Free Jane of Lantern Hill by L. M. Montgomery

fitted out properly,” said grandmother. “He shall not need to buy clothes for her, of that I shall make sure. And Irene Fraser shall have no chance to comment. I suppose he has some kind of a hovel to live in or he would not have sent for her. Did anyone ever tell you, Victoria, that it is not proper to butter your whole slice of bread at once? And do you think it would be possible, just for a change, to get through a meal without letting your napkin slip off your knee continually?”
    Jane dreaded meal-times more than ever. Her preoccupation made her awkward and grandmother pounced on everything. She wished she need never come to the table, but, unluckily, one cannot live without eating a little. Jane ate very little. She had no appetite and grew noticeably thinner. She could not put any heart into her studies and she barely made the Senior Third, while Phyllis passed with honors.
    â€œAs was to be expected,” said grandmother.
    Jody tried to comfort her.
    â€œAfter all, it won’t be so long. Only three months, Jane.”
    Three months of absence from a beloved mother and three months’ presence with a detested father seemed like an eternity to Jane.
    â€œYou’ll write me, Jane? And I’ll write you if I can get any postage stamps. I’ve got ten cents now…that Mr. Ransome gave me. That will pay for three stamps anyhow.”
    Then Jane told Jody a heart-breaking thing.
    â€œI’ll write you often, Jody. But I can write mother only once a month. And I’m never to mention him.”
    â€œDid your mother tell you that?”
    â€œNo, oh, no! It was grandmother. As if I’d want to mention him .”
    â€œI hunted up P. E. Island on the map,” said Jody, her dark velvet-brown eyes full of sympathy. “There’s such an awful lot of water round it. Ain’t you afraid of falling over the edge?”
    â€œI don’t believe I’d mind if I did,” said Jane dismally.

CHAPTER 11
    Jane was to go to the Island with Mr. and Mrs. Stanley, who were going down to visit a married daughter. Somehow Jane lived through the last days. She was determined she would not make any fuss because that would be hard on mother. There were no more good-night confidences and caressings…no more little tender, loving words spoken at special moments. But Jane, somehow, knew the two reasons for this. Mother could not bear it, for one thing, and, for another, grandmother was resolved not to permit it. But on Jane’s last night at 60 Gay, mother did slip in when grandmother was occupied by callers below.
    â€œMother…mother!”
    â€œDarling, be brave. After all, it is only three months and the Island is a lovely spot. You may…if I’d known…once I…oh, it doesn’t matter now. Nothing matters. Darling, there’s one thing I must ask you to promise. You are never to mention me to your father.”
    â€œI won’t,” choked Jane. It was an easy promise. She couldn’t imagine herself talking to him about mother.
    â€œHe will like you better if…if…he thinks you don’t love me too much,” whispered mother. Down went her white lids over her blue eyes. But Jane had seen the look. She felt as if her heart was bursting.
    The sky at sunrise was blood-red, but it soon darkened into sullen gray. At noon a drizzle set in. “I think the weather is sorry at your going away,” said Jody. “Oh, Jane, I’ll miss you so. And…I don’t know if I’ll be here when you come back. Miss West says she’s going to put me in an orphanage, and I don’t want to be put in an orphanage, Jane. Here’s the pretty shell Miss Ames brought from the West Indies for me. It’s the only pretty thing I have. I want you to have it because if I go to the orphanage I s’pose they’ll take it away from me.”
    The train left for Montreal at eleven that night and Frank took Jane and her