A telegram
She started peddling towards the gates, but soon she found out it wasn't an easy thing to do because of all the gravel. Smilingly she remembered how she almost tripped over on her way to the front door that morning when she first came to this house. So she stepped down from the bike and started to walk to the gate pushing the bike beside her.
"Well Georg really didn't meant to have me fall down from the bike and break a leg or something. With nobody in the house, I could be laying here all day", she thought a bit angry.
After a few more paces she reached the gates.
"Now what ?", she thought, "open the gate ? or wait here ? The note didn't say anything about what I should do next".
She waited a little longer, looking back at the house, then from left to right all around the front garden. "Nothing", she thought, "nobody in view, no note, just nothing..."
For an instant she considered the possibility that the children were playing a trick on her. She felt a little shocked, but dismissed the thought rightaway.
"No, the children had been so nice to her lately, they wouldn't even think about such a thing. And besides could the children have written those nice notes ?", she thought,"Liesl might perhaps... No! It must have been Georg. Now what is he up to ?".
Finally she was tired of waiting any longer.
Maria pulled open the gate, pushed her bike out and after closing the gate again she looked up and down the street.
At that moment she saw someone peddling on a bike in the distance, the person was waving one hand violently, as if beckoning her to wait, while trying to keep the bike on the road with the other hand. She couldn't see who it was, but when the person came closer she saw it was a boy. After a few minutes he came within hearing distance and she heard him shout :
"Fraulein, fraulein, please wait!".
"What is this all about ?", she thought and she waited with growing curiousity.
When the boy reached her he was panting with exhaustion, it seemed he had been driving real fast in order to catch up with her.
"Are ... are you... are you fraulein Maria ?", the boy managed to ask between a few gasps. "Yes, that's me.", Maria replied, "and you are... ?".
"I am Rolf", the boy introduced himself, "..... the delivery boy."
"Ah", Maria said thoughtful, "why did you want me to wait ?"
"I have a telegram for you, Fraulein.", Rolf answered and he handed her an envelope.
"Thank you", Maria replied and turning a little away from Rolf she opened the envelope wondering what to expect next. Then she started to read the telegram, it said :
"My love STOP sorry about all this waiting STOP please ride to the abbey sister M has something for you STOP don't worry about the children they are with Max STOP And keep that delivery boy away from the house STOP Love Georg end"
With a puzzled look she glanced up while pushing the telegram back into the envelope.
"Sister M ?... M ??.... could that be sister Margaretta ?", Maria tried to reason, "Now what has sister Margaretta got to do with all of this ?".
Then she watched into the direction where Rolf was still standing. She saw him standing bent towards the gate, almost pressing his face against it and with each hand grabbing a bar left and right of his face. He was glancing towards the house, his eyes wandering from window to window. Maria couldn't help to smile a little when she saw him standing there. She remembered Liesl's strange behavior at the dinner table that first night she arrived at this house and how Liesl couldn't lie to her when she climbed, all wet and dirty, into the gouvernesses bedroom during the thunderstorm. Then remembering Georg's strange last words she had just read in the telegram she said in a kindly soft voice : "Rolf ?".
The boy almost jumped out of his skin when he heard her calling him and startled he glanced towards Maria.
"YYYes?", he muttered.
"Rolf, Liesl is out today, so you better get back to work.", she said kindly.
She almost could not keep herself from laughing when she saw that Rolf started to look down at his shoes real hard.
"Now go on ! Liesl won't be away forever", she said smiling to him.
And looking shy Rolf grabbed his bike and started peddling in a direction away from town.
"Well I haven't got the faintest idea why Georg wants me to go to the abbey and see sister Margaretta", she thought, "what will the other sisters think when they see me return once again ? Sister Berthe must really think she will never get rid of me."
With that last thought in mind she started to smile a little more and then she mounted her bike and started peddling towards town.
It was a wonderful nice morning, riding a bike made her feel happy and she started humming : "... I know that I will hear ... heard before ...... my heart will be blessed ... of music..."
When she finally reached the city she saw people busying themselves with shopping, cleaning windows, sweeping the streets, everybody seemed cheerful this morning. She drove through the town and passed the place where in a few months time the Salzburg Festival would be held. Just when she drove past the entrance she noticed that Max and the children were entering the theatre.
"How nice of Max to show the children the theatre.", she thought, "shall I stop and say good morning ?".
She almost hit the breaks when a sudden thought struck her mind :
"Would Georg know about this ? It really is a shame he will not let the children sing in public, Max has right, they really do have very nice singing voices. Not to mention Georg's own voice... oowwh when I remember how he sang 'Edelweiss' ...."
She started peddling a bit faster and decided not to tell she had seen the children entering the theatre until she knew for sure Georg had approved of it. She reached the slope that lead towards the abbey and she dismounted her bike, it was much to steep to peddle up there. While she pushed her bike up the slope she started wondering again about this strange morning. Deep in thought she passed by a carriage apparently waiting for someone.
"Goodmorning Fraulein", she heard the coachman greeting her.
"Goodmorning", she muttered back, still deep in thought, and kept going on pushing her bike up the slope. "What will I say when I reach the abbey gates and ring the bell? Here I am ... again ??? Will sister Margaretta really know about all these strange doings this morning ? Well, I just have to wait and see, like the Reverend Mother always says: follow every byway."
And with that thought she stood in front of the abbey gates.
