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"Please to enter, m'amzelle." At that moment Mademoiselle Leperier herself appeared. Anne turned to her with relief. "Here, M'amzelle, is the sister of the young lady who was here last night. She has come with kind inquiries for M'amzelle and my wife." Mademoiselle Leperier stepped to the door, and taking the blushing Poppy's hands in both her own, stooped and kissed her.
They were together at a station waiting for a train, when some one ran against him with so great force he reeled, he lost his balance, he fell forward, right off the platform the train was just coming in!" Anne's voice died away in an awful impressive silence. "M'amzelle Lucille sprang to catch him " "Oh!" gasped Esther, in horror.
"Please does Mademoiselle Le-le-, the French lady, live here?" she asked, finding some difficulty in pronouncing the long French name. "Yes, m'amzelle. M'amzelle Leperier lives here." Poppy was a little non-plussed. She had not thought out any plan or reason to give for her visit, nor how she was to reach the presence of Esther's new friend, but her usual ready frankness stood her in good stead.
At last though, a rabbit, or some other wild animal that loves the night-time and the silence, darted right across their path, making her start and scream. The shock past, she laughed a little with shame of her own weakness. The scream and the laugh broke the spell. "It was very silly of me, but it came so suddenly," she explained apologetically. "It did, m'amzelle.
Wherever we went people stared at her and annoyed her so. Very often they recognised her, she was so well known; or they saw she was beautiful, and they knew her story, or found it out, and they had no delicacy, no feeling. We always had to leave. Last year we came here. M'amzelle does not suffer here, except from loneliness, and I think she never will, but it is too lonely for her.
First Anne Roth got out, and then Miss Row and her guest Mr. Somerset. Anne left the platform first, and was walking briskly away when he caught sight of the children, and came up to them smiling and bowing. "How is Mademoiselle?" asked Esther, who never forgot her inquiries. "Not very well, m'amzelle," Anne answered sadly. "I think she is suffering, and her spirits are low.
I have a whole bedful, and all from a penny packet of seed that I sowed myself. I should be delighted to give you some at any time." She refrained from mentioning the fact that it was her only source of income. She had thrust the basket and the parsley into the man's hand, and was edging away. "But M'amzelle will be annoyed with me if I let you go all the way back without any rest," he pleaded.
"There couldn't be anything nicer, m'amzelle," said Anne Roth with ready tact. "It will come in for an omelette for the mistress's lunch, and the parsley too, it will be most useful. How fine it is. We have none here. It is always a difficulty to get any." "Oh, I am so glad I brought it!" cried Poppy, flushing with delight. "If ever you want any, do come and have some of mine.
Then perhaps I should not have, but I thought that when she told you her name you would know." "I can keep a secret," said Esther. "I will never mention it if I may not. Why did M'amzelle stop singing and come here?" "Ah, she stopped singing long, long before she came here.
I know how to nurse," with evident pride, "but M'amzelle likes to help us, and and she is not strong, she suffers so." "Does she?" asked Esther sympathetically. "I am so sorry. I noticed she was lame. Does she suffer pain from her lameness?" "Yes, m'amzelle. She had a fall some years ago. You know, I daresay, that M'amzelle Lucille was at one time a famous singer. No? She has not told you?
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