for he understood both the care of the garden and the cultivation of the
farm, and he looked after and directed all the work himself, and had an
easy and good place with her. He was contented, and whistled
incessantly.

However, while he stood before the landlady, he stopped for a little,
and said, if the little musician of the evening before had not gone
away, he was to go over to Mrs. Menotti again, because her little boy
wanted to hear him fiddle some more.

"Yes, yes; if Mrs. Menotti is not in a great hurry,"--while she put her
arms on her hips, to show that she, at any rate, was not pressed for
time. "At the present moment the little musician is sleeping upstairs in
his good bed; and I, for one, do not wish to have him disturbed. You may
say to Mrs. Menotti that I will send him to her presently. He is not
going away. I have taken him under my charge for good and all; for he is
a deserted orphan, and does not know where to go; and now he will be
well cared for," added she, with emphasis.

The gardener went off with this message.

Rico was allowed to sleep as long as he wanted to; for the landlady was
a good-natured woman, though, to be sure, she thought first of her own
profit, and afterwards was willing to help others to theirs. When the
boy awoke, at last, from his long sleep, his fatigue had quite
disappeared; and he came running down the stairs as fresh as possible.
The landlady made a sign for him to come into the kitchen, and placed a
big bowl of coffee before him, with a nice yellow corn-cake, saying,--

"You can have this every morning, if you will, and something much better