She
brought the old dog into the granary with her for company.
The wind rattled the mud chinking in the walls and drove
showers of dust and gravel against the little window.
She had put the lantern behind the fanning mill, so that
its light would not shine in Arthur's eyes, and in the
semi-darkness, she and old Nap waited and listened. The
dog soon laid his head upon her knee and slept, and Pearl
was left alone to watch. Surely the doctor would come
soon...it was a good thing she had the dog...he was so
warm beside her, and...
She sprang up guiltily. Had she been asleep...what if he
had passed while she slept...she grew cold at the thought.
"Did he pass, Nap?" she whispered to the dog, almost
crying. "Oh Nap, did we let him go past?"
Nap yawned widely and flicked one ear, which was his way
of telling Pearl not to distress herself. Nobody had
passed.
Pearl's eyes were heavy with sleep.
"This is not the time to sleep," she said, yawning and
shivering. Arthur's wash-basin stood on the floor beside
the bed, where she had been bathing his face. She put
more water into it.
"Now then," she said, "once for his mother, once for his
father, a big long one for Thursa," holding her head so
long below the water that it felt numb, when she took it
out. "I can't do one for each of the boys," she shivered,
"I'll lump the boys, here's a big one for them."
"There now," her teeth chattered as she wiped her hair
on Arthur's towel, "that ought to help some.
Pages:
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192