“Granny would have her, and be delighted to,” said Mrs. Carlyon, “but I don’t know how to get her up there. I couldn’t possibly travel up and back all in one day, and I should not like to be longer away from home just now. Nor can you be spared either.”
“And I would like her to have sea air,” said Dr. Carlyon. “I think it would be much better for her.”
“And I would like her to be where she could have a child or so to play with,” added Mrs. Carlyon.
So it seemed they had to find a place for Loveday with children, not very far from home, but by the sea. It was Nurse who settled the difficulty at last.
“I suppose you wouldn’t like to send her to Bessie, down at Porthcallis, sir, would you? She’s got a nice little cottage, and close to as nice a bit of safe, sandy beach as you could find anywhere, made on purpose for children, I should think, and her own little boy must be nearly as old as Miss Loveday. Bessie does understand children too, and she is very fond of Miss Loveday.”
This was one of Nurse’s great anxieties. She could not bear the idea of her “baby” being sent away; but if it was better for her that she should—and Nurse saw that it was—she was anxious that she should go to some one who loved her and would make her happy.
Bessie Lobb had been a housemaid for a few years with Dr. and Mrs. Carlyon when Geoffrey and Priscilla were babies. She had left to get married before Loveday was born, but she had been back several times to Trelint to visit her relations, and had always come several times to see her former master and mistress, and children, and Nurse.
Every one hailed Nurse’s suggestion with joy, for Porthcallis was only about fifteen miles from Trelint. The beach was, as Nurse said, very safe, the air was beautiful; and Bessie was a good, kind, trustworthy body, and her husband was a nice respectable man, and devoted to children.
Mrs. Carlyon wrote to Bessie at once, and very quickly a reply came to say that Bessie would be proud and pleased to have Miss Loveday. She had a spare bedroom that Miss Loveday could have, and she would do her best to make her comfortable and happy.
“That is capital,” said Mrs. Carylon, greatly relieved that matters were settling themselves so well. “I will write to Bessie at once, and say I will bring Loveday on Thursday.”