The gaunt grave woman, with her three fresh blooming children, caused some curiosity, as she went about looking for lodgings. A single upper room was all she could venture to engage. Here she took up her quarters with her young charges, and thanking her merciful Father who had brought her thus far in safety, she felt like a hen which had safely gathered her brood under her wings. She furnished her abode with two truckle-beds, one for the boys, the other for Margaret and herself. She procured also a small table and four three-legged stools, a similar number of mugs and plates, and a few other inexpensive articles.
That same evening, determined not to lose a moment of time, with well used spinning-wheel set up, she began to spin away as if she had been long settled, while the children played around her, glad once more to find themselves alone, and free from the gaze of strangers. She waited till they were asleep, and then set to work, to manufacture out of the minister’s best suit some fresh garments for the boys, such as she considered befitting their condition. Her busy needle was going the greater part of the night, still she was up betimes, and again at work. She, however, allowed the children to sleep on as long as they would. “They will weary up here in this sma’ room, the poor bairns, instead of running about on their aine free heathery hills, and I must na’ spare the time to take them out on the links just now till their clays are ready, and I can send them to school.”
One of those admirable institutions in Scotland for the education of all classes enabled Janet to carry out her project without difficulty. Mr and Mrs Morrison had carefully taught their children, and the two boys were well advanced for their age. The master of the school, on hearing who they were, at once received the orphans, and promised, as far as he could, to befriend them. “If you will be obedient boys, and try and say your lessons well, you will get on,” he observed.
Donald looked him full in the face, and at once said he would try, and he always meant what he said. David made no answer, but clung to Janet’s gown, as if unwilling to be left behind among so many strange people.
“Ye will be back in the afternoon, and we will be spearing for you, bairns,” she said. “They are precious, sir, very precious,” she added, turning to the master. “If they are shown the right way, as their father showed it them, they will walk in it; but the deil’s a cunning deceiver, and ever ganging about to get hold of young souls as weel as old ones. Ye’ll doubtless warn them, and keep them out of bad company.”
“I’ll do my best, my good woman,” answered the master, struck at Janet’s earnestness for the interests of her charges; and having bid her farewell, he led off Donald and David, while Janet, taking Margaret by the hand, returned to her lodging to resume her daily labour, well satisfied with the arrangements she had made for the education of the two boys.
Donald and David returned safe home in the evening from their first day at school. Donald was full of all he had seen and done, and was especially delighted at finding that he was superior to many boys of his own age. Having made several friends, he said he thought school a very fine place. He might have gone out to play a game of golf on the links, and he would have done so had he not promised Janet to return at once, but he hoped that she would let him go another day. David had not been behind hand with his brother in his class, but he had not been so happy, and the boys had asked him questions to which he had been unable to frame replies, without betraying the truth, which Janet had especially charged them not to do.
“They wanted to ken all about us,” exclaimed Donald, “and I told them that they must just mind their ain business; my home might be a castle in the Highlands some day, and whatever it might now be, I was contented with it.”
“A very proper answer,” exclaimed Janet, smiling for the first time for many a long day. “Ye maunna be ashamed of your home, or those in it, laddie; just gang on doing your duty, but dinna mind what young or old, or rich or poor, think of ye.”
“But I said nothing, I would na answer them,” said David, sobbing.