Kitty Read Online Free Page A

least.’
    ‘I do not think so, Reverend,’ Marianne Williams said, a twinkle in her eye. ‘It can rain very heavily here, even in the summer. And youand Mrs Kelleher will have duties that require appropriate domestic arrangements. A tent would not have sufficed at all.’
    George stared at Mrs Williams for a moment, then nodded in acquiescence. ‘Perhaps you are right,’ he said.
    ‘Reverend Williams and I have lived here for fifteen years, so yes, I believe I am,’ Mrs Williams said, and smiled at him kindly.
    Kitty gazed at her in admiration—there weren’t many people who could silence her uncle so conclusively, yet gracefully.
    This time Frederick leapt into the conversational breech. ‘Do you know much about the other mission stations in the area?’ he said brightly.
    ‘No, we don’t,’ Sarah replied, ‘but I for one would certainly like to.’
    ‘There are two others,’ Frederick explained, warming to his subject, ‘one at Kerikeri, north-west of here, where the mission store also is, and another at Waimate, inland to the west. The very first was at Rangihoua, above Oihi Bay on your right just as you enter the harbour, but that was abandoned when Kerikeri was established. You may have noticed the site when you came in this morning?’
    George nodded. ‘All Church Missionary Society?’
    ‘Oh, yes.’
    ‘What about other denominations?’
    Win put his elbows on the table, ready to add his ha’penny’s worth. ‘The Wesleyans have a mission station at Hokianga, and so do the Catholics under Bishop Pompallier,’ he said. Then he frowned. ‘The bishop’s planning to establish another at Kororareka shortly, said to be his headquarters. Bought land there already. Paid a hefty price for it too, I’ve heard.’
    ‘And good luck to him, in that Godforsaken hell-hole,’ Frederick muttered.
    At that moment, Rebecca’s Maori housegirls entered the room with serving trays containing the pudding. Giggling, they set the trays down on the table. Rebecca winced as one of the girls licked her thumb after it had inadvertently slipped into the custard bowl.
    ‘Thank you, girls. Would you like to start on the pots and pans?’she suggested. ‘And perhaps, when we’ve finished, you could clear the table?’
    The girls giggled even more, but disappeared out towards the kitchen.
    After supper the Williamses took their leave early, as the Reverend was due to depart on a trip the following day. The remaining men retired to the verandah to smoke and partake of Win Purcell’s quite good port, leaving the four women inside to settle down to an hour or so of talk.
    Sarah produced her work basket, her face relaxing at last as her knitting needles flicked back and forth. ‘Do you not think they are a little cheeky, Mrs Purcell?’ she asked as she worked, squinting in the lamplight.
    Without exactly saying so, she had already made it clear that she would not be relinquishing any of the social mores she was accustomed to, and therefore would not be addressing anyone other than by their correct title and surname. Except for Kitty, of course.
    ‘I beg your pardon, Mrs Kelleher?’ Rebecca said.
    ‘Your domestics. I said are they not somewhat cheeky?’
    Rebecca, her head bent over her tatting, nodded. ‘They are, but they’re a lot more respectful now than when they first arrived.’
    ‘I very much doubt that I could be convinced to pay anything at all to servants with that sort of attitude,’ Sarah said.
    Rebecca looked up. ‘Oh, they’re not servants—we don’t pay them wages. They live here for twelve months or so, and in exchange for their help in the house they get board and clothing, lessons on how to manage a household and daily assistance with their spiritual instruction, including their catechisms.’
    This didn’t sound like much fun to Kitty. ‘Do they like being here?’ she asked.
    ‘I believe so, although I must say they do have a rather, well, casual attitude to work and domestic duties. To a