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Vandeleur's sake, than if it had been her own house and her own servants. Besides, though she was so clever and experienced, it was a good many years since she had had a large house to look after, as our little home at Middlemoor had been so very, very simple.
It even made it more difficult for her to hear of other pupils, or to get any orders for her beautiful fancy-work. No visitors would come to Middlemoor this winter, though when it was mild they sometimes did. Still, from the day of Dr. Cobbe's visit things improved a little for the time at least.
No cart or carriage could come nearer than that point; the tradesmen from Middlemoor always stopped there and carried up our meat or bread or whatever it was not very heavy basketfuls, I suspect to the kitchen door, and I used to be very fond of standing at this window, watching the unpacking from the carts. There was no cart there to-day, but what was there nearly took my breath away.
But those months of anxiety and the great cold were very trying for grandmamma. Her hair got quite, quite white during them. These severe winters do not come often at Middlemoor; not very often, at least. We had two of them during the time we lived there, 'year in and year out, as Kezia called it.
Harry and Lindsay had had their breakfast two hours before at least, when I woke, and other things had happened. A telegram had come in reply to Harry's, thanking him for it, announcing Mr. Vandeleur's arrival that very afternoon, and desiring Harry to meet him at Middlemoor Station. They did not tell me of this; perhaps they were afraid it would have made me run off again somewhere else.
And now that I have explained as well as I can about grandmamma and myself, and how and why we came to live in the funny little gray stone cottage perched up among the Middlemoor Hills, I will go on with what I can remember myself; for up till now, you see, all I have written has been what was told to me by other people, especially of course by granny.
'Do you mean the baker's on the way to High Middlemoor? said Sharley. 'Oh yes, it must be them papa calls them the baker's dozen always. No, we're not as many as that. We are only seven us four girls, and Pert and Quick, and Jerry, our big brother, who's at school. Dear me, it must be dull to be only one! Just then we heard the voices of grandmamma and Sharley's mother coming towards us.
It was a little box for holding buttons, which I had bought at the village shop, and it had a picture of the old, old Abbey Church at Middlemoor on its lid. Grandmamma has that button-box still, I saw it in her work-basket only yesterday. I was very proud of it, for it was the first year I had saved pennies enough to be able to buy something instead of working a present for grandmamma.
The sounds went on doors shutting softly, then a slight creak on the stairs, as if some one were coming up slowly. I was not exactly frightened. I never thought of burglars I don't think there has been a burglary at Middlemoor within the memory of man but my heart did beat rather faster than usual and I listened, straining my ears and scarcely daring to breathe.
I should have been still more uneasy and nervous if I had known my formidable cousin was actually on his way to Middlemoor! Later in the afternoon about three o'clock or so Harry looked at his watch and started up.
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