her life by what Martha called "blacks" until
she didn't know how to put on her own stockings.

"Eh! they did like to hear about you," said
Martha. "They wanted to know all about th'
blacks an' about th' ship you came in. I couldn't
tell 'em enough."

Mary reflected a little.

"I'll tell you a great deal more before your next
day out," she said, "so that you will have more
to talk about. I dare say they would like to hear
about riding on elephants and camels, and about
the officers going to hunt tigers."

"My word!" cried delighted Martha. "It
would set 'em clean off their heads. Would tha'
really do that, Miss? It would be same as a wild
beast show like we heard they had in York once."

"India is quite different from Yorkshire,"
Mary said slowly, as she thought the matter over.
"I never thought of that. Did Dickon and your
mother like to hear you talk about me?"

"Why, our Dickon's eyes nearly started out o'
his head, they got that round," answered Martha.
"But mother, she was put out about your seemin'
to be all by yourself like. She said, 'Hasn't Mr.
Craven got no governess for her, nor no nurse?'
and I said, 'No, he hasn't, though Mrs. Medlock
says he will when he thinks of it, but she says he
mayn't think of it for two or three years.'"

[[88]]

p087 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p088w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p089

v?