She had secretly hoped that she would be able to spend all day alone with Dino, and that nobody else would notice her.

Now she had to sit at table with Dino's mother and sisters.

Mux, however, was her consolation; he seemed so confiding and so friendly.

She had felt immediately to her great discomfort how different and how horrible she looked in comparison with these charming children.

When she had stood in front of Nika, who was so very pretty, she felt sure that the elder girl must be filled with disgust at the sight of her, even if she did not show it.