“Are you going to? Daddy said Sheila might be, but I heard her tell Gladys she was too ill to. Please do. Mummy used to teach me lessons, and I can read and write, but I write crooked unless there’s ruled lines. Of course I was only little when Mummy taught me, and we read Brer Rabbit, and about Baba, but she read out loud to me too, Alice in Wonderland and the Just So Stories. I can read those to myself now, but we haven’t got many books for me. Daddy doesn’t know what to buy.”

Gladys turned to Janet.

“I hardly ever get into town, and when I do I don’t get time to go to bookshops; but you can’t say you never get any new books, Iris, you had those two great annuals at Christmas, there ought to be enough in them to keep you quiet for a year.”

Iris looked trustingly at Janet, expecting perfect understanding.

“It’s all short. I like a book to be all one and go on and on.”

“Well, off you run to your books now.” Gladys’ voice was brisk. “I want to talk to Miss Brain.”

Iris moved unwillingly.

“You will learn me, won’t you?”

Janet blew her a kiss.

“I expect so. Good-bye.”

Gladys poured coffee and milk into two cups and put one down beside Janet.

“You don’t take sugar, I expect,” she said firmly. “We none of us do nowadays, do we?”

Janet hated coffee without sugar, but she accepted it with an agreeing smile. At the same time she was surprised; of course sugar was precious, but she had not yet reached the point where she had none to offer a visitor, and Gladys did not look the sort to be parsimonious. Her big mouth seemed more likely to show a tendency to give too much.

“Iris seems a pet.”

Gladys stirred her coffee some while before answering.

“I do my duty by her, goodness knows, I couldn’t have done more if she were my own. You should have seen me nursing her with measles. The doctor said I was wonderful, and so did Donald.”

“All right,” Janet thought. “I’m not arguing with you.” Out loud she said:

“Sad for her having no mother.”

“That’s just it.” Gladys’ voice was eager. “She misses her. Try as I will I can’t give the attention to her I should like. I’m sure if you come you will do your best, but what she needs is other children. I’ve worked for months to get her away to a boarding school. I know it’s the best thing for her, and so the doctor thinks. I was thankful Sheila never meant to teach her. I do implore you don’t upset all my hard work. If you refuse to teach her, then Donald will have to agree to her going away.”