Little Meg as Charwoman
Meg and her children did not fail to make their appearance the next
morning at Mrs Blossom's shop, where she welcomed them heartily, and
made them comfortable again by the kitchen fire. When they were well
warmed, and had finished some bread, and some coffee which had been
kept hot for them, Mrs Blossom put on a serious business air.
'Mr George and me have talked you over,' she said, 'and he's agreed to
something. I can't do my duty by him as I should wish, you know why;
and I want a little maid to help me.'
'Oh, if you please,' faltered little Meg, 'I couldn't leave our attic.
I promised mother I wouldn't go away till father comes home. Don't be
angry, please.'
'I'm not angry, child,' continued Mrs Blossom. 'I only want a little
maid to come mornings, and go away nights, like a char-woman.'
'Mother used to go charing sometimes,' remarked Meg.
'I'm not a rich woman,' resumed Mrs Blossom, 'and Mr George has his old
father to keep, as lives down in my own village, and I know him well;
so we can't give great wages. I'd give you a half-quartern loaf a day,
and Mr George threepence for the present, while it's winter. Would
that suit your views?'
'What could I do with Robbie and baby?' asked Meg, with an air of
perplexed thought.
'Couldn't you leave 'em with a neighbour?' suggested Mrs Blossom.
Meg pondered deeply for a while. Kitty had told her the night before
that she had got some sailors' shirts to sew, and would stay at home to
make them. She could trust Robin and the baby with Kitty, and instead
of lighting a fire in her own attic she could give her the coals, and
so save her fuel, as part payment for taking charge of the children.
Yet Meg felt a little sad at the idea of leaving them for so long a
time, and seeing so little of them each day, and she knew they would
miss her sorely. But nothing else could be done, and she accepted Mrs
Blossom's offer thankfully.
'You needn't be here afore nine o' the morning,' said Mrs Blossom;
'it's too early for Posy to be passing by; and you can go away again as
soon as it's dark in the evening. You mustn't get any breakfast, you
know, because that's in our bargain; and I'd never grudge you a meal's
meat for the children either, bless 'em! They shall come and have a
good tea with us sometimes, they shall--specially on Sundays, when Mr
George is at home; and if you'd only got your clothes out o' pawn, we'd
all go to church together. But we'll see, we'll see.'
Meg entered upon her new duties the next morning, after committing the
children, with many lingering kisses and last good-byes, into Kitty's
charge, who promised faithfully to be as kind to them as Meg herself.
If it had not been for her anxiety with regard to them, she would have
enjoyed nothing better than being Mrs Blossom's little maid. The good
woman was so kindly and motherly that she won Meg's whole heart; and to
see her sit by the shop window, knitting a very large long stocking for
Mr George, but with her eyes scanning every woman's face that went by,
made her feel full of an intense and childish interest. She began
herself to watch for Posy, as her mother described her; and whenever
the form of a grown-up girl darkened the doorway, she held her breath
to listen if Mrs Blossom called her by that pet name. Mr George also
was very good to Meg in his bluff way, and bought her a pair of nearly
new shoes with his first week's wages, over and above the threepence a
day which he paid her. With Mrs Blossom she held many a conversation
about the lost girl, who had grown up wicked, and was therefore worse
than dead; and before long Mr George observed that Meg had done her a
world of good.
Christmas Day was a great treat to Meg; for though Mr George went down
into the country to see his old father, Mrs Blossom invited her and the
children to come to dinner, and to stay with her till it was the little
ones' bedtime. When they sat round the fire in the afternoon she told
them wonderful stories about the country--of its fields, and gardens,
and lanes.
'I like gardens,' said Robin, 'but I don't like lanes.'
'Why don't you like lanes?' asked Mrs Blossom.
'I know lots of lanes,' he answered. 'There's Rosemary Lane, and it's
not nice, nor none of 'em. They ain't nice like Temple Gardens.'
'Rosemary Lane!' repeated Mrs Blossom. 'Why, the lanes in the country
are nothing like the lanes in London. They're beautiful roads, with
tall trees growing all along 'em, and meeting one another overhead; and
there are roses and honeysuckles all about the hedges, and birds
singing, and the sun shining. Only you don't know anything about
roses, and honeysuckles, and birds.'
'Are there any angels there?' asked Robin, fastening his glistening
eyes upon her intently.
'Well, no,' said Mrs Blossom, 'not as I know of.'
'Is the devil in the country?' pursued Robin.
'Yes,' answered Mrs Blossom, 'I suppose he's there pretty much the same
as here. Folks can be wicked anywhere, or else my Posy wouldn't have
grown up bad.'
Robin asked no more questions, and Mrs Blossom was glad to talk of
something else. It was a very happy day altogether, but it came too
quickly to an end. Meg wrapped up her children well before turning out
into the cold streets, and Mrs Blossom gave them a farewell kiss each,
with two to Meg because she was such a comfort to her.
When they reached their own attic they heard Kitty call to them, and
Meg opened her door. She was sitting without any fire, stitching away
as for her life at a coarse striped shirt, lighted only by a small
farthing candle; but she laid down her task for a minute, and raised
her thin pale face, and her eyes half blinded with tears and hard work.
'Where have you been all day, little Meg?' she asked.
'Me and the children have been at Mrs Blossom's, answered Meg, 'because
it's Christmas Day: and I wish you'd been there as well, Kitty. We'd
such a good dinner and tea. She gave me a bit of cake to bring home,
and you shall have some of it.'
'No, no,' said Kitty, 'it 'ud choke me.'
'Oh, it couldn't; it's as nice as nice can be,' said Meg. 'You must
just have a taste of it.'
'Did you go talking about that Posy again?' asked Kitty, bending
diligently over her work.
'We always talk about her,' answered Meg, 'every day. Mrs Blossom's
watching for her to go by all day long, you know.'
'She'll never go by,' said Kitty shortly.
'Oh, she's certain sure to go by some day,' cried Meg. 'Mrs Blossom
asks God to let her go by, every day of her life; and He's positive to
do it.'
'If she's grown up so wicked,' argued Kitty, 'she didn't ought to go
back to her mother, and her such a good woman. God won't send her back
to her mother, you'll see.'
'But if God sent her back, her mother 'ud never think of her being
wicked, she loves her so,' said little Meg. 'If Robbie were ever so
naughty, I'd keep on loving him till he was good again.'
'Well, Posy'll never go home no more,' said Kitty; and hot tears fell
fast upon her work.
'She will, she will,' cried Meg. 'I expect her every day, like father.
Perhaps they'll both come home to-morrow. I wish you'd ask God to let
Posy and father come home to-morrow.'
'I'm too bad to ask God for anything,' sobbed Kitty.
'Well, I don't know,' said Meg sorrowfully. 'You're not bad to me or
the children. But I must go to bed now. Let us kiss you afore we go.
Mrs Blossom kissed me twice, and said I was a comfort to her.'
Kitty threw down her work, and clasped Meg strongly in her arms,
pressing down Meg's head upon her breast, and crying, 'Oh, my dear
little Meg! My good little Meg!' Then she put them all three gently
out of her room, and bade them good-night and God bless them, in a
husky and tremulous voice.