Leo was sitting there, polishing his cutlery.
“How’s mist’ess?” inquired the boy.
“It’s hard to say. I know I’d rather see her in a rale bad spell of illness, like the typus fever, or something, than this way. Her heart’s broke; that’s how she is. And I tell you what, Leo, long’s master’s done broke faith with mist’ess I don’t see how we got any call to keep faith long o’ him,” grumbled the girl.
“Broke faith with her?” echoed the boy, pausing in his work.
“Yes, that letter he writ said he wasn’t coming back no more. And that’s what’s killed her.”
“My goodness!”
“And now look here, Leo—if he’s not coming back to take care of her, somebody must, that is certain. I don’t know enough, although I did help mammy to bring up all my little brothers and sisters.”
“Well, what do you want me to do? I’ll do anything in the world for mist’ess.”
“Well, I tell you. Leo, I want you to go down to Alexdry and fetch mammy to her.”
“But good gracious me alive, that is as much as my ears are worth! Didn’t master order us not to have any followers, not even our own kin folks?”