CHAPTER XVI.
MOLLY.
One afternoon, much to Hannah’s delight, I took the children to Wheeler’s Farm. Rolf did not accompany us; Mrs. Markham had sent up word to the nursery that morning that he was to drive with her into Orton. He had complied with this order rather sulkily, after extracting from me a promise that I would play soldiers with him in the evening.
It was rather a hot July afternoon, but we put Joyce in the perambulator, and Hannah and I carried Reggie by turns, and in spite of the heat we all enjoyed the walk, for there was a lark singing so deliciously above the cornfields, and the hedgerows of Cherry-tree-lane were gay with wild flowers, and every few minutes we came to a peep of the sea.
I recognised Hannah’s description when we came in sight of the old black-timbered house; there was the pear tree in the courtyard, and the mossy trough; a turkey cock Gobbler, of course, was strutting about in the sunny road, and from the farmyard came the cackling of ducks and the hissing of snow-white geese. Just then a little side gate opened, and a robust-looking woman in a sun-bonnet came out, balancing two pails of water with her strong bare arms. Hannah exclaimed, “Well, Molly!” and Molly set down her pails and came to meet us.
She kissed Hannah heartily with, “Glad to see thee, lass,” and then shook hands with me.
“Come in, come in, and bring the children out of the sun,” she said, in a kind, cheerful voice. “Father is smoking his pipe in the kitchen, and will be fine and glad to see you all. Eh, but I am pleased to have you at Wheeler’s Farm, Miss Fenton. Hannah says she has a deal to be grateful to you for, and so have we all for being good to our girl.”
I disclaimed this, and sang Hannah’s praises all the time we were crossing the courtyard to the porch.
Molly shook her head, and said, “Nay, she is none too clever,” but looked gratified all the same.
She was a plain, homely-looking woman, as Hannah said, with high cheek bones and reddish hair, but she looked kindly at the children and me, and I think we all liked her directly.