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"Oh my! Oh my! She's going into Newcastle at Easter."

At this point Anna rapped her ruler on her desk, saying, "Now! now! No more chatter. Let's get on. You don't wish me to read the psalm again and so we'll turn to the essay."

It was then that the bright spark. Miss Lilian Burrows, put up her hand, and in a high, superior, affected tone, said, "Read us something from the Songs of Solomon, teacher, please."

Anna's eyes widened. Here was someone who knew about the Songs of Solomon. She looked at

Lilian and said quietly, "How many of the Songs have you read, Lilian?"

"Oh'the girl shrugged her shoulders'I've been through them all. I know bits and pieces here and there. Do you know them, teacher?"

"Yes. Yes, I know them."

"Where did you learn them? In church? Sunday School?"

"No. I have never been to Sunday School. My father taught me; he's a teacher. I have been reading them since I was quite young. They are difficult to understand at first; but they are beautiful."

Lilian stared at Anna; then slowly she stood up, her quiet demeanour vanished and the bright bragging spark took over. In a voice belying that it was from a fourteen-year-old girl, she began,

"The voice of my beloved! behold, he come th leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills.

My beloved is like a roe or a young hart. "

Anna stood amazed; her lips were following each word; in fact, keeping in time with the girl. Then she heard her own voice joining in with the words:

'behold, he standeth behind our wall, he looketh forth at the windows, showing

himself through the lattice. "

She herself paused, but she couldn't stop the flow of the young girl who, head back, was oblivious to where she was as, her voice getting louder, she went on:

"My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one ..

'

"That's enough! That's enough!"

The rest of the girls were staring at their companion, watching her as she let out a long breath and then slowly sat down.

Now they transferred all their attention to Anna, waiting for her words of chastisement; but she couldn't chastise the girl, even though she knew she should, because what she had put into those lines had nothing to do with religion. Looking at her now, she asked her, "Does your family pray together?"

The girl gave a loud "Huh!" by way of answer; but then said slowly,

"No; we don't pray together."

There was uneasiness in the room. The girls were not fidgeting but looking straight at her, and now she said, "We shall all deal with the Songs of Solomon later; now, we shall write our essays ... Nothing seemed to go right for the rest of the day and when, later, during the uncomfortable ride home on the back of the cart, she saw in the distance a speck of light from her father's lantern, she felt she wanted to jump off the cart and run to

him and feel the comfort of his arms and the solace of his quiet voice.

But when the cart stopped, Nathaniel had actually to help her down, so stiff was she with the cold. And the carter called to Nathaniel,

"There's snow on the way; had a flake or two way back. Glad to get home the night. See you Monday, lass."

"Yes. Thank you. See you Monday."

"You're freezing. Here, put my scarf round you."

"No, no; I'm all right. Just let's hurry."

"You'll not be able to keep this up if the weather breaks. You're shivering like a leaf. Anyway, what kind of a day have you had?"

"Awful. I'll tell you about it later."

"By the way, we've got visitors."

"Visitors?" When she paused in her step he pulled her forward, saying,

"Come on. Come on."

"Who are they?"

"Two pit families. They had been on the moor; I hadn't seen them.

Apparently they had been coming into the wood at night to get shelter from the wind. They had erected a kind of tent against the wood pile.

That gave them a bit of support. But they must have scampered off at first light. It was Ben who brought them in; at least, he brought five hairns to the door. "

"Five?"

"Yes, five; the oldest one about seven: rags on their feet, practically the same on their backs. Your ma brought them in and gave them broth, but she said she couldn't let them stay in the house, and rightly, for their heads were walking, they were alive. Anyway, the father of two of them came down and apologised. He was a decently spoken man. I asked him how long he had been out and he said a week or more, but that they would have to make for the poor house shortly; he couldn't see his wife and hairns freeze to death out there. So I had a word with your ma and she was with me, as I knew she would be, and we told them to bring their bits and pieces down. They hadn't much; they had sold what furniture they had for grub. They did have some bedding and cooking utensils.

