Part 17 (1/2)
”That's in _Red Riding Hood_. She knows about stories!” The child clapped his hands.
”Well,” put in Mrs. Benny, seating herself with a sigh as the ham rasher began to frizzle, ”you may say what you like about education, but mothers ought to thank the Lord for it. Sometimes, as 'tis, I feel as if the whole world was on my shoulders, and I can't be responsible for it any longer; but what would happen if 'twasn't for the school bell at nine o'clock there's no knowing. You'd like a wash, my dear?”
”I should indeed,” answered Hester.
”Sometimes I loses count,” went on Mrs. Benny, not pursuing her invitation, but standing with a faraway gaze bent upon the geraniums in the window; ”but there's eleven of 'em, and three buried, and five at school this moment. I began with two boys--two years between each--and then came Nuncey. There's four years between her and Shake, but after that you may allow two years to each again, quite like Jacob's ladder.”
”Lord bless 'ee, mother!” interrupted Nuncey, glancing up from the frying-pan, ”she don't want to be told I'm singular. She've found out that already. Here's the kettle boilin'--fit and give her a cup of tea, and take her upstairs. 'Tis near upon half-past nine already, and at half-past ten father was to be here to fetch her across to see Mr. Samuel--though, for my part, I hold 'twould be more Christian to put her to bed and let her sleep the forenoon out.”
When Hester descended to breakfast Mr. Benny had already arrived; and he too could not help showing astonishment at her youthful appearance.
”But twenty-five is not so young, after all,” she maintained, laughing. ”I feel my years, I a.s.sure you. Why are you all in conspiracy to add to them?”
”The late Mr. Rosewarne had given us no particulars,” began Mr. Benny.
”He wrote at length to me about the school and his hopes for it.”
”You knew him, then, Miss Marvin?”
”He was, in a fas.h.i.+on, a friend of my father's. He used to visit us regularly once a year.--But let me show you his letter.”
”Not on any account!” Mr. Benny put up a flurried hand. ”It--it wouldn't be right.” He said it almost sharply. Hester, puzzled to know what offence she had nearly committed, and in some degree hurt by his tone, thrust the letter back in her pocket.
CHAPTER XI.
HESTER IS ACCEPTED.
”Well?” Mr. Sam lifted his eyes from his writing-table.
”Miss Marvin has arrived, sir, and is waiting in the morning-parlour,”
Mr. Benny announced.
”Let her wait a moment. I suppose she takes the line that we've definitely engaged her?”
”I don't know, sir, that she takes what you might call a line; but there's no doubt she believes herself engaged. She talks very frankly, and is altogether a nice, pleasant-spoken young person.”
”You didn't happen to find out what my father wrote to her?”
”Of her own accord she offered to show me his letter.”
”Well, and what did it say?”
”I didn't read it, sir.”
”You didn't read it?” Mr. Sam repeated in slow astonishment.
”No, sir. I felt it wasn't fair to her,” said Mr. Benny.
His employer regarded him for a moment with sourly meditative eyes.
”You had best show her in at once,” he commanded sharply.