A Dinner Of Herbs (7 page)

are. You with your plant wisdom, Kate, I would have thought you realized that these

things have to be

thinned out. Trees are like human beings, herd them together and they grow like weeds, crooked,

spiderly. Give them air and light and they expand.”

She looked at him through narrowed eyes, saying, “Wise

talk doesn’t come smoothly from your tongue, Clan Bannaman. Stick to that you know

best, it’s

recognizable, covert threats an’ such. “

A noise from inside the room now turned Kate’s head towards the saddle to where the

boy was sitting

on the edge of it, swaying slightly, and at this she left loose of the door, calling, “Keep still, boy, I’ll be

with you in a minute.”

“Is that the little fellow who fell down the quarry7’ She turned and caught hold of the door again, but it

was wide now for he had pushed it open and he was looking down towards the boy who

was looking

towards him. They stared at each other for fully a minute while Kate looked from one to the other, and

when the boy stumbled to his feet Kate hurried forward and led him to a chair.

After a moment, while still looking at the boy, Clan Bannaman said, “Is he badly hurt?”

“Bruises mostly.”

“Poor little fellow.” He had advanced into the room and was now standing within a

couple of feet

looking down on the child and he said softly, “Hello there.” And the boy looked up into the clean-shaven

face but he did not speak or show any other sign but a vague blankness. And Bannaman,

now turning to

Kate, said, “Can’t he speak?”

“Yes, but the doctor says he’s’—some portion other mind was asking her why she was

hesitating to tell

him what the doctor had said, but she had to go on and finish what she had begun and so ended ‘he’s

lost his memory for a time, but... but it could come back. That’s what the doctor said, it could come

back.”

“Poor mite. And his father dead.”

“Yes, his father dead.”

“I was talking to Mr. Mulcaster about the quarry. I think they’ll do something at last. It’s been

crumbling away for years to my knowledge.”

“It shouldn’t trouble you, it’s not on your doorstep.”

“Oh, Kate, give me credit for a little human feeling, will you?” He now looked at the boy again, the

while speaking to her, saying, “What’s going to become of him?”

“I’m keeping him.”

“You are?”

“Yes. He has no one else as far as I know.”

“Well, well, at your age, taking on a child. Well, I suppose he could do worse than be brought up in

your care. But... but I tell you what.”

And now he wagged his finger at her.

“Don’t say, what’s behind it? Do you hear? But if you want to give the lad a start.... How old is he?”

“Coming up eight I understand.”

“Well, he’ll soon be ready for work, or at best, part-time schooling.

But if I can do anything in that line, I will. You could do worse than let him come to me on the farm.

He’d learn a lot. And I mean it. “ He bent towards her now.

“Give me credit for this one good thing, Kate.”

She had been brought up to think that there was some good in everyone, that no one was totally bad, so

on this she wanted to answer, “All right, I’ll take you at your word,” because if anybody could help a lad

like this one without a father and without any good prospects but those of going into

either the smelting

mills or the coal mine, he could. But what she said was, “He’ll not lack for education. I’ll see to that and

at the right time. As for work, that’ll come at the right time an’ all.”

“You don’t change, Kate.”

“No, I don’t change.”

“Tis a pity.”

“For who?”

“Both of us.”

“That remains to be seen. I wish you good-day, Mr. Bannaman.”

The man looked once more at the boy who was still looking at him, then turned and went out.

She paused a moment, then looked at the door before going and opening it and looking to where her

visitor, now on horseback, was riding over the field. Presently, as if coming to a decision, she closed the

door again and walked slowly to the boy and said, “Do ... do you remember that man’ He stared at her

for a moment.

“No,” he said.

“You haven’t seen him afore?”

“No.”

She straightened herself; then with a smile she asked, “Do you feel better?”

For answer he put his hand to his head and she said, “Your head aches?

