But Edward's piercing voice was heard above the other two:

"Papa, he can drive the donkey, he must stay with us, then Johann won't
need to come with me any longer!"

And in the midst of all sounded Betti's high little voice, untiringly:

"Can we go to see the birds now, Papa? Can we go now to the birds?"

Then Papa turned away from the noisy group and said, laughing:

"My dear wife, what do you say to this whole story?"

The lady addressed had until now listened silently and watched Sami,
whose eyes grew brighter and brighter the louder the children begged for
him to stay. She looked at him kindly and said first of all she would
like to know from him where he came from, and what the story which Betti
told about his grandmother meant; he ought to tell where he had been
living hitherto, who his parents were and who his grandmother was.

The kind lady had inspired Sami with great confidence and he now told
from the beginning all that he knew about his life up to the present
moment, and also how he had come into the courtyard, on account of the
proverb, which led him to believe that here lived the people with whom he
should stay.

When Sami came to an end, the lady turned to her husband and said:

"It is the dear Lord who has led him here. We cannot send him away!"