"
Wiseli pulled out the drawer as quickly as possible. There lay five
spoons and five knives. She put these upon the table, and the supper was
ready. The father and his sons came in, and sat down at once on the
seats along the wall behind the table. At the other end stood a chair.
Cousin Gotti made a motion towards the chair and said, "She can sit
there, I think; or do you say no?"
"Oh, certainly!" said his wife, whose seat was nearest the kitchen-door.
She did not remain seated a moment; but ran out into the kitchen and
came back, took a spoonful of milk, and was off again.
Nobody knew why she ran about in this way, for there was nothing cooking
in the kitchen, and nothing to bring out, but she always did so; and
when, sometimes, her husband would say, "Do sit still, and eat
something," then she seemed more hurried than ever, and said she had no
time to sit still, there were so many things to be looked after.
When she had made two visits to the kitchen and returned, and began to
peel a potato in great haste, she noticed, for the first time, that
Wiseli sat idly by her side, her hands on her lap. "Why don't you eat
something?" she said, angrily. "She has no spoon," said Rudi, who was
seated on the other side, and had long been wondering why anybody should
sit at table and not eat as long as there was any thing left.
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