Oh, I’ll give you something that’ll fix that. “

But before doing so, she went once again to the door and, having opened it and satisfied herself that

Bannaman had really gone, she stood thoughtfully looking into the distance. Why had he shaved off his

beard? But then he’d only had a beard during the last three or four years; he’d always been

clean-shaven before that. But why had he shaved it off now? And this talk of gathering up young trees.

Later on she would go up to the copse and look round.

Towards evening she went up on the top of the quarry and she stood on the part from

which she had

caught sight of the boy’s hand four days ago, and she walked round the small clearing

where the bushes

had been trampled down. But there had been much more trampling about since then so

that now there

was nothing to see but stones scattered about. Men from the mine had been clearing a

way to make a

fresh path to get from one end of the quarry to the other.

She next walked further along the track, penetrating the growth here and there, and

although she saw

that there were holes where young trees had been dug out, there were not all that many, not enough to

start a plantation, not more than a couple of dozen all told.

That weird feeling was still on her. If only the boy could remember what had actually

happened. Well,

all she could do was wait, and likely when he did remember she’d be able to say to

herself, I hadn’t me

feeling for nothing.

PART ONE. The Children

“Now I’ve told you, Mary Ellen, anyway you know as well as I do, your da doesn’t like

you changing

your Sunday clothes and rampagin’ around like a wild thing.”

“Tis the only day I’ve got to rampage around, Ma.”

“Don’t be cheeky.”

“I’m not, Ma; but I don’t see why I can’t take me good boots and frock off and have a

dander in the

wood.”

“Dander? You mean gallop.” Jane Lee turned on her young daughter, half smiling now as

she said, “I

didn’t give birth to a daughter but something at ween a rabbit and a fox, I think, because I do believe if

you could burrow into the earth you’d do so.”

“Rabbits sit still, Ma, to wash their faces, and they sit stiller when a fox stares at them.”

“Cheeky face!” Her mother’s hand came out and slapped her gently on the cheek, at

which Mary Ellen

coaxed, “Aw, Ma, let me change me frock; me da won’t be back from Haydon Bridge for

another two

hours.

And look’—she went and put her arms around her mother’s waist “I’ll be back long afore then and I’ll

do another quick change and I’ll sit on the chair’she nodded towards the seat she had just vacated ‘and

I’ll put me hands on me lap and I’ll cross me ankles and when he says, “ Well, what have you been up

to, miss, since I’ve been away? “ I’ll say, “ Nothin’, Da; I sat here waitin’ for you. “ A none too gentle

push knocked her almost onto her;

back, but her mother was laughing as she said, “I know where you’ll end up, in the House of Correction

while you’re alive and in hell when you’re dead.” | “Eeh! Ma.”

“Never you mind, “ Eeh! Ma. “ You’re as wily as that fox you were talking about.”

They stared at each other for a moment, and when Jane next spoke there was a serious

note in her

voice: “You know, Mary Ellen,” she said, ‘you’re ten and you’re going out into the world next week and

you’ll have to stop your flighty ways. “

“Oh Ma.” Mary Ellen moved her head from side to side now and it showed her

impatience as she

replied, “It’s only Mr. Davison’s farm, and I’ve been goin’ back and forwards there for years, and I

know them all.”

“Yes, miss, you might know them all, but you knew them when you were fetchin’ the

milk, now you’re

going to work in the kitchen, and Mrs. Davison will be giving you a wage and so she’ll expect respect

and no back answers.”

“I don’t back answer... well’—her lips were pursed now and a deep twinkle came into her eyes ‘only

you and ‘she drew her lips into a tight line before she added softly, The da.”

“Your da.” Jane jerked her chin upwards.

“He’s to blame really for the way you are, he’s ruined you, broken your neck an’ given you ideas above

your station.”

“Yes, Ma, yes, he has, like makin’ me wear me Sunday clothes all day.

Sarah and Mary Roberts don’t have to. “

“Sarah and Mary Roberts!” Her tone was scornful.

“It’s a wonder they’ve got a decent rag to their backs, the way their father goes on.

