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 I will remain your friend in spite of everything that might turn up.”

Cornelli still hesitated.

“But will you still be my friend later on, when everything is still more changed and nobody else will be my friend?” she asked persistently.

“Yes, I promise; and here is my hand!” said Dino, giving the little girl a hearty handshake. “You can see that I really mean it, for what one has promised that way, one can never take back. Now you can be sure that I shall always be your friend.”

Cornelli’s face lit up with joy. It was obviously a great comfort to her to have a friend who would remain so for all time.

“So now, I’ll tell you what it is. But you must promise not to tell anyone in the whole, wide world about it, as long as you live.”

Dino promised, giving his hand again for solemn assurance.

“Look, here on both sides of my forehead,” said Cornelli now, hesitating a little and pushing the fringes of hair out of her face, “I have two large bumps, they grow all the time and