She was--oh,
so red in the face! and I thought I'd never seen so dreadfully stout a
woman. She put her hand on my shoulder and said, 'Wotever are you doing
here?' And I said, 'I'm waiting for my nurse, Hannah Waters.' And she
said, 'Oh, then, _you're_ the little boy!' And I stared at her, and she
said, 'Pooh Hannah's took bad, and she's asked me to take you home. Come
along at once, my dear.'
"I went with her. I wasn't a bit frightened--I had never been frightened
in all my life up to then. But she didn't take me home at all. She
brought me to this house. She was very kind to me at first, in a sort of
a way, and she told me that my relations had given me to her to look
after, and that I was to be her little boy for the present, and must do
just what she wanted."
"Well--and wot did she want?" asked Connie, trembling not a little.
"It wasn't so dreadful bad at first," continued Ronald. "She used to
take me out every day for long walks, and she made me look very nice;
and we went into shops, for she said she wanted to buy things, but I
don't think she ever did buy much. I used to be tired sometimes; we
walked such a very long way."
"And did she ever make you go a little, tiny bit in front of her?" said
Connie.
"Why, yes," replied Ronald. "But I rather liked that, for, you see, I'm
a gentleman, and she's not a lady.
Pages:
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93