Through the open door she had overheard the warning and had stepped outside to say: "Just go to Martha, Cornelli; the storm won't come for a long time, I am sure." So the child flew away while Esther passed Miss Mina, silently shrugging her shoulders.

That was always the way it happened when Cornelli wanted anything.

If Miss Mina thought that something should not be done, Esther always arrived, saying that nothing on earth would be easier than to do that very thing.

Or, if she thought that Cornelli should not do a thing, Miss Mina always helped to have it put through.

The reason for this was a very simple one: each of them wanted to be the favorite with the child.
Cornelli, arriving at Martha's house, shot up the stairs and into the little room.