herself into her mother's arms, sobbing. From her choked words and jumbled account, Jasper was able to piece together what had happened. Barbara had spent the entire day searching, asking everyone she knew and even kind strangers, yet she was still five birthday wishes short.
In desperation, she had approached the gruff-looking cobbler at his stall, only to be shooed away rudely by his wife, who mistook her for a beggar. The cobbler and his wife were intimidating in appearance and their words were harsh and vulgar. Barbara had never encountered this situation before. Humiliated and scared, she could only flee in tears.
Rebecca comforted Barbara until her sobs gradually subsided. Taking the crumpled notebook from her hand, Rebecca wrote
