Emily Read Online Free

might as well tell thee ’news now, as wait till ’morning,’ the old woman said and looked at her with sorrow in her eyes. ‘I got ’message this afternoon. They woke me up from my nap and I knew tha’d gone off somewhere, but I had to wait till Sam came home to look for thee, even though I called and called.’
    Emily hung her head; so she would have been found out even if she hadn’t got lost and been late home.
    Granny took hold of her hand in an unaccustomed show of affection. ‘I got ’message to say that thy da died two days ago. He’s in heaven now I have no doubt, for he was a good man. And thy ma and brother have gone to ’poorhouse.’

Chapter Three
    Emily’s grief was deep, for now she knew that she wouldn’t see her dear da again, whereas, if she had previously thought about it at all, which she meditated guiltily hadn’t been very often, she had felt that her stay with Granny Edwards would be temporary and that she would eventually return home.
    ‘If tha’s good and say tha prayers every night,’ she was assured, ‘then tha’ll meet him again at heaven’s door.’
    Emily sniffled. ‘Does that mean I have to be good every day for ever, Gran?’ she asked doubtfully, for if that was the case then she feared that she would not be there to greet him. It was very hard to be good all of the time.
    ‘Tha shall go to chapel wi’ me on Sunday,’ Hannah said determinedly. ‘We’ll pray for his soul and for thy ma and brother’s bodily comfort and trust in God. And, we’ll ask Him to look down on thee,’ she sighed deeply, ‘and me too, to give me patience and fortitude to bring up yet another bairn.’
    Emily looked skywards when she was out ofdoors. She wasn’t sure that she wanted someone watching her the whole time. Just suppose, she thought, just suppose I do something bad by accident, will God think I did it on purpose and still punish me?
    She was dressed in a clean dress and warm shawl on the following Sunday and followed Hannah, who in her best black dress and cloak strode out down the four-mile road towards the village of Thorngumbald, where she attended chapel every Sunday, wet or fine, sun or snow. She had never suggested taking Emily before and neither did Sam attend. Emily was quite excited. Perhaps there would be other children there whom she might play with or talk to, perhaps those who visited the river, though, she considered, perhaps she had better not mention that subject just yet or Granny would start muttering again that ‘she might have drowned and in my care at that’.
    Hannah shook her umbrella in the air. ‘We’ll have a fresh going on now that tha’s here for good.’ She looked down at Emily. ‘Thy ma sent word to ask if I’d be thy guardian. Well, what could I say?’ she muttered under her breath. ‘Can’t see this bairn going to ’poorhouse along with ’other one.’
    ‘Tha’d rather have had our Joe, I expect?’ Emily ventured.
    The old lady stopped abruptly. ‘Why, I never said that! When did I say that?’
    ‘When I came. Tha shouted at Sam and said he should have brought Joe.’
    ‘Huh! Tha’s got sharp ears for a little ’un.’ She walked on and then glanced down. ‘No, I reckontha’ll be all right. Tha’s willing enough and not a bad lass. I expect we’ll get along.’
    Emily smiled and skipped along after her. The praise was sweet. She’d try to remember to include Granny Edwards in her prayers.
    As she came out of the chapel clutching her new prayerbook, she looked curiously at the small group of children who were gathered there waiting for their parents to finish their conversation with other members of the congregation. They were scrubbed and clean, the boys with well-brushed hair and shiny faces and the girls neat in black stockings with starched pinafores over their dresses. Emily waited for Granny Edwards, who was in earnest discussion with the minister. She kept nodding over to Emily and the minister too looked her way and