Free Beyond Reason by Gwen Kirkwood Page B

and sweet as she sang the hymns her mother had taught her, until Mr Foster came in and bellowed at her.
    ‘Hod yer whisht, lassie, if ye canna sing anything else!’
    ‘Leave the lassie be,’ Mrs Foster protested. ‘Can ye no see the twa wee bairns are listening tae? At least she keeps them quiet.’ It was true that Adam and John, the two youngest boys, little more than babies themselves, attached themselves to Janet like two shadows.
    ‘Ye’re not very big, lassie, and I didna think ye’d be much use for work when I first saw ye,’ Mrs Foster confessed, ‘but I dinna think I could have managed without ye, especially now himsel’ takes Molly tae work outside every day.’
    ‘I like your wee boys, Mrs Foster,’ Janet smiled.
    ‘Aye, ye’re a good, patient lassie with them. Even Joe listens tae ye.’ Tis a pity he canna attend the school again come the summer. He aye enjoyed learning, not like Mark and Luke. They have aye had a bit o’ the Devil in them.’
    ‘The boys are not going back?’ Janet asked in surprise. The Foster brothers were younger than herself. ‘They’re only ten.’
    ‘Mark’s eleven. His father wants them home to help on the farm, he says.’ She sighed wearily. ‘Old Jake will be going to the hiring come May. Foster thinks ’tis time the laddies started to earn their keep.’
    ‘Oh.’ Janet frowned. ‘Do they want to leave school?’
    ‘Och, they’ll no’ be minding. They dinna like the new dominie. Your grandfather was a fine man, lassie. Well respected i’ the parish tae, he was. Helped many a poor body with the fees if their bairns wanted tae learn. Ye’re a wee bitty like him, I was thinkingwhen I saw ye chalking the letters on the slate for Joe tae learn. He wouldna have listened tae any other body.’
    ‘Yes.’ Janet sighed almost as heavily as Mrs Foster. ‘I’d love to teach little children…. Mama says when Andrew finishes at the university he’ll get a fine job of work and earn enough money to have a house of our own again, and she says I shall be able to read as many books as I like. If….’
    ‘Aye, if!’ Mrs Foster said bitterly. ‘It’s a little word, lassie, but it makes a world o’ difference. I wouldna count on that brother o’ yours over much, frae what I’ve heard. Frail creature he is, they say. Just like his father. But look ye, lassie. We havena time tae dream. Will ye hang that great basket o’ washing on the line for me and see if the first load is getting dry. Then if ye’ll gather some sticks for the fire….’
    It was as Molly had warned her, Janet realized. There was always another task waiting to be done. As fast as one got finished, it came round again in a never-ending circle.
    When the end of the May term arrived, Janet did not receive any wages although she had been at Braeheights Farm eight months. She had been unable to give her mother anything to put in the savings bank. Janet knew how much it meant to her mama to save money for Andrew’s education. She listened to her mother asking Mr Foster about her wages but she was dismayed and near to tears when the big man answered gruffly, ‘She hasna earned any yet. I keep her in food, provide her aprons and clogs, and a warm bed at night. What more d’ye want, woman? Shall I send her back tae ye?’ he asked slyly. Mary Scott looked up at Mr Foster and bit her lip. She looked down into Janet’s anxious face and her eyes, bright with tears. She shook her head mutely and whispered, ‘You’ll have to work a bit harder, lassie. I need the money for Andrew’s books.’
    As winter came round again, Janet worried. Her mother insisted they must save all they could in the parish savings bank. She said it had been her father’s dying wish to put money into the bank so that Andrew could have an education.
    Mr Foster did not allow them to attend the kirk every Sunday, so her meetings with her mother were brief and irregular andthere was never enough time to talk. Mr Cole was usually