‘Old Kitty, my lass?’ replied Farmer Llewellyn. ‘Why, she’s been dead the best part of a year. Surely your mother or Hetty told you that. You must have forgotten it, Nell.’
A shade came over the young woman’s laughing face.
‘Old Kitty dead,’ she murmured in a subdued voice. ‘Dear old Kitty, that I used to ride astride when I was in short frocks. Oh, I am sorry. No one told me, I am sure. I couldn’t have forgotten it. I loved old Kitty so well. She was part of home to me.’
‘Ah, my girl,’ said her father, ‘if the old mare is the only thing you’ve forgotten in Usk you’ve no call to blame yourself. I’ve been sometimes afraid that your grand ways and friends up in London might make you too fine for Panty-cuckoo Farm, but it don’t seem so now. They’ve made a lady of you, Nell; but not too fine a one to forget the old folks at home. Thank God for that! You won’t look down on your mother and sister because their ways of speaking are not so grand as what you’ve been accustomed to hear, nor despise them and the old farm if we can’t give you as many luxuries as you get in your fine place in London.’
‘Despise them! Look down on them!’ echoed Nell. ‘Oh, dad, you don’t know what you are talking of. It is London that I hate and despise and look down upon. It is the people there who are false and cold and cruel. I want to forget it all. I want to forget I ever went there. I hate service. It is degrading and despicable, and oh! so lonely to be far away from home and mother and you. When I heard Hetty speak of you both I could stand it no longer. I was obliged to come straight back to you all again.’
‘And now we’ve got you we sha’n’t let you go again in a hurry, Nell. You must stay and be the comfort of our old age. But you had better be handing round your wine and cakes, wife. It’s getting on for ten o’clock, and our friends here have a matter of a couple of miles to walk to Dale Farm. I’ll have the mare put in the cart in two minutes, farmer, and drive you home myself, if you’ll only say the word.’
‘Not for us, sir,’ replied Owen. ‘My missus here likes a walk, and as for the young ’uns it does them good. Come on, Hetty. You’ll be main proud and happy now you’ve got your sister back again, and I expect we shall have a job to keep you at Dale Farm. There’ll a be message or a summat for Panty-cuckoo most days of the week I know.’
Meanwhile Hugh Owen had drawn near to Nell Llewellyn.
‘I am glad to find you haven’t quite forgotten me,’ he said, as he held her hand, ‘and I hope you will let me come sometimes and pay you a visit at Panty-cuckoo Farm as I used to do.’
‘Why, surely. You are often here with Hetty and Will I suppose?’