at night.”
Arliva looked at him in astonishment.
“I don’t think I would run into difficulties of that sort,” she replied in a superior way.
“I wouldn’t bet on it not happening to someone with a face life yours,” the man remarked. “If your father was here, I’m sure he’d give you the same advice as I have given you.”
“It’s very kind of you to be so concerned,” Arliva said, “and I will certainly do as you suggest.”
“There’s a good girl and I hope we’ll meet again sometime,” the man replied. “I get off at the next station, but I’ll be thinking about you because I can’t help it. I’m hoping against hope that we’ll meet again.”
Arliva held out her hand.
“I have enjoyed meeting you very much and thank you for your kindness.”
He shook her hand and shook it hard.
Then, as the train stopped, he opened the door and jumped out.
“Goodbye,” he called out through the open window raising his hat. “Take good care of yourself.”
He walked away and joined a number of people who had already disembarked at the station.
Arliva sat back smiling to herself.
She had at least met one man who was interested enough in her for herself and he had been kind enough to give her advice and not to think that in any way she might be useful to him.
The train moved on and they came to the station that Mrs. Hill had told her to alight at.
She got out and found a porter to take her case out of the guard’s van.
“I think,” Arliva said somewhat nervously, “I have someone meeting me from Lord Wilson’s house.”
“Oh, I knows where that be,” the porter said. “’E’s often been ’ere and I expects, though it be impertinent of me to say so, miss, that you be the next Governess.”
Arliva looked at him in surprise.
“How do you know that?” she asked.
“They comes and they goes and it’s a real joke as to whether them children’ll ever ’ave any education for more than a few days.”
He laughed before Arliva could answer and went on,
“The last one stays for only two weeks. As ’er be leavin’ ’er says, ‘I’m goin’ away and I’ll be glad to get back to civilisation. All of you down ’ere look as if you comes from Noah’s Ark’.”
“Well, that was rude,” Arliva remarked.
“That ’er ’ad some reason for sayin’ it,” he said. “We’re all a bit behind the times and this ’ere part of the country be very dull for someone as young and pretty as you be.”
“Now you are depressing me before I have even arrived,” Arliva retorted.
The porter laughed.
“I’m ready to ’elp you when you goes back and you ’aven’t got that much luggage to start with.”
He did not wait for her to answer, but pushed his trolley ahead.
Arliva saw outside the station was what her mother had always called a ‘dog cart’. It was suitable for children and was usually drawn by one rather slow pony.
There was an oldish man with grey hair in it who climbed out and touched his cap politely when the porter arrived with Arliva.
“’Ere she be,” the porter said. “I guessed as soon as she stepped out of the train she be the one that you was a-lookin’ for.”
“Good afternoon to you, miss,” the older man said politely. “His Lordship ’ears you was comin’ on this train and sent I to meet you. My name be Archie.”
Arliva held out her hand and he took it with rather an air of surprise.
Then she tipped the porter, who said in a whisper that could easily be heard,
“Don’t you let ’em bully you and you get your own way.”
“I will certainly try,” Arliva smiled.
She stepped into the dog cart and Archie picked up the reins.
They drove off rather slowly as she noticed that the pony drawing it was somewhat fat as if he had not had enough exercise.
There was a small village by the station in which she thought that there was an obvious shortage of larger middle class houses.
As they drove by, the cottages were not prosperous, looking like
Arliva looked at him in astonishment.
“I don’t think I would run into difficulties of that sort,” she replied in a superior way.
“I wouldn’t bet on it not happening to someone with a face life yours,” the man remarked. “If your father was here, I’m sure he’d give you the same advice as I have given you.”
“It’s very kind of you to be so concerned,” Arliva said, “and I will certainly do as you suggest.”
“There’s a good girl and I hope we’ll meet again sometime,” the man replied. “I get off at the next station, but I’ll be thinking about you because I can’t help it. I’m hoping against hope that we’ll meet again.”
Arliva held out her hand.
“I have enjoyed meeting you very much and thank you for your kindness.”
He shook her hand and shook it hard.
Then, as the train stopped, he opened the door and jumped out.
“Goodbye,” he called out through the open window raising his hat. “Take good care of yourself.”
He walked away and joined a number of people who had already disembarked at the station.
Arliva sat back smiling to herself.
She had at least met one man who was interested enough in her for herself and he had been kind enough to give her advice and not to think that in any way she might be useful to him.
The train moved on and they came to the station that Mrs. Hill had told her to alight at.
She got out and found a porter to take her case out of the guard’s van.
“I think,” Arliva said somewhat nervously, “I have someone meeting me from Lord Wilson’s house.”
“Oh, I knows where that be,” the porter said. “’E’s often been ’ere and I expects, though it be impertinent of me to say so, miss, that you be the next Governess.”
Arliva looked at him in surprise.
“How do you know that?” she asked.
“They comes and they goes and it’s a real joke as to whether them children’ll ever ’ave any education for more than a few days.”
He laughed before Arliva could answer and went on,
“The last one stays for only two weeks. As ’er be leavin’ ’er says, ‘I’m goin’ away and I’ll be glad to get back to civilisation. All of you down ’ere look as if you comes from Noah’s Ark’.”
“Well, that was rude,” Arliva remarked.
“That ’er ’ad some reason for sayin’ it,” he said. “We’re all a bit behind the times and this ’ere part of the country be very dull for someone as young and pretty as you be.”
“Now you are depressing me before I have even arrived,” Arliva retorted.
The porter laughed.
“I’m ready to ’elp you when you goes back and you ’aven’t got that much luggage to start with.”
He did not wait for her to answer, but pushed his trolley ahead.
Arliva saw outside the station was what her mother had always called a ‘dog cart’. It was suitable for children and was usually drawn by one rather slow pony.
There was an oldish man with grey hair in it who climbed out and touched his cap politely when the porter arrived with Arliva.
“’Ere she be,” the porter said. “I guessed as soon as she stepped out of the train she be the one that you was a-lookin’ for.”
“Good afternoon to you, miss,” the older man said politely. “His Lordship ’ears you was comin’ on this train and sent I to meet you. My name be Archie.”
Arliva held out her hand and he took it with rather an air of surprise.
Then she tipped the porter, who said in a whisper that could easily be heard,
“Don’t you let ’em bully you and you get your own way.”
“I will certainly try,” Arliva smiled.
She stepped into the dog cart and Archie picked up the reins.
They drove off rather slowly as she noticed that the pony drawing it was somewhat fat as if he had not had enough exercise.
There was a small village by the station in which she thought that there was an obvious shortage of larger middle class houses.
As they drove by, the cottages were not prosperous, looking like
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