Teresa, too, had put aside for once that _perpetuum mobile_ which women call knitting, lest she might poke out her kinswoman's eye with it.
On perceiving her daughter, Mrs.Meyer would not descend from the coach.
Master Boltay and the coachman had to pull her down by main force, and when she did touch _terra firma_ it was only to grovel at the feet of Teresa and Fanny till Boltay, who had no desire that she should make a scene in his courtyard for the benefit of the village loafers, raised her to her feet again.
The worthy artisan did his very utmost to keep Mrs.Meyer in an upright position, but all to no purpose, for by the time she had reached Fanny, down she plumped on her knees again, and tried to discover Fanny's tiny feet that she might kiss them.

This greatly alarmed Fanny, for, having been engaged in gardening from an early hour, she had put nothing on her tiny feet but two little old house-slippers, and consequently Mrs.
Meyer's strenuous endeavours threatened to reveal to the world, the disgraceful circumstance, that--she had no stockings on.

Blushing at the thought of such a scandal, she stooped hastily and raised Mrs.Meyer up in her arms, whereupon the sensitive mother hid her face in her daughter's bosom, wept, sobbed, and kissed and embraced her with all her might.

Fanny simply stood still and held her, without being able to make up her mind whether she should return these tears, sobs, and embraces.
At length the united efforts of the whole family succeeded in dragging Mrs.Meyer from the hall into the parlour, where they compelled her to sit down, and made her understand, at last, that she was to live there.
At first she insisted upon sleeping on the floor; then, in the kitchen among the servants; finally, she begged and prayed that, if they were determined she should have a room of her own, it must be the tiniest of attics in which she could only squeeze by huddling all her limbs together, a room no larger than a coal-cellar, from which she might now and then get a peep at her daughter.

Unfortunately, in Mr.Boltay's house there was no room of that size, except a granary.
So, at last, she had to let them be hospitable to her in their own way, and Teresa and Fanny got ready for her a cabinet next to Fanny's music-room.