loads
I’ve carried in just now! This basket’s heavy enough with
everything dry, I had to make a dozen trips with it this morning
when the things were wet or I couldn’t lift it at all.’
‘I know. What did she say about Ann?’
‘I’ll be glad when Maudie finishes school,
then she’ll be able to give me a hand with all this. Frank usually
carries the wet stuff for me when he’s home, but he’s been off on
this co-operative thing all day.’
‘Lizzie! Tell me what the letter says!’
‘You’ll just have to wait.’ Lizzie trudged
on at the same maddeningly slow pace. ‘There,’ she said as they
walked up the porch steps and into the kitchen. ‘That didn’t take
long, did it?’
‘Yes, it did.’ Amy dropped her side of the
basket, forcing Lizzie to let go of the other handle. ‘Show me the
letter.’
‘Come on, then.’ Lizzie led the way up the
passage and into the front bedroom. ‘I put it away safely, I know
you won’t want anyone nosing into it.’
She opened a drawer and delved into a pile
of clothes. Her hand emerged holding a folded piece of paper. ‘Here
it is. Sit down on the bed and we can look at it together.’
Amy practically snatched the letter from
Lizzie’s outstretched hand. She hastily unfolded it, sat down
beside Lizzie and began reading aloud.
‘ “ Dear Mrs
Kelley,” ’
‘She’s spelled my name wrong,’ Lizzie
remarked idly.
‘ “ I now take the
opportunity to write these few lines, hoping it finds you in good
health as it leaves me”—oh, never mind all that, where’s the part
about Ann?’ Amy quickly scanned several lines spent in apologising
for the lateness of the reply, until she found something of more
interest.
‘Look, here’s a bit about the Infant Life
Protection Act.’
‘What’s that, anyway? I’ve never heard of
it.’
‘You should read the newspapers. It’s what
the government brought in to deal with these baby farmers. The
women have to register, and they’ve got inspectors who go around
seeing that they look after the babies. Look! She says she
registered when the act came in and she’s got a proper licence. She
must be all right then, mustn’t she? She must look after the babies
properly. Don’t you think so?’
She turned a pleading expression in Lizzie’s
direction, and Lizzie nodded. ‘Of course she does. She wouldn’t get
a licence if she didn’t. That’s good, isn’t it?’
‘But where’s the part about Ann?’ Amy ran
her finger down a few more lines. ‘Here it is! “Now, the matter of
your sister—” Lizzie, did you say I was your sister?’
‘I thought it sounded better,’ Lizzie said
with a slight shrug.
‘Trust you!’ But Amy was too engrossed in
what she was reading to bother exhorting Lizzie to truthfulness.
‘ “I remember Miss Leith well, as it
was quite the saddest case I ever had to deal with. I’m convinced
she had been very wronged. So young, and so fond of the little
girl. I’ve wondered many times what became of Miss Leith, as I
could see that she was going to take parting with the baby very
hard.” ’
The page began to blur so badly that Amy
could barely make out the words. Lizzie reached across and gently
pulled it from her hands. ‘Shall I read it?’ she asked, and Amy
nodded, unable to speak through the lump in her throat.
‘ “ As for the child, I am
pleased to be able to inform you that I found her a very good home
indeed. I hope you will understand that I am not free to give you
the name and address of the couple who took the baby, but I can
tell you some things about them that may be of interest to your
sister.
‘ “ They were an older
couple—not elderly, you understand, but of a mature age. They had
come to the Colony some years before, I believe they originated in
the West Country region of Home. The gentleman was most well set up
in his business interests, and was certainly in a position to
provide a child with everything a mother could wish. They
I’ve carried in just now! This basket’s heavy enough with
everything dry, I had to make a dozen trips with it this morning
when the things were wet or I couldn’t lift it at all.’
‘I know. What did she say about Ann?’
‘I’ll be glad when Maudie finishes school,
then she’ll be able to give me a hand with all this. Frank usually
carries the wet stuff for me when he’s home, but he’s been off on
this co-operative thing all day.’
‘Lizzie! Tell me what the letter says!’
‘You’ll just have to wait.’ Lizzie trudged
on at the same maddeningly slow pace. ‘There,’ she said as they
walked up the porch steps and into the kitchen. ‘That didn’t take
long, did it?’
‘Yes, it did.’ Amy dropped her side of the
basket, forcing Lizzie to let go of the other handle. ‘Show me the
letter.’
‘Come on, then.’ Lizzie led the way up the
passage and into the front bedroom. ‘I put it away safely, I know
you won’t want anyone nosing into it.’
She opened a drawer and delved into a pile
of clothes. Her hand emerged holding a folded piece of paper. ‘Here
it is. Sit down on the bed and we can look at it together.’
Amy practically snatched the letter from
Lizzie’s outstretched hand. She hastily unfolded it, sat down
beside Lizzie and began reading aloud.
‘ “ Dear Mrs
Kelley,” ’
‘She’s spelled my name wrong,’ Lizzie
remarked idly.
‘ “ I now take the
opportunity to write these few lines, hoping it finds you in good
health as it leaves me”—oh, never mind all that, where’s the part
about Ann?’ Amy quickly scanned several lines spent in apologising
for the lateness of the reply, until she found something of more
interest.
‘Look, here’s a bit about the Infant Life
Protection Act.’
‘What’s that, anyway? I’ve never heard of
it.’
‘You should read the newspapers. It’s what
the government brought in to deal with these baby farmers. The
women have to register, and they’ve got inspectors who go around
seeing that they look after the babies. Look! She says she
registered when the act came in and she’s got a proper licence. She
must be all right then, mustn’t she? She must look after the babies
properly. Don’t you think so?’
She turned a pleading expression in Lizzie’s
direction, and Lizzie nodded. ‘Of course she does. She wouldn’t get
a licence if she didn’t. That’s good, isn’t it?’
‘But where’s the part about Ann?’ Amy ran
her finger down a few more lines. ‘Here it is! “Now, the matter of
your sister—” Lizzie, did you say I was your sister?’
‘I thought it sounded better,’ Lizzie said
with a slight shrug.
‘Trust you!’ But Amy was too engrossed in
what she was reading to bother exhorting Lizzie to truthfulness.
‘ “I remember Miss Leith well, as it
was quite the saddest case I ever had to deal with. I’m convinced
she had been very wronged. So young, and so fond of the little
girl. I’ve wondered many times what became of Miss Leith, as I
could see that she was going to take parting with the baby very
hard.” ’
The page began to blur so badly that Amy
could barely make out the words. Lizzie reached across and gently
pulled it from her hands. ‘Shall I read it?’ she asked, and Amy
nodded, unable to speak through the lump in her throat.
‘ “ As for the child, I am
pleased to be able to inform you that I found her a very good home
indeed. I hope you will understand that I am not free to give you
the name and address of the couple who took the baby, but I can
tell you some things about them that may be of interest to your
sister.
‘ “ They were an older
couple—not elderly, you understand, but of a mature age. They had
come to the Colony some years before, I believe they originated in
the West Country region of Home. The gentleman was most well set up
in his business interests, and was certainly in a position to
provide a child with everything a mother could wish. They
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