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They had a beautiful tea, suddenly presented to them by the nice curate, and Miss Peasmarsh joined them before they had had more than three cakes each. It was a merry party, and the curate was extremely pleasant to every one, 'even to Miss Peasmarsh, as Jane said afterwards.
They said, 'Thank you very much for the jolly tea, and 'Thanks for being so jolly, and 'Thanks awfully for giving us such a jolly time; for the curate had stood fish-ponds, and bran-pies, and phonographs, and the chorus of singing birds, and had stood them like a man. The girls hugged Miss Peasmarsh, and as they went away they heard the curate say
I've sold even that. Mrs Biddle gave me ten shillings for it. She said it would do for her servant's bedroom. 'Why, said Jane, 'her servants don't HAVE carpets. We had cook from her, and she told us so. 'No scandal about Queen Elizabeth, if YOU please, said the curate, cheerfully; and Miss Peasmarsh laughed, and looked at him as though she had never dreamed that any one COULD be so amusing.
Anthea, speechless with fury, heard a nice curate say, 'Poor little beggar! and loved the curate at once and for ever. Then Robert wriggled out from under the stall with some Benares brass and some inlaid sandalwood boxes. 'Liberty! cried Miss Peasmarsh. 'Then Charles has not forgotten, after all.
Miss Peasmarsh was very willing, for now her stall, that had been SO neglected, was surrounded by people who wanted to buy, and she was glad to be helped. The children noted that Mrs Biddle had not more to do in the way of selling than she could manage quite well.
'I don't understand about that blue paper, said Mrs Biddle. 'It looks to me like the work of a lunatic. And saying you were nice and pretty! It's not the work of a sane person. Anthea and Jane begged Miss Peasmarsh to let them help her to sell the things, because it was their brother who had announced the good news that the things had come.
'I wish we could take you on the wishing carpet, said Jane. 'Thank you, said the curate, 'but I'm afraid I can't wait for that. I must go to the Fortunate Islands before they make me a bishop. I should have no time afterwards. 'I've always thought I should marry a bishop, said Jane: 'his aprons would come in so useful. Wouldn't YOU like to marry a bishop, Miss Peasmarsh?
It was Anthea who said, in a hurried undertone, 'She isn't very nice, and Miss Peasmarsh is pretty and nice too. Who's got a pencil? It was a long crawl, under three stalls, but Anthea did it. A large piece of pale blue paper lay among the rubbish in the corner.
Then she took an' died, sixteen, seventeen, year back; but she never had no childern. 'They was valley-folk, said Jabez apologetically. 'I'd no call to go in among 'em, but I always allowed Mary 'No. Mary come out o' one o' those Lunnon Childern Societies. After his woman died, Jim got his mother back from his sister over to Peasmarsh, which she'd gone to house with when Jim married.
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