CHAPTER XX
AT HOME
A glorious day dawned upon Peschiera the next morning, and Mrs.Menotti hurried to the garden to enjoy it more fully. She took heraccustomed seat on a rustic bench near the gate and looked about herwith appreciative eyes. The oleander bushes were in full bloom besideher, behind her was the hedge to screen the garden from the street,and yonder were the loaded fig trees, while near by were thegrapevines, dotted with clusters of ripe fruit.
"I realize," she said to herself, "that I shall never find so pretty ahome again."
Just at this moment Rico opened the gate. He had not been able to letthe beautiful morning pass without seeing his friends, as he wasobliged to go to Riva a little later. He had not noticed Mrs. Menotti,and was going directly to the house when she called to him.
"I want you to sit here with me for a few moments, Rico, if you will.What a fine day this promises to be! I have just been wondering howlong I may still be here to enjoy it."
"You alarm me, Mrs. Menotti. You are not thinking of going away?"
"I beg your pardon, Rico, for speaking so thoughtlessly; I should nothave mentioned it." She changed the subject, and presently, recallingwhat Stineli had told her the previous evening about Rico's trouble,she began to wonder what it could be. She had been so absorbed in herown affairs at the time that she had given it but a moment's thought.
"Won't you tell me, Rico, why you came to Lake Garda? Stineli told melast evening that you used to long to come here. Were you ever herebefore?"
"Yes, when I was a child, but I was taken away."
"How did you happen to come here as a child?"
"I came into the world here."
"You were born here? Who was your father, and why did he come herefrom the mountains?"
"He wasn't from the mountains; it was my mother who lived there."
"Why, Rico, your father was not a Peschieran?"
"He surely was, Mrs. Menotti; this was his home."
"How very strange! And you never have told me this in all these years!Feeling that you did not care to talk of your earlier life, I havenever asked you to tell me your last name. But 'Rico' is not Italian.What was your father called?"
"The same as I, Enrico Trevillo."
Mrs. Menotti sprang from the seat as if she had been struck. "What areyou saying?" she exclaimed. "What did you say just now?"
"My father's name," said Rico. "Why, what is the matter?"
Mrs. Menotti did not stay to answer him. She ran to the house andhastily said to Stineli: "Get me a wrap, please. I must go over to seethe pastor, but I will be back soon and explain."
Stineli, much astonished, put a cape around the trembling form.
"Come with me, Rico, for I want to ask a few questions," said Mrs.Menotti, but she was so agitated that she could think of nothing toask except if he were sure that Enrico Trevillo was his father. Ricoreturned to the house after leaving Mrs. Menotti with the pastor.Stineli and Silvio were laughing over a funny story when he arrived.As soon as Silvio saw the violin he shouted, "Let us sing 'LittleLambs' with Stineli, because Rico is here to play."
Rico had learned a great number of new songs, so that Stineli hadnearly forgotten all about "her song." She had not heard it since theysang it for the grandmother the evening they had composed it. Itastonished her to find that Silvio knew anything about it. How was sheto know that Rico had been singing that song time after time, beforehe knew any others?
She gladly consented to sing it with Rico. To her great surpriseSilvio began singing with them. To be sure, he did not know themeaning of a word he was saying, but he remembered the sounds fromhaving heard them so often. He gave the words such a funnypronunciation that Stineli had to laugh. Silvio laughed because shelaughed; then Rico could not help laughing, and so the song waited.They began again time after time, only to stop as before, and whenMrs. Menotti returned, she found them all still laughing and trying tosing.
She had been making a strong effort to adjust herself to the new orderof things which the eventful morning had brought about. She crossedthe garden hastily and came in where the children were. The laughterhushed as she sank exhausted into a chair, and they gazed at her inastonishment.
"Rico," she said, as soon as she had gathered a little composure, "Ihave just found out from the pastor that this home--the house, garden,farm, and everything--is yours. It is your inheritance from yourfather and belongs to you. Your name is recorded in the baptismalrecord of the church; you are the son of Enrico Trevillo, who was myhusband's most intimate friend."
Stineli had almost from the first grasped the meaning of it all, andit gave her an unspeakable happiness. Her face was radiant, and Mrs.Menotti thought, "How beautiful the girl looks!"
Rico sat staring at the mother, speechless and bewildered. Silvioshouted, "All of a sudden the house belongs to Rico; where shall hesleep?"
"Where, Silvio?" repeated the mother. "In all the rooms, if hechooses. He can turn us out on the street at once if he likes."
