The girl's willingness to do as she was told quite astonished Mrs. Brown, and made her all the more willing to teach her and help her out of her various difficulties. Her mind was so full of these that when she got home, and found her husband waiting for her, she could only tell him of the state of affairs she had found in their neighbour's home, and forgot to ask whether Fanny had confided to him the story of the watch she had bought.
As soon as she had put the supper on the table for her husband she washed some barley and put it on to boil, in preparation for the morning, talking all the time about Eliza and what the doctor had said about her visit to the seaside, and how surprised she was to find Jessie Collins willing and anxious to do everything possible for her mother's comfort, now she was ill.
"I always thought she was such a naughty wilful girl, that I forbade our girls playing with her," added Mrs. Brown.
"Quite right, mother, quite right," said her husband. "For, of course, if our Fan had been allowed to run the street as this Jessie has, she would not be the lass she now is."
Mrs. Brown did not reply, but did not feel sure that Fanny was so much better than Jessie, as she had hitherto supposed; but she would not say a word of this to her husband, for he was so fond and proud of his elder daughter, and why should she try to make him uncomfortable over what might be a very trivial thing after all. The thought of the watch had occurred to her; but her husband had not mentioned it, and so she concluded that Fanny had not told him anything about it. She wished she had, but in the graver matters of the Collins' household this seemed of little or no importance, and she decided not to say anything about it just now, but to try again to persuade Fanny to tell her father all about it.
The next morning, as soon as the breakfast was cleared away and the necessary preparations made for dinner, Mrs. Brown took the jug of barley-water she had made, and went to see the sick woman again.
"She was awful bad in the night!" said Jessie, who had apparently waited the arrival of Mrs. Brown before doing anything but getting breakfast ready. She and Polly had just finished their meal and were waiting gloomily over the fire.
"Shall I go up and see your mother?" asked Mrs. Brown. "I have brought her the barley-water, Has she had anything this morning?"
"No; she wouldn't have a cup of tea, because I wouldn't give her a drop of ale last night."
"You must not give her ale until the doctor says you may. Perhaps she will like a little of the barley-water for a change. Give me a clean glass, that will be a change from the cup she has been having the milk in."