The Maidens of Walsingham
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The Glowford sisters returned home, and the parson remained in the church, to give grammar lessons. When the girls entered the house, they were horrified to find Cassie gone: her bed was empty.
– Oh, God, where is she? – Kate was worried. – She hasn't recovered yet! And her dresses are all here… And her shoes! She left in her nightdress and bare feet!
The sisters rushed out to look for Cassie and asked every person they could find about her, but none of them had seen Cassie and they all wondered why she had left home.
– I should never have left her! There's a reason she's been so cheerful since this morning! She decided to go for a walk! – Catherine exclaimed, chastising herself. – God forbid she should catch another cold!
Kate and Christine ran round the village, but they couldn't find their little sister. Terrified that Cassie was in trouble, Catherine prayed loudly and fervently.
– Wait… She asked me about the birds coming! – Christine suddenly remembered. – She could have gone to the abandoned mill! There are always lots of birds there!
The sisters ran to the old mill. Cassie was really there: she sat on a pile of dirty hay and listened to the birds singing with a happy face. She was very cold: her bare feet were stiff and muddy. Catherine hastily wrapped Cassie in her woollen shawl, put her clogs on sister feet, and remained barefoot. When Kate scolded her affectionately, Cassie was embarrassed, but said that the birds had called her to see their nests and she could not refuse them.
– Don't ever do that again, Cassie! We were so worried about you! – Christine said reproachfully to her sister as they went home.
At home Cassie's feet were washed, she was laid on a mattress and wrapped in a woollen biting blanket.
– What about London? You haven't changed your mind? – Catherine asked Chris when they sat down to lunch.
Lunch was hot wheat porridge with a slice of black bread.
At her sister's mention of London, the image of the handsome Count of Draymore immediately flashed into Christine's mind, and she suddenly felt even more offended at how freely he could travel around England, while she, a poor peasant girl, had no money even to travel to London. But in spite of everything, and especially now that the Count had gone there, London attracted Christine even more: a tiny hope of meeting the landlord grew in her heart.
– No, I haven't changed my mind," Christine replied, as she ate the porridge that was the Glowford's daily diet and which she was already sick of.
– What about the money for the journey? – Kate asked, knowing full well that Christine would earn nothing in the village.
– Nothing yet, but I'll get the money, you'll see," she said, more determined than ever. – I'll leave here.
– Don't you think your futile endeavours are a sign from God that you must not leave Walsingham? – Catherine suggested.
– No, I don't. It is only you and father who see signs in everything. I don't think God dislikes us so much as to wish us into the poverty in which we already live.
Christine finished her porridge and went outside to wash her plate and spoon, and when she came back Catherine was already clearing the table.
– Sweep the floor," she said to Christine.
She clenched her teeth tightly: she didn't like to clean the house, and always did it by force, but Catherine looked at her sternly, the way she always did when Christine was stubborn, and that look made Christine go about her assigned chores. Christine sighed unhappily and began to sweep the floor, careful not to get any dirt on Cassie, who was lying on the mattress. Her soul was full of resentment at her older sister and the fact that she had never made Cassie clean the house. Their younger sister did nothing but sleep, eat, play and walk, a fact that depressed Christine, who felt the weight of her sister's authority. The pastor did not interfere much in the relations between his daughters, and he was more interested in the affairs of his congregation than in those of his house. Cassie was the only one he paid as much attention to as he could.
– Tomorrow we'll go to the river to wash," said Catherine, folding her father's dirty dresses and clothes on top of the chest.
Christine murmured something in reply and went back into her thoughts, so that she could bear the hardships of life more easily.
– I want to go to the river too! – Cassie said she liked to run along the bank and throw stones into the water.
– No, darling, you're not quite well yet," Kate told her. – You're going to stay home with Dad.
– Daddy promised to make me a new doll, but he didn't! – Cassie frowned and crossed her arms across her chest resentfully.
– He's just forgotten: he's got a lot to do at church now," Kate reassured her.
– Katie, can we sing about the chickens? – Cassie asked with a smile.
– No, that's not a good song. Let's sing a hymn.
Christine rolled her eyes and her beautiful lips spread into a smile full of sarcasm.
"What a bigot she is! Thinks there's nothing else in the world but her religion!" – she thought mockingly as she swept the floor, then decided to mend a hole in the hem of her dress, which was constantly tearing because of the old fabric.
– Chris, have you swept yet? – Kate turned to her.
Christine looked up and saw her sister fiddling at the dining room table.
– Almost, why? – She said.
– Father didn't have lunch today, so we have to take it to the church," Catherine said.
She filled a clay pot with porridge, put two slices of black bread beside it, and wrapped it all in a coarse white cloth.
– Why me again? – Christine asked unhappily.
– If you don't want it, I'll carry it myself, and you can sit with Cassie.
– No, I'd rather go to church. – She was startled by the possibility of spending time alone with her sick sister.
She quickly put the broom in the corner, put on her shoes, grabbed a bundle of food and left the house.
Cassie suddenly looked at Catherine with a look full of sadness and sorrow.
– Katie, why doesn't she love me? – She asked quietly, tears welling up in her eyes.
Catherine smiled affectionately at her, put aside her work on the dirty clothes and sat down on her knees next to her sister.