“Some one ought to sit up with him to-night,” said the young man, as he took the pail and went out to milk the cows.
“I wonder what we shall do?” said Nell to Flossie, when later the little girl came in with the baby, while Teddy dragged the baby-cart away to the wood-shed. “Does the hired man sleep in the house? What is his name? And is he any good?”
“What a lot of questions! I can’t answer them all at a gulp,” Flossie said, with a quavering laugh. “His name is George Miller, he sleeps in the loft, and he is so kind that I just love him,” she cried with enthusiasm, but added, with a grave shake of her head, “I’m afraid he does not know much about farm work.”
“What he doesn’t know he will have to find out then, somehow,” Nell said rather grimly, for she did not know much of farm work herself; and she could have wept because of her own ignorance, as she looked about the house and the dairy, and thought of all the work which wanted doing, but must, for the present, be neglected, because of her want of knowledge.
“But I can tell George lots of things, and mother can tell him too,” Flossie said confidently. Then she showed Nell how to get the separator ready for the evening milk to be passed through, told her where the cream would have to go, and generally instructed her in the first principles of dairy management.
Mrs. Lorimer was much better that evening, and declared herself quite equal to looking after her husband through the night, which was a great comfort to them all.
George Miller went off early to his night’s rest in the loft, after volunteering to sit up if he were needed, and when he was gone, Nell was able to make her arrangements for the night.
There were only two downstairs bedrooms at Lorimer’s; but there was a small, very smart best parlour, and in this a bed had been placed, on which Gertrude was lying.
Nell fairly held her breath when she had leisure to examine the splendours of this apartment, which, however, had a close fusty smell that half choked her, accustomed as she was to fresh air in unlimited quantities. There was a looking-glass over the mantel-shelf which was festooned with green tissue paper. Stiffly starched antimacassars hung over every chair-back, one table had a bright red cloth, and another had a green one, while the vases on the mantelpiece were blue. It was very grand, of course; but, on the whole, she felt more at home in the family sitting-room, which was also dining-room, kitchen, and scullery rolled into one.
Gertrude’s bed stood against the wall on the side farthest from the window, and by pushing the table with the green cloth farther into the corner, Nell decided that she could get a very good night’s rest lying on the rug in the middle of the room, and could look after Gertrude at the same time.