Then the eyelids fell and she lapsed into unconsciousness.
Miss Armitage glanced inquiringly.
“It was along of a dream that she had once; it was a dream for such things don’t happen now-a-days, more’s the pity. But she always believes it real and true, the dear, that she was Cinderella, and had been there. She’s the best little thing I ever saw, and she never told you a lie or took a bit of cake without asking. In the beginning she must have belonged to some nice folks; and just look at her pretty hands and feet, light and small enough to dance at any king’s ball. But it’s hard on the nice ones that have to go to Homes and be put out for little drudges. Though they’re nice people, the Bordens, as you may guess by my stayin’ with ’em goin’ on five year.”
“And she wasn’t over-worked,” ventured Miss Armitage. “She is so thin.”
“She’s been falling away dreadful the last month. Well, she wasn’t and she was. There was an old lady living up on the third floor, 80 an aunt or something and she was afraid of bad spells, she did have some, and she’d ring her bell for Marilla an’ it would be upstairs an’ down, sometimes way down to my kitchen, and lugging those two fat babies up and down the street––”
“Did she have to carry them any?”
“Oh, no. The mistress didn’t want her to lift them. She was afraid of a fall and their backs would get broken. So when they were big enough they sat on the floor and she talked to them and told them funny things and acted ’em off and laughed, and they’d laugh too. It was like a play to see ’em. And they’d jabber back and she’d make b’lieve she understood it all. She was a wonderful child’s nurse an’ there’ll be trouble enough without her. But the babies went to bed early an’ then she’d come down an’ wipe the dishes for me an’ they made no call on her. But Jack was a holy terror, he was that bad, but he went to school in the spring. If he was mine I’d skin him alive. But it was hard dragging them fat, heavy things around. Will you tell me just how you come to find her? They’ve 81 missed her so. They screech enough to raise the dead, an’ I know it’s for her.”
Miss Armitage told the incident over.
“The saints bless and protect you ma’am for not lettin’ her be sent to a hospital! But do you think she can get well? And if that other maid suits, couldn’t you keep her here all summer and let her get good and strong? I’m going out to my cousin at Fairfield to stay until next Monday. The boss will be down with his folks until then, and all the vallerbles have been sent out of the house so we can leave it alone. And when I come back we may have a plan for the poor dear that isn’t baby tendin’. O the little darlin’! Don’t let her die, ma’am, she’s so nice and sweet!”
She caught the little hand and kissed it, and winked away the tears that glistened in her eyes.