Anyway, there's plenty of dry hay in the barn, and I lit the boiler in the tack room. We keep nothing much in there; only Neddy's harness and odds and ends. The men rigged up a kind of cooking stove, so they can eat in there and be warm. And as your ma suggested, they can have a wash down- she would, wouldn't she? " He laughed.

"She's worried about Ben being near the hairns and picking up the army from their heads. I told her Ben must have been in touch with them for days; so she'll scour him tonight to make sure."

"Life's very unfair, Dada, isn't it?"

"In some cases it is, dear, but I must admit that many get more than their share of unfairness."

"You did."

The? Oh, no, I didn't. I've been very lucky, my dear. Your ma's had a deal of unfairness, and you and every one of you, and there's more to come, you know that; but not me. There's many a man who'd envy the six children such as I have. " He put his arm around her shoulder and pressed her to him.

"Dada."

"Yes, my love?"

"Do you think there's anything bad about the Songs of Solomon?"

"Bad, about the Songs of Solomon? They have some of the most beautiful lines in the Bible."

"Yes, I thought so too."

"What makes you ask such a question?"

"Oh, something that happened today. I'll tell you about it later; all I want at this moment is my feet in front of the fire, a bowl of hot soup in my hands and Ma's fingers gently rubbing the back of my neck and her voice crying at the rest of them, " Leave her alone! Let her eat. " You know, Dada, I look forward to that scene every day from one o'clock onwards. And I wouldn't exchange it for Solomon's Temple."

Their laughter joined and their arms linked, they went into a slithering run, with the lantern swinging from Nathaniel's extended arm, and they didn't stop till they rounded the foot of the hill and saw the welcoming lamp-light from the house.

On the Monday morning Anna did not arrive at Miss Benfield's front door until five minutes to nine. The carrier's horse, an old and wise one, had been wary of the road and its thick coating of frost, and so the journey had been somewhat slower. But as soon as the door was opened by the little maid, she knew that this wasn't going to be an ordinary beginning to another week of repetitious lessons, and hand-clapping to keep her own and the children's fingers flexible, because the young girl, poking her head forward, said, "She wants to see you," her thumb jerking rapidly and indicating, 'in the big room.

"

Anna went to draw the pins from her hat, but stopped; if Miss Benfield was calling her to boot in the main room, something was afoot.

"Good morning. Miss Benfield. It's a very cold ..."

"Be quiet! Don't give me any of your pleasantries. I wonder that you dare show your face in my house."

Anna stared at the woman for a few seconds before saying, "Would you mind telling me, please, what you mean by that remark?"

"Corruption. Corruption." The last word was almost yelled.

For a moment Anna thought the woman had gone

mad, that she had lost her senses. But this thought didn't altogether surprise her. So her voice was level as she answered, "I don't understand you."

"You understand what the word " corruption" means. You have corrupted my girls."

Now she did understand her, and immediately gave Miss Benfield her answer: "You must be out of your mind," and even dared to add, 'woman.

"

The chest heaved twice before the woman could say, "Lilian ... Lilian Burrows and the Songs of Solomon. Now do you understand?"

She knew both Lilian Burrows and the Songs of Solomon; but she didn't really understand, until Miss Benfield said, "Lilian had a cousin and some friends with her on Friday evening and' the bosom heaved again, and Miss Benfield swallowed deeply 'when they returned home they told their mother that Lilian had recited pieces to them from the Bible, funny pieces that they hadn't heard before, and that they had giggled."

The bosom rose, and on the deep deflation, she said, "Justimagine it.

Justimagine it."

"Yes, I can imagine it. She's a very bright girl and it would seem.

Miss Benfield, that you are acquainted with the Songs of Solomon. "

"I ... I may be. I am an adult, I understand the meaning, the real meaning of the words of Solomon; but a young girl would put a wrong construction on them. And mind, not only a young girl would do so.

