Hannah

Mary, holding baby Jane, walked next to me on the way home after the party. Joseph walked back with his friend John Simpson, with the various children from the two families intermixing.

“Well, what did you think of that?” asked Mary.

“I must admit that I find it all rather confusing. The whole purpose of the party was to tell us that we should think about buying our own houses - but I can’t for some reason think that Mr. Whittington was saying that for our benefit only. I think he must stand to benefit in some way.”

“There is no way we could get enough money together to buy our house. And then all the extra expenses on top - fixing the leaking roof, paying the rates, where would the money come for those? No, I can tell you we won’t be doing what he wants.”

“And what about the idea of us scratching around in our gardens looking for Roman coins?”

“Well, our boys will be only too pleased to have a go at that, for an hour or two, and when they find nought, that will be the end of it. But again, I wonder what he is going to get out of it? Much more than he was letting on, I’d reckon.”

“What did you make of his wife? Had you met her before?”

“Toffy nosed cow. She could hardly keep her distaste of us using her precious cups to herself. I nearly broke one on purpose, just to see how she would react.”

“She really was an upstart, wasn’t she? But he was so determined and so full of himself that it makes me nervous. When somebody gets like that, it seems that they might not stop at anything to get what they want. He can’t pressure us to do those things, can he?”

“No, but what had occurred to me, is that if we refuse to try to buy ourhouses, he might try to buy them. Then he would be our landlord rather than Lord Howard. And how would you like that?”

“Do you really think he has got money for buying up lots of property? His house wasn’t all that grand. Mind you it was bigger than what most of us have - but it is a terraced house all the same.”

“But you could see from the things that we were shown that came from the house that they have money. I rather expect that the wife’s family is rich - and her father who died might well have left her quite a lot of her own money. And she is caring for her mother now. Maybe that means that they have control of the mother’s money too.”

“She didn’t seem to be in evidence, did she?”

“I did ask, and Blanche said she wasn’t feeling well so was staying in her room. Probably just an excuse so she didn’t have to pretend to be friendly with the rest of us.”

“If you think the daughter is snooty - I’ve heard that the mother is ten times worse. It is a wonder that she has agreed to live in this back neck of the woods at all. She is used to cavorting in foreign places like Paris."

“And I was hoping to set eyes on that French maid she has. But she was no doubt entertaining her mistress, and thought herself too good to be waiting on us. But I do like Blanche. She has a lot of common sense to her.And speaking of the Hodgkinsons, what do you think of her brother, Fred? I saw you chatting to him.”

I felt a bit embarrassed. “Well he is our neighbour you know. I was just passing the time of day.”

I’m pleased that she didn’t seem to notice that it was Horatio that I was mainly interested in watching, and was so pleased for the few words that he threw in my direction.

“Ah but he is an eligible bachelor, and there aren’t a lot of those around here. Would you marry again if you had the chance?”

“Yes, if I met the right man, but I’m in no hurry to be a wife again. Annie and I do well enough here on our own, and of course I have all of my relations not far away, if ever I feel the need for more company.”

By now we had reached Bench Wells, and each went to their part of the house - collecting the various children in. I could hear Mary’s children clearly.

“I want to go and dig in the yard now, Mamma,” said 12 year old Walter. “Me too,” chorused Frank, Elizabeth and Jane.

“Well, I suppose you won’t be happy until you have a go at it. Take the spade, but only dig on the very edges of the garden. I don’t want to find a big hole in the lawn.”

“Me, too, Mummy?” asked Annie.

“Well, you are a bit young for those older boys. But if they don’t mind, you can have a go. But first of all, you come in and change out of your best frock. I don’t want that covered with mud.”

So the children had gone in to change, and then reassembled out in the garden. Mary later told me she had watched them from her kitchen window as she was preparing the evening meal. They really were having a go and putting some effort into it. The little ones just ran their fingers through the soil, looking for coins, and the older ones were digging deep.

“I only wish I could get that much enthusiasm out of them when I have a real gardening job for them to do, like digging out the weeds,” she said.

“After about half an hour, with no success, the children dropped the spade and hoe and went off playing chase games,” and Mary smiling. “It was just as I had thought it would be. A two minute wonder and then, when there was no success, it was all over. I opened the window and shouted at them to put the tools away right, if they were finished digging. Somebody could trip over them and get badly hurt.”

So reluctantly Walter left his game and did as he was told and shortly after Annie came in to tea, after first doing a jolly good job of washing herself.