Mrs. Schwarz sat gloomily on the porch paring potatoes and heaving deep sighs of despair. She did not see her visitors until they were almost upon her.
“Can you tell me where Mr. Schwarz lives?” asked a clear voice in German, and she looked up startled.
She surveyed her visitors stolidly, but finally admitted that Mr. Schwarz was not at home.
“Oh! Then he lives here!” The visitor caught her breath sorrowfully and looked at the boy with a faint smile of apology.
“I have come to see my daughter, Hilda,” she said to Mrs. Schwarz. “I am Mrs. Lessing. Will you be kind enough to tell her we are here?”
But Mrs. Schwarz did not move. A great wave of dark red swept up over her swarthy countenance and her under lip came out uglily:
“Your taughter iss not here!” she hissed. “I know nodding apou
