Hannah gave a sniff of disapproval, but she was always very careful to do whatever Meg asked her at once and ungrudgingly. It was partly an expression of her extreme disapproval of the uniform. But Meg thought it was prompted entirely by Hannah"s fine feeling, and loved her dearly in consequence.
Nearly all the bedrooms at Wren"s End had dressing-rooms. Tony slept in Jan"s, with the door between left open. Fay"s little cot was drawn up close to Meg"s bed. William and his basket occupied the dressing-room, and here, also, the door was left open.
While Meg undressed, William was quite still and quiet, but when she knelt down to say her prayers he was overcome with curiosity, and, getting out of his basket, lurched over to her to see what she was about. Could she be crying that she covered her face? William couldn"t bear people to cry.
He thrust his head under her elbow. She put her arm round his neck and he sat perfectly still.
"Pray for your master, William," Meg whispered.
"I like to look at it," said Tony.
"Oh, London may be very gay, but it"s nothing to the countryside," sang Meg.
"What nelse?" inquired little Fay, who could never be content with a mere s.n.a.t.c.h of song.
"Oh, there"s heaps and heaps of nelse," Jan answered. "Come along, chicks, we"ll go and see everything. This is home, you know, where dear Mummy wanted you to be."
It was their first day at Wren"s End, and the weather was kind. They were all four in the drive, looking back at the comfortable stone-fronted Georgian house. The sun was shining, a cheerful April sun that had little warmth in it but much tender light; and this showed how all around the hedges were getting green; that buds were bursting from brown twigs, as if the kind spring had covered the bare trees with a thin green veil; and that all sorts of green spears were thrusting up in the garden beds.
Down the drive they all four ran, accompanied by a joyfully galumphing William, who was in such good spirits that he occasionally gave vent to a solemn deep-chested bark.
When they came to the squat grey lodge, there was Mrs. Earley standing in her doorway to welcome them. Mrs. Earley was Earley"s mother, and Earley was gardener and general factotum at Wren"s End. Mrs. Earley looked after the chickens, and when she had exchanged the news with Jan, and rather tearfully admired "poor Mrs. Tancred"s little "uns," she escorted them all to the orchard to see the c.o.c.ks and hens and chickens.
Then they visited the stable, where Placid, the pony, was sole occupant.
In former years Placid had been kept for the girls to drive in the governess-cart and to pull the heavy lawn-mower over the lawns. And Hannah had been wont to drive him into Amesberrow every Sunday, that she might attend the Presbyterian church there. She put him up at a livery-stable near her church and always paid for him herself. Anthony Ross usually had hired a motor for the summer months. Now they would depend entirely on Placid and a couple of bicycles for getting about.
All round the walled garden did they go, and Meg played horses with the children up and down the broad paths while Jan discussed vegetables with Earley. And last of all they went to the back door to ask Hannah for milk and scones, for the keen, fresh air had made them all hungry.
Refreshed and very crumby, they were starting out again when Hannah laid a detaining hand on Jan"s arm: "Could you speak a minute, Miss Jan?"
The children and Meg gone, Hannah led the way into the kitchen with an air of great mystery; but she did not shut the doors, as Anne Chitt was busy upstairs.
"What is it, Hannah?" Jan asked nervously, for she saw that this summons portended something serious.
"It"s about Miss Morton I want to speak, Miss Jan. I was in hopes she"d never wear they play-acting claes down here ..." (when Hannah was deeply earnest she always became very Scotch), "but it seems I hoped in vain.
And what am I to say to ither folk when they ask me about her?"
"What is there to say, Hannah, except that she is my dear friend, and by her own wish is acting as nurse to my sister"s children?"
"I ken that; I"m no sayin" a word against that; but first of all she goes and crops her hair--fine hair she had too, though an awfu-like colour--and not content with flying in the face of Providence that way, she must needs dress like a servant. And no a weiss-like servant, either, but one o" they besoms ye see on the h.o.a.rdings in London wha act in plays. Haven"t I seen the pictures mysel"? "The Quaker Gerrl," or some such buddy."
"Oh, I a.s.sure you, Hannah, Miss Morton in no way resembles those ladies, and I can"t see that it"s any business of ours what she wears. You know that she certainly does what she has undertaken to do in the best way possible."
