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It makes them selfish and gross," said Miss Barnicroft. Mr Hawthorne never encouraged his visitor to argue long on this subject, which somehow crept into all her conversations, however far-away from it they might begin. So he merely bowed his head in silence.
When, therefore, Nancy caught sight of Miss Barnicroft proceeding up the drive she abruptly left the subject of Kettles' boots and stockings, and lost no time in pointing out the visitor to her mother. "I expect Miss Barnicroft wants to see your father," said Mrs Hawthorne.
Now Miss Barnicroft was not in the least like other people, and the children considered her by far the most interesting object to be seen near Easney, so that they never passed her lonely dwelling without trying to get a glimpse of her, or at least of her animals.
"Nothing," said David, "except Miss Barnicroft, and two boxes and a table, and the dogs." "Oh, David!" broke in Ambrose in a tone of remonstrance; "there was a great cauldron smoking over the fire, a regular witch's cauldron!" "I don't know what a cauldron is," said David; "but there was a black kettle, if you mean that."
They were careful, however, only to take side glances, and to look very grave if they did happen to see her, for they had been taught to regard her with respect, and on no account to smile at anything odd in her appearance or behaviour. "Poor Miss Barnicroft" she was generally called, though Andrew spoke less politely of her as the "daft lady."
"Weren't you frightened?" asked Pennie. "I wasn't," replied David, "because there were only two quite small ones, not bigger than Snuff, and they only growled." "Miss Barnicroft had got her head all bound up in linen," pursued Ambrose, "like the picture of Lazarus in the big Bible." "It was a pocket-handkerchief," said David. "I saw the mark in one corner." "What was in the room?" asked Nancy.
Just as the point of this history was reached she dropped that too, and asked, casting a lofty and careless glance down at Ambrose: "Is that one of your children?" "That is my eldest boy," said the vicar. "Come and speak to Miss Barnicroft, Ambrose." "Ah!" said Miss Barnicroft with a coldly disapproving look as Ambrose shyly advanced, "I don't like boys." "How is that?" asked Mr Hawthorne.
As long as there remained anything to tell about Miss Barnicroft, Ambrose was quite excited and cheerful; but soon after the adventure had been fully described, he became very quiet, and presently gave a heavy sigh; on being asked by Pennie what was the matter, he confided to her that he never could be happy again, because father had said he was not fit to be trusted.
David had been standing by his father's side, feeling very much relieved that he was not to go in and see Miss Barnicroft. He had still a lingering doubt in his mind that she might wish to send him and his brother to prison.
"I should advise you in future, Miss Barnicroft," said the vicar when she at last took her departure, "to bring me anything you wish taken care of it would be safer here than burying it. And there's the bank, you know, in Nearminster. I should be glad to take any money there for you at any time."
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