Rosemary Aitken Read Online Free PDF

both. But he was thoughtful as he turned away. If Mrs Thatchell was as suspicious of strangers as all that, how would she react when she learned that this strange tramp had been asking for the girl? And it was very likely that she would hear of it – Effie was too honest to conceal anything. He sighed. It seemed there wasn’t anything that he could do to help: as the Cook had said, it was probably wisest to leave the matter there.
    What a pity, he thought inwardly. He’d been imagining himself as knight-errant to the girl. And now, who knew if they’d ever meet again? Perhaps he could find a reason for calling here another time? Or better still . . . He could not help himself – as he paused at the corner to put the parcel down, he turned and called to Effie’s now-retreating back. ‘Remember! If you need me – as a witness or for anything at all – you know where I am.’
    But the cook was hurrying her away and she did not turn round.
    Lettie Pearson was getting really anxious by this time. She had been hovering near the Westons’ shop for half an hour at least, shifting her weight from foot to foot and looking out for Effie all the while. Of course she was a little late herself today (serve her right for stopping to gossip to that good-looking grocer’s boy!) but time was really getting on and there was no sign of Effie anywhere.
    This was beginning to be worrying. It was a library Tuesday and in a minute she would have to go in and return the books she had, without the one that Effie had borrowed for the week. But it was due today and if it wasn’t back there’d be a lateness fine and Miss Caroline was sure to come to hear of it. Miss Pearl sent out reminder letters, if the books were overdue, and besides there would be a title not crossed out on Miss Caroline’s page in the Misses Westons’ book, so Lettie would only be able to take five others home today. Even her mistress (who didn’t even read the jolly things) would notice that! So their clever little scheme was bound to come to light – and then wouldn’t hoity-toity Miss Caroline have a picnic-day!
    She gave a fretful sigh. Effie would only say that this had served them right and they should never have been doing it. Effie was like that – too cautious by a mile, and left to herself she would never have dreamed up a risky thing like this. But perhaps she had been right. Was it possible that Lettie’s famous luck was running out?
    Because Lettie was lucky – or so people said. Lucky to have the post with Miss Caroline at all: if her stepmother hadn’t been related to the cook up there, Lettie would never have had the slightest chance, despite being the cleverest in her class at school by half. Lucky to be so pretty with that long red hair. Lucky to have good brains, as well, her stepmother would say – and her stepmother should know, since she was quite the silliest woman you could ever meet: though it had to be allowed that she was good to Fayther and had done her best for Lettie, according to her lights.
    ‘Lucky to have a stepmother who looks out for you!’ No doubt, but Lettie could not help but feel that it would have been a great deal luckier if that horse hadn’t run away and trampled Mother up against the wall in the first place.
    The really lucky people, she had always thought, were ones like Miss Caroline Evalina Knight – spoiled and difficult and dafter than a bat, who had everything she wanted before she asked for it and had never done a hand’s turn of anything useful in her life. In fact Lettie had never known her apply herself to anything at all, useful or otherwise, except occasionally to paint insipid pictures of flowers in a vase.
    Miss Caroline’s real talent was finding fault with things: from the way that Lettie made a clatter on the stairs to the way the breakfast tray was laid. Indeed she’d even threatened to complain to her Papa, and though Lettie took that with a pinch of salt, it paid to be specially careful