"Then I should certainly go out on the street with you," said Rico.
"Oh, you good Rico! We will gladly stay if it will give you pleasure.I was thinking on the way home of how we could arrange it if youshould wish to have us here. I could buy a half interest in the place,and then one half would belong to you and one half to Silvio."
"Then I will give my half to Stineli," declared Silvio.
"And I my half too," said Rico.
"Hurrah! now everything belongs to Stineli," shouted Silvio,gleefully. "The garden, the house, and everything in it--the chairs,the table, the violin, and you and I too are hers. Now let's singagain!"
Rico, in the meantime, had been thinking, and now hesitatingly asked,"How can it be that Silvio's father's house belongs to me, even if hewas my father's best friend?"
This reminded Mrs. Menotti that as yet Rico knew none of thecircumstances leading up to her discovery, so she began from thebeginning and related the events in the proper order. When shefinished, there was a grand jubilee among the children, because theyrealized that there was nothing to hinder Rico's coming to live withthem immediately.
After the commotion had somewhat subsided, Rico said to Mrs. Menotti:"You must let nothing here be changed because this good fortune hascome to me. I will simply come and live with you, and we shall all beat home, and you can be our mother."
"O Rico, to think it should be you of all people!" exclaimed Mrs.Menotti. "How well Stineli has advised us to let our troubles be maderight, and how soon the answer came! I gladly give the property overto you, and I gladly remain here, too. I will be a true mother to you,Rico, for I have long loved you as an own son. You and Stineli mustcall me mother after this. We shall be the happiest family in allPeschiera."
"Now we _must_ finish our song," burst out Silvio, who felt so happythat his feelings needed an outlet. Rico and Stineli were no lessjubilant, and they sang merrily.
Rico was about to put up his violin, when Stineli said, "I should liketo stop with a different song, Rico; can you guess which one?"
"Yes, I can." Then they sang in gratitude to God and in sweet memoryof the dear old grandmother who taught it to them:
"He never will refuse His aid If you a prayer will send; Whatever in His care is laid Shall have a happy end.
Then let the blessing onward go, And cause it not to stay, That you may rest in peace below And happy be alway."
It is needless to say that Rico did not go to Riva that day. Thesituation was immediately explained to the hotel people, so that theycould hire a substitute to play for the dance. How glad Rico was to beexcused they could scarcely imagine.
The landlady received the information with the greatest astonishment.She hastily called her husband and told him the news. Later shecongratulated Rico and said to him that she heartily wished for God'sblessing upon his home. Not in the least did she begrudge him his goodfortune. She had really grown very fond of him, and her pleasure wasgenuine. For some time the
people of the hotel Three Crosses had beenmaking Rico liberal offers to come to live with them, and she wasrelieved that now this could not happen. Her husband was glad forRico, because he had known the father well; he wondered now that hehad never noticed the striking resemblance between father and son.
Rico left word to have his belongings sent over to his house the nextday, and then bade them a friendly farewell.
"We want you to give us your orders for all the entertaining you maydo in the future," the landlady said, as he was about to leave. Ricothanked them in his usual quiet fashion and departed.
Before night nearly all Peschiera had heard of Rico's good fortune. Hewas a favorite in town, and the news caused much rejoicing.
Mrs. Menotti spared no pains to make Rico comfortable in his new home.The large front room upstairs was prepared for his special use. Aftereverything had been arranged to her satisfaction, she went to gathersome flowers as a finishing touch, and she had just placed them on thetable when she heard Rico coming.
"Mrs. Menotti has your room ready, and she is upstairs," said Stineli."Won't you go up to see it now?"
Rico expected to see a pleasant room, but he was not prepared to findthe artistic effect which held him spellbound as he reached thethreshold. Mrs. Menotti understood his nature so well that she knewwhat he would like, and she had arranged every detail herself. She methim at the door, and taking his hand, led him to the windowsoverlooking the lake. Rico wished to express his gratitude, but hecould only murmur, "I am so glad to be at home."
In the sitting room downstairs, where the doors opened so pleasantlyinto the garden, the family, after Rico had come to stay, spent themost delightful evenings imaginable. Ten o'clock no longer broughtsadness to the happy circle, and the months slipped by quite unheeded.
Rico was now supposed to manage his business, and he usually spent thedays in the field and garden with his foreman. The first day they wereout together the foreman thought, "I know more than my master," butthat evening, when the soul-inspiring strains of the violin and voicecame floating out to him across the garden, he thought, "My masterdoes know more than I"; and thereafter he had a profound respect forRico.