Her fat and dimpled hands
smoothed the blue, or pink or white folds with a complacency
astonishing in one of her years. "That's her mother in
her," Fanny thought.
One rainy autumn day Fanny entered her brother's apartment
to find Otti resplendent in her Viennese nurse's costume.
Mizzi had been cross and fretful, and the sight of the
familiar scarlet and black and white, and the great winged
cap seemed to soothe her.
"Otti!" Fanny exclaimed. "You gorgeous creature! What is
it? A dress rehearsal?" Otti got the import, if not the
English.
"So gehen wir im Wien," she explained, and struck a killing
pose.
"Everybody? All the nurses? Alle?"
"Aber sure," Otti displayed her half dozen English words
whenever possible.
Fanny stared a moment. Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
"To-morrow's Saturday," she said, in German. "If it's fair
and warm you put on that costume and take Mizzi to the
park. . . . Certainly the animal cages, if you want to. If
any one annoys you, come home. If a policeman asks you why
you are dressed that way tell him it is the costume worn by
nurses in Vienna.
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