And anyway, you know your da doesn’t like you mixing with them. And another thing

about mixin’,

now I’ve got to tell you this, and I’m serious’—Jane wagged her finger at her daughter

‘you’ve got to

stop this running wild with the lads. “

“I don’t, Ma.” The small figure stretched, the ringlets of hair bobbed up and down, the chin was thrust

out, and the brown eyes blazed with indignation.

“I don’t run wild with them, they always come after me.”

“That isn’t true and you know it. You’re never away from Kate’s when you think

Roddy’s there.” 47

“Well, Roddy’s different. I’ve always played with Roddy.”

Jane’s voice had a patient note to it now as she said, “Yes, you’ve always played with Roddy, that was

when you were little, but now you’re ten years old and he’s a young lad. What is he?

Coming up

thirteen and he could be taken for sixteen any day. Your playin’ days are over, Mary

Ellen. And it isn’t

only him, it’s Hal Roystan, too.

Now he is fourteen, although strangely he doesn’t look it. It’s the opposite way with him, not being of

Roddy’s height and build. Now I’ve always warned you against Hal, haven’t I? He’s a

strange lad,

bitter.

Of course he’s got something to be bitter about. It was all right when you were all little together, but

now you’re all growing an’ there are things you should know. “

“Ma, I don’t want to know, I mean I don’t want to know any more, please.”

The appeal in the voice and small face silenced Jane and she stared down on her

daughter’s troubled

countenance. At times, her child both amazed and frightened her with her understanding of things that

she herself could not explain in words, nor yet conjure up in thought. And now she

listened as Mary

Ellen said, “I’ve told you, Ma, I don’t like Hal, but in a way I’m sorry for him, and I get a bit pipped

against him at times because he always wants to be with Roddy. I suppose it’s because

Roddy found

him that time sleeping out in the woods and brought him to Kate....”

At this point Jane put in, “Mrs. Kate,” and was immediately answered with, “Not any

more, Ma. Kate

herself said I |B needn’t call her missis any more now I was goin’ out tola work. She said that only

yesterday. But Hal, Ma, I’ve never J run wild with him ‘cos he doesn’t like me any more than I like him.

But where Roddy is, he’s always there an’ all. Just ‘cos he works alongside of him he has to go rabbi

ting and fishin’ with him.”

“And what about swimming?” } “Oh! Oh Ma’—again the small body bristled “ I never

gdi near them

when they’re swimmin’. And anyway, the watei in the dam would freeze you. It’s bad

enough if you

pledge along the edge. Ma Once more the small arms were round Jane’s waist and the

face upturned to

hers and the voice placating as it said, “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be good at Mrs.

Davison’s an’ do me

work and I won’t answer back, but Ma, don’t stop me goin’ to Kate’s and ... an’ seeing Roddy, ‘cos...

‘cos, Ma, I like Roddy.”

Jane closed her eyes. Then, her voice as soft but not as placating as her daughter’s tone had been she

said, “Mary Ellen, don’t let on to anybody, not anybody mind, that... that you like Roddy.

Lasses don’t

do that kind of thing. Well, not until they are fifteen or sixteen or so, and you’ve got a long way to go

yet.”

“But... but I couldn’t stop liking Roddy, Ma.”

Jane sighed and, unloosening the hands from around her waist, she held them together in front of her as

she said, “Nobody’s asking you to stop liking Roddy, but you haven’t got to say it out.

You see what I

mean? You don’t go round saying, you like lads, this one or that one, not even one like Roddy.... You

haven’t said to him you like him, have you?”

“No, Ma.”

“You haven’t?”

“No, Ma, I haven’t.”

“Well, don’t ever.”

“Not ever, Ma?”

“Oh! child. Well not until you’re grown up, and by then you’ll likely have your eye on somebody else

and have even forgotten Roddy.”

“I’ll never forget about Roddy, Ma.”

Jane had been in the act of turning away to attend to her baking, but now she looked at her daughter

again and in the glance they exchanged there was certainty on the one side and fear on the other, and the

fear almost caused Jane to shout now as she said, “What if he regains his memory and