They are plumpin up, said Dickon. They re that hungry they don t
know how to get enough to eat without makin talk. Mester Colin says if
he keeps sendin for more food they won t believe he s an invalid at
all. Miss Mary says she ll let him eat her share, but he says that if
she goes hungry she ll get thin an they mun both get fat at once.
Mrs. Sowerby laughed so heartily at the revelation of this difficulty
that she quite rocked backward and forward in her blue cloak, and
Dickon laughed with her.
I ll tell thee what, lad, Mrs. Sowerby said when she could speak.
I ve thought of a way to help em. When tha goes to em in th
mornin s tha shall take a pail o good new milk an I ll bake em a
crusty cottage loaf or some buns wi currants in em, same as you
children like. Nothin s so good as fresh milk an bread. Then they
could take off th edge o their hunger while they were in their garden
an th, fine food they get indoors ud polish off th corners.
Eh! mother! said Dickon admiringly, what a wonder tha art! Tha
always sees a way out o things. They was quite in a pother yesterday.
They didn t see how they was to manage without orderin up more
food they felt that empty inside.
They re two young uns growin fast, an health s comin back to both
of em. Children like that feels like young wolves an food s flesh an
blood to em, said Mrs. Sowerby. Then she smiled Dickon s own curving
smile. Eh! but they re enjoyin theirselves for sure, she said.
She was quite right, the comfortable wonderful mother creature and she
had never been more so than when she said their play actin would be
their joy. Colin and Mary found it one of their most thrilling sources
of entertainment. The idea of protecting themselves from suspicion had
been unconsciously suggested to them first by the puzzled nurse and
then by Dr. Craven himself.
Your appetite. Is improving very much, Master Colin, the nurse had
said one day. You used to eat nothing, and so many things disagreed
with you.
Nothing disagrees with me now replied Colin, and then seeing the
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