She started peddling towards the gates, but soon she found out it wasn't an easy thing to do because of all the gravel. Smilingly she remembered how she almost tripped over on her way to the front door that morning when she first came to this house. So she stepped down from the bike and started to walk to the gate pushing the bike beside her.
"Well Georg really didn't meant to have me fall down from the bike and break a leg or something. With nobody in the house, I could be laying here all day", she thought a bit angry.
After a few more paces she reached the gates.
"Now what ?", she thought, "open the gate ? or wait here ? The note didn't say anything about what I should do next".
She waited a little longer, looking back at the house, then from left to right all around the front garden. "Nothing", she thought, "nobody in view, no note, just nothing..."
For an instant she considered the possibility that the children were playing a trick on her. She felt a little shocked, but dismissed the thought rightaway.
"No, the children had been so nice to her lately, they wouldn't even think about such a thing. And besides could the children have written those nice notes ?", she thought,"Liesl might perhaps... No! It must have been Georg. Now what is he up to ?".
Finally she was tired of waiting any longer.
Maria pulled open the gate, pushed her bike out and after closing the gate again she looked up and down the street.
At that moment she saw someone peddling on a bike in the distance, the person was waving one hand violently, as if beckoning her to wait, while trying to keep the bike on the road with the other hand. She couldn't see who it was, but when the person came closer she saw it was a boy. After a few minutes he came within hearing distance and she heard him shout :
"Fraulein, fraulein, please wait!".
"What is this all about ?", she thought and she waited with growing curiousity.
When the boy reached her he was panting with exhaustion, it seemed he had been driving real fast in order to catch up with her.
"Are ... are you... are you fraulein Maria ?", the boy managed to ask between a few gasps. "Yes, that's me.", Maria replied, "and you are... ?".
"I am Rolf", the boy introduced himself, "..... the delivery boy."
"Ah", Maria said thoughtful, "why did you want me to wait ?"
"I have a telegram for you, Fraulein.", Rolf answered and he handed her an envelope.
"Thank you", Maria replied and turning a little away from Rolf she opened the envelope wondering what to expect next. Then she started to read the telegram, it said :
"My love STOP sorry about all this waiting STOP please ride to the abbey sister M has something for you STOP don't worry about the children they are with Max STOP And keep that delivery boy away from the house STOP Love Georg end"
With a puzzled look she glanced up while pushing the telegram back into the envelope.
"Sister M ?... M ??.... could that be sister Margaretta ?", Maria tried to reason, "Now what has sister Margaretta got to do with all of this ?".
Then she watched into the direction where Rolf was still standing. She saw him standing bent towards the gate, almost pressing his face against it and with each hand grabbing a bar left and right of his face. He was glancing towards the house, his eyes wandering from window to window. Maria couldn't help to smile a little when she saw him standing there. She remembered Liesl's strange behavior at the dinner table that first night she arrived at this house and how Liesl couldn't lie to her when she climbed, all wet and dirty, into the gouvernesses bedroom during the thunderstorm. Then remembering Georg's strange last words she had just read in the telegram she said in a kindly soft voice : "Rolf ?".
The boy almost jumped out of his skin when he heard her calling him and startled he glanced towards Maria.
"YYYes?", he muttered.
"Rolf, Liesl is out today, so you better get back to work.", she said kindly.
She almost could not keep herself from laughing when she saw that Rolf started to look down at his shoes real hard.
"Now go on ! Liesl won't be away forever", she said smiling to him.
And looking shy Rolf grabbed his bike and started peddling in a direction away from town.
"Well I haven't got the faintest idea why Georg wants me to go to the abbey and see sister Margaretta", she thought, "what will the other sisters think when they see me return once again ? Sister Berthe must really think she will never get rid of me."
With that last thought in mind she started to smile a little more and then she mounted her bike and started peddling towards town.
It was a wonderful nice morning, riding a bike made her feel happy and she started humming : "... I know that I will hear ... heard before ...... my heart will be blessed ... of music..."
When she finally reached the city she saw people busying themselves with shopping, cleaning windows, sweeping the streets, everybody seemed cheerful this morning. She drove through the town and passed the place where in a few months time the Salzburg Festival would be held. Just when she drove past the entrance she noticed that Max and the children were entering the theatre.
"How nice of Max to show the children the theatre.", she thought, "shall I stop and say good morning ?".
She almost hit the breaks when a sudden thought struck her mind :
"Would Georg know about this ? It really is a shame he will not let the children sing in public, Max has right, they really do have very nice singing voices. Not to mention Georg's own voice... oowwh when I remember how he sang 'Edelweiss' ...."
She started peddling a bit faster and decided not to tell she had seen the children entering the theatre until she knew for sure Georg had approved of it. She reached the slope that lead towards the abbey and she dismounted her bike, it was much to steep to peddle up there. While she pushed her bike up the slope she started wondering again about this strange morning. Deep in thought she passed by a carriage apparently waiting for someone.
"Goodmorning Fraulein", she heard the coachman greeting her.
"Goodmorning", she muttered back, still deep in thought, and kept going on pushing her bike up the slope. "What will I say when I reach the abbey gates and ring the bell? Here I am ... again ??? Will sister Margaretta really know about all these strange doings this morning ? Well, I just have to wait and see, like the Reverend Mother always says: follow every byway."
And with that thought she stood in front of the abbey gates.