Page:The grandmother; a story of country life in Bohemia.pdf/154

148 "None; I have no relatives that I know of in the whole world," replied the Countess sadly. "Giovanna, my good nurse, still lives in Italy, and at times I feel very lonely and long to see her and my old home. But the Princess, my second mother, has promised to take me there soon."

"How did the Princess come to know you, when you lived so far away?"

"She and my mother were good friends, having known each other for many vears. My father was wounded at the battle of Leipsic, and returned to his villa in Florence, where in a few vears he died from the effects of his injury. This I learned from Giovanna. My mother grieved so much that she, too, died and left me, a poor little orphan, all alone in the world. When the Princess heard of it, she came to Florence and would have taken me with her, but for my nurse who loved me dearly. So she left me with her and placed the villa and all within it in her charge. My nurse brought me up, being both a mother and teacher to me.

"When I was grown up the Princess took me to herself. Oh, I love her dearly, as I should have loved my own mother."

"Yes, and the Princess loves you as her own child, too," said Grandmother; "I saw it when I was at the castle, and it made me think very highly of her. This reminds me of the Kudernas. When Barunka gave them that money from you, they almost jumped to the ceiling with joy; but when the father heard that he was selected to be watchman of your fields, his amazement and delight were too great to be expressed. As long as they