And you have imbued this child. "

"I have done nothing of the sort."

"You deny it?"

"Emphatically I deny it. Lilian is well acquainted with that part of the Bible, and must have been for some time, because she can rhyme it off."

"Yes, under your tuition, as she said."

"What!"

"Don't pretend innocence, young woman. That child would never have thought of reading such things; in fact, she would have not been aware they were in the Bible, but your corrupt mind introduced her ... " Shut up! "

Miss Benfield actually took a staggering step backwards, and her mouth opened and shut as she sought an answer; but she hadn't time to bring a word out of her froth-smeared lips before Anna cried, "I have never read anything to my pupils except that which you dictated. Lilian Burrows is well-acquainted with the Songs of Solomon, and not with those alone, from what I judge."

"How is it, then, that she could tell her parents that you have been reading them for years."

"Because I told the class so. When the girl stood and recited line after line of a particular verse, the second to be exact, in which, you will remember, Miss Benfield, occur the words, " The voice of my beloved! behold he come th . "' She stopped here and Miss Benfield made no sound, but just stared at this daring, beautiful creature whom she had disliked on sight, this bastard child of wicked parents whom, she told herself, she had taken in out of pity and whom she felt had inherited some strange power, an evil power, for in her eyes there was knowledge that shouldn't be there. And, too, her bearing was such as could only

be promoted by pride supplied by the devil.

A thin stream of saliva ran down from a corner of Miss Benfield's mouth. She opened her tight lips while at the same time pointing towards the door, saying, "Get out! Leave my house! You've sullied the name of my school and I will see that you find no engagement in this town for your corrupting talents and I'll make sure that Miss Netherton's influence will not aid you in any way in the future."

Anna stared silently at the woman for some seconds before she said, This is not a school. Miss Benfield, because you have no knowledge to impart. You are an ignorant woman. The little teaching that is done here is supplied by your cousin, that poor downtrodden woman. If the school board were to examine you, you wouldn't have a livelihood, you wouldn't even be allowed to teach in a village school, because the standard there would be so far above you it would be as a university compared to this house. So, I would like you to remember. Miss Benfield, that when you are blackening my name and my ability to teach, I shall not restrain myself from giving my opinion of your establishment. "

As she turned away she thought that the woman was about to have a seizure, and when she opened the door it was to see the children coming in, but before that it was to cause the younger Miss Benfield to take a springing step away from her.

For the first time she could see what could have been a smile on the thin, worn face of the first assistant and she did not lower her voice when she said to her, "Stand on your feet. Miss Benfield. Face up to her, because without you there would be no Academy For Young Ladies."

She had curled her lip on the last four words.

When she watched the thin, weary woman bring her teeth tight onto her lower lip, she put her hand quickly out towards her, saying, "Do it.

Make your own terms. " She took a step backwards, then said, "

Goodbye. "

The children were surprised to see their nice teacher making for the front door and the first assistant scampering after her.

Anna was on the pavement when the woman spoke, her voice coming in gasps as if she had been running: "Thank you," she said.

"I'm glad you came." And again she said. Thank you. " And this time, her head was bobbing.

Anna said nothing in reply; she could only raise her hand in a gesture of farewell; then she walked past more children escorted by very young so-called nurses and here and there a parent, who looked at the new young teacher in surprise, for she was not going into the Academy but was walking away from it, and it being only nine o'clock in the morning.

The further she walked into the town the further her anger rose. That dreadful woman. How dare she say her teaching would corrupt? Even if it had been she who introduced the Songs of Solomon, even so, how dare she!

There would be no carrier-cart going her way until twelve o'clock. She paused outside the station. She could get a train to Usworth, but then she would have as far to walk again to get home; what was more, she had never been on a train, and she didn't know how to go about it. Part of

her mind told her now that she must do something about that, too, in the future.