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Updated: June 4, 2025
"Ethelbert, not Ethelwyn, Pennie," Miss Grey would say for the twentieth time, and then with a little impatient shake Pennie would wake up from her day-dreams, and try to fix her mind on the matter in hand.
It might be only a severe cold, her mother said, but there were cases of measles in the village, and she felt anxious. Would Miss Unity keep Pennie with her for the next few days? Further news should be sent to-morrow. As she read this all sorts of plans and arrangements passed through Miss Unity's mind and stirred it pleasantly.
Pennie was tired of supposing. "Oh! I should ask mother what to do," she said, dismissing the question. "I can hear the band," she suddenly added. Ambrose gave a little sigh, as all the children quickened their footsteps at this welcome sound. There was no advice to be got from Pennie. He must shake off the thought of his tiresome secret and enjoy himself as much as he could to-day.
For, as Nurse had said, Pennie did care a great deal about outsides, and she thought it hard sometimes that she and Nancy must always be dressed alike, for the same things did not suit them at all. Probably this very bonnet which was such a trial to Pennie would be a suitable frame for Nancy's round rosy face, and look quite nice. It was certainly hard.
Every morning when she woke it was ready for her, and this was the form of it: "Am I doing my duty to my god-daughter, Penelope Hawthorne?" Miss Unity's conscience pricked her. There were, in truth, several things she considered important which she did not approve of in Pennie; and yet, being a timid lady as well as a conscientious one, she had always shrunk from interference.
May I go and sit with him?" But the answer always was: "Not to-day, dear. We hope he is better, but he has such bad nights." Pennie was very wretched, and felt she could not bear it much longer.
Pennie was used to command, and accustomed to success in most of her little schemes, and it seemed hard to be deserted in this way. She stood on a lonely height of virtue, conscious of setting a good example of generosity; but it was not a cheerful position, and, besides, no one seemed to notice it, which was vexatious and trying.
The boys, therefore, were quite satisfied; there could not be a better thing to celebrate the return than to open the museum. But Pennie and Nancy were quite outside all this, and they had a strong feeling that they too would like to do something remarkable on Monday. Only what should it be? "It's of no use at all to keep on saying you're glad," said Pennie.
"We'd much rather not, thank you," said Ambrose with a slight shudder, and in another second he and David had unlatched the door, scudded down the garden like two frightened rabbits, and joined their father. At the Vicarage, all this while, their return had been eagerly looked for by Pennie and Nancy.
"We only call it so because Kettles did, you see," said Pennie. "She didn't look at all wicked, and old Nurse says her mother is a decent woman. Her face was rather dirty, perhaps. She's got a bad father. He drinks like lots of the people at Easney "
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