The Fortunes of Springfield Read Online Free Page A

to find a bright smile waiting for her. She had been helped with her dressing without the usual impatience, and Miss Hearst was not even cross with Terence when he persisted in getting back to bed again after she had got him out.
    Now, in the kitchen, there was a glowing fire. Wendy and Babs stood in front of it warming their hands, while Caroline boiled their eggs and made toast.
    “Come along,” said Caroline. “The porridge is ready. Sit up and have it while I do this.” She was sin ging as she worked. Another surprising thing to Wendy.
    “Don’t like porridge,” grumbled Babs.
    “Then you can w ait for your egg,” said Caroline cheerfully, serving Wendy’s porridge. She poured on hot milk and put a big dessertspoonful of bro wn sugar in the middle. Terence came in as this was being done and suddenly decided that he would have porridge too. Babs began to cry because she had refused it and the brown sugar looked so appetizing.
    “I think she wants some porridge now,” said Wendy.
    “Well, she doesn’t have to cry about it,” said Caroline. “If you want some porridge, Babs, ask nicely for it.”
    “I want some porridge,” wailed Babs.
    “That isn’t asking nicely, is it?” asked Caroline.
    There was a short silence. Wendy whispered to Babs:
    “Say ‘Please may I have some porridge,’ Babs.” This was done and Babs was served.
    There was a clean cloth on the table. The meal was set out attractively. All the children were surprised, and held themselves silent and aloof about these changes in the household. They were not sure what was happening in their lives. Miss Church never sang while she was getting breakfast, she never lit the fire before they went to school, she did not have the table looking like this at all. She made lumpy porridge which they hated and would not eat, and then she slapped them for not eating it. Babs would bang her spoon down in it and make a mess on the tablecloth, and sometimes Ter e nce would put his down the sink while she was not looking, which made Miss Church so cross that he would get another slapping. Terence was always being smacked for something, thought Wendy, remarking in her well-developed little mind that nobody had been smacked for anything this morning.
    As she and Terence put on their coats to go to school, Caroline noticed that Wendy had no gloves. “Where are your gloves, Wendy?”
    “I haven’t got any.”
    “But you must have some gloves. Terence has his.”
    “I lost them,” said Wendy in a small voice.
    “ Then we must find them. Where did you lose them? Somewhere in the house?”
    “I think I lost them at school.” Still the small voice, prepared to be scared.
    “Oh dear,” said Caroline. “That won’t help us this cold morning. Do you know what they used to give to children to keep their hands warm in the old da y s?”
    “No,” said Wendy.
    “A nice big, hot, baked potato.”
    “Could I have a nice hot baked potato then?”
    “ Not this morning,” said Caroline, laughing. “I haven ’ t any. You’ll have to keep your hands in your pockets for today, and we’ll get you some more gloves.” Wendy capitulated. She was the first of the children to do so. Even the loss of the gloves, which had made Miss Church so angry, had not brought a scolding from Miss Hearst. She said:
    “Will you be here when we come home?”
    “Yes, of course.”
    “Are you going to stay with us?”
    “Yes.”
    “For a long time?”
    “Yes, if we all like each other.”
    “ I like you,” said Wendy.
    “And I like you—all of you. Now you must run along to school.” She saw them to the hall door and stood on the step to watch them walk down the drive. “Good-bye, Wendy. Good-bye, Terence,” she called. Wendy looked back with a smile and a wave, but Terence ignored her as if he had not heard her.
    “Good morning,” said a voice near her, and she turned to find David Springfield watching her.
    “Good morning, Mr. Springfield,” she said with a