"I wonder," said Christina reflectively, "if I am getting braver. I don't think I am quite so frightened now as I used to be. I'm not frightened of my pony; I like riding him. But I'm always afraid of what may come to me."
"When it comes, Childie, you know who will keep fear away from you."
And Christina smiled, for she had proved the truth of her text.
Susy settled down wonderfully soon in Miss Bertha's small establishment. At times she had restive fits on, and then Miss Bertha would send her out of doors, either to take a message to Christina, to shop in the village, or to weed the garden. She was very docile and obedient, and took the keenest interest in all housework.
"I always mean to have a little house of my own one day," she confided to Lucy; "and p'r'aps, as I shan't have no dad to look after, I shall be able to get a husband!"
Lucy, being an old-fashioned soul, was quite shocked.
"In my young days, such things was never mentioned to children like you!" she said.
"Ah, well," said Susy with an old-fashioned air, "I've travelled a lot, an' heerd tell a deal more than most. I knows husban's need a lot o' care an' patience, but they be needful if you has a house, and women are born to take care o' people, ain't they? You an' me takes care o' Miss Bertha, and Miss Bertha takes care o' nearly all the village: they told me so, that time I stopped along wi' dad at the Red Bull."
"You might be fifty to hear you talk," said Lucy, and Susy subsided into silence.
Occasionally, when the turret room wanted cleaning out, Christina was allowed to borrow Susy for the day; and the two little girls had a grand time together, Christina enjoying the scrubbing and cleaning quite as much as Susy. Eventually they used that room a good deal, and whenever it was wet, and Christina was shut up in the house, Miss Bertha would send Susy over to her, and the two would retire to the turret room, where they talked a great deal, and mutually helped one another, Christina with her superior book knowledge, and Susy with her wider experience and unselfish views of life. Neither Mrs. Maclahan or Miss Loder objected to the friendship now. Susy was slowly winning her way with every one, and Lucy's training added to Miss Bertha's kind supervision was turning her into a capital little servant.