"I"m no saying a word against her wi" the children, and there never was a young lady who gave less trouble, save in the way o" tobacco ash, and was more ready to help--but yon haverals is very difficult to explain.
_You_ may understand, Miss Jan. I may _say_ I understand--though I don"t--but who"s to make the like o" that Anne Chitt understand? Only this morning she keeps on at me wi" her questions like the clapper o" a bell. "Is she a servant? If she"s no, why does she wear servants" claes?
Why does she have hair like a boy? Has she had a fever or something wrong wi" her heid? Is she one of they suffragette buddies and been in prison?"--till I was fair deeved and bade the la.s.sie hold her tongue.
But so it will be wherever Miss Morton goes in they fantastic claes.
Now, Miss Jan, tell me the honest truth--did you ever see a self-respecting, respectable servant in the like o" yon? Does she _look_ like any servant you"ve ever heard tell of out of a stage-play?"
"Not a bit, Hannah; she looks exactly like herself, and therefore not in the least like any other person. Don"t you worry. Miss Morton requires no explanation. All we must do is to see that she doesn"t overwork herself."
"Then ye"ll no speak to her, Miss Jan?"
"Not I, Hannah. Why should I dictate to her as to what she wears? She doesn"t dictate to me."
This was not strictly true, for Meg was most interfering in the matter of Jan"s clothes. Hannah shook her head. "I thocht it my duty to speak, Miss Jan, and I"ll say no more. But it"s sheer defiance o" her Maker to crop her heid and to clothe herself in whim-whams, when she could be dressed like a lady; and I"m real vexed she should make such an object of herself when she might just be quite unnoticeable, sae wee and shelpit as she is."
"I"m afraid," said Jan, "that Miss Morton will never be quite unnoticeable, whatever she may wear. But don"t let us talk about it any more. You understand, don"t you, Hannah?"
When Jan"s voice took that tone Hannah knew that further argument was unavailing.
Jan turned to go, and saw Tony waiting for her in the open doorway.
Neither of them had either heard or seen him come.
Quite silently he took her hand and did not speak till they were well away from the house. Meg and little Fay were nowhere in sight. Jan wondered how much he had heard.
"She"s a very proud cook, isn"t she?" he said presently.
"She"s a very old servant," Jan explained, "who has known me all my life."
"If," said Tony, as though after deep thought, "she gets very chubbelsome, you send for me. Then I will go to her and say "_Jao!_""
Tony followed this up by some fluent Hindustani which, had Jan but known it, seriously reflected on the character of Hannah"s female ancestry.
"I"ll say "_Jao!_"," he went on. "I"ll say it several times very loud, and point to the door. Then she"ll roll up her bedding, and you"ll give her money and her chits, and she will depart."
They had reached a seat. On this Jan sank, for the vision of Tony pointing majestically down the drive while little Hannah staggered into the distance under a rolled-up mattress, was too much for her.
"But I don"t want her to go," she gasped. "I love her dearly."
"She should not speak to you like that; she scolded you," he said firmly. "She is a servant ... She _is_ a servant?" he added doubtfully.
"How much did you hear of what she said? Did you understand?"
"I came back directly to fetch you, I thought she _sounded_ cross. Mummy was afraid when people were cross; she liked me to be with her. I thought you would like me to be with you. If she was very rude I could beat her. I beat the boy--not Peter"s boy, our boy--he was rude to Mummy. He did not dare to touch me because I am a sahib ... I will beat Hannah if you like."
Tony stood in front of Jan, very earnest, with an exceedingly pink nose, for the wind was keen. He had never before said so much at one time.
"Shall I go back and beat her?" he asked again.
"Certainly not," Jan cried, clutching Tony lest he should fly off there and then. "We don"t _do_ such things here at home. n.o.body is beaten, ever. I"m sure Peter never beats his servants."
"No," Tony allowed. "A big sahib must not strike a servant, but I can, and I do if they are rude. She was rude about Meg."
"She didn"t mean to be rude."
"She found fault with her clothes and her hair. She is a very proud and impudent cook."
"Tony dear, you really don"t understand. She wasn"t a bit rude. She was afraid other people might mistake Meg for a servant. She was all _for_ Meg--truly she was."