Janet McLaren, The Faithful Nurse, by W.H.G. Kingston.
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The Morrison family lose both parents in an epidemic. One little girl,
Margaret, and two little boys, David and Donald are left. There is an
old woman who has been a nurse in the family. There appear to be no
resources, and after selling up what there is, all rather too well-used
to fetch much money, old Janet takes the children to a big town on the
East coast of Scotland, where she rents a single garret room, and
settles in. She can send the boys to school, where they do well, but
she wishes to do what she can, despite her own limited ability, for
Margaret, at home.
The boys do extremely well in their classes, winning books as prizes. A
boy called Alec Galbraith beats Donald to first place, but David comes
top in his class. Margaret has an illness, and is recommended sea
bathing to help her recovery. She almost drowns, and is saved by a boy
whom few recognise, but who turns out to be Alec.
Poor old Janet labours away to bring up these children. Alec, now grown
up, goes to Canada, and in due course the boys follow him. The rest of
the book deals with what happens there, and how they lose touch with one
another for a while, and then regain it under strange circumstances.
All comes out more or less well in the end. A short book, but an easy
one to read or listen to.
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