CHAPTER IV
Mary-Clare met Noreen at the brook, smiling and calm. The child was trembling and pale, but the touch of her mother’s hand reassured her. It was like waking from a painful dream and finding everything safe and the dream gone.
“I was just coming down the path with Jan-an, Motherly, when I saw him going in the house.”
“Daddy, dear?”
“Yes, Motherly, Daddy. He left a bag in the house; looked all around and then came out. I was ’fraid he was coming to you, so I ran and ran, but Jan-an said she’d stay and fix him if he did.”
“Noreen!” The tone was stern and commanding.
“Well, Motherly, Jan-an said that, but maybe she was just funny.”
“Of course. Just funny. We must always remember, Noreen, that poor Jan-an is just funny.”
“Yes, Motherly.”