Kates Ordeal | Page 7

through her mind, as her box was being lifted from the roof of the cab, as she stood on the pavement looking up and down the busy, old-fashioned street, that was so unlike what she had fancied her new home would be.
Her cousin Marion was behind the counter in the shop, and there seemed to be a constant stream of customers coming and going. "This is the best bun house in London," whispered her uncle, as he took her hand and led her in.
The old lady, who was likewise serving, left her post when she saw Kate and her uncle, and led the way into the cosy parlour behind the shop. She seemed pleased with Kate's appearance and manner, and asked her a great many questions about her home and her mother.
"We are very quiet, old-fashioned people, ourselves," she said, "although we live in London, and I am very particular about the young people I have to help me in the shop, and never allow them to make friends among the customers. Be civil to all, but nothing more than that to anyone, my dear; that is my rule, and you must remember to obey it. Marion knows I am more strict about this than anything else, and so I hope you will remember it, too."
"Yes, ma'am, I will," said Kate; and then the old lady asked the servant to bring up some supper, and went back to the shop, that Marion might come in and speak to her father and cousin.
"I am to give you some supper, and then take you to bed," said Marion, after their greetings were over. "You will have some supper with us, father?--Mrs. Maple told me to ask you."
"No, thank you, my dear, I want to get home, and you girls don't need me now. I have told Kate she is always to spend the Sunday with us, the same as you do."
"Oh, yes, of course she will," said Marion. "You see that is one advantage of being in an old-fashioned shop like this; we have no Sunday work," she said, turning to her cousin.
"Mother will be glad to know that," said Kate.
"Yes, you must tell her when you write," said her uncle, bidding her good-bye.
When he was gone the girls sat down to supper, and Kate tried to eat, but everything was so strange, and she had such an intense longing to see her mother, that she said "yes" and "no" to her cousin's questions, scarcely understanding what they were.
The next morning, however, she felt a good deal better, and by the end of the week began to feel quite at home, for Mrs. Maple was not a hard mistress, and so Kate was able to give a good account of her home, when she wrote to her mother.
"What shall we do to-morrow--where shall we go?" said Marion, on Saturday afternoon.
"Where do you generally go?" said Kate rather timidly. "I have been going to ask you two or three times how you spend Sunday."
"Oh! I go home, and, if it's fine, Bella and I go for a walk, or a little way into the country. But you will want to see London, of course."
"Yes," said Kate, rather slowly; "I should like to see some of the grand places I have heard about, but--but don't you think we might manage to see them another time? Don't you go to Sunday school?" she asked, in a still lower tone.
Her cousin stared at her in blank amazement, for a minute or two and then burst into a merry laugh. "Go to Sunday school--a young woman like me?" she said.
"Well, not to Sunday school, exactly: I did not mean that, but to church and Bible-class?" said Kate.
"Oh, yes, we go to church sometimes, for a change, when it's wet, and it's a good place to see the fashions, too, but I never went to Sunday school in my life; mother said it wasn't genteel!"
"Mother liked me to go to Sunday school, and I promised her I would find out a Bible-class, as soon as I could," said Kate.
"Well, so you can, I daresay, after a little while, but you must look round a bit first Now where shall we go on Sunday? You see the fine weather won't last long, and there's such lots of things for you to see. Of course, you would like to see Buckingham Palace, and the Houses of Parliament, and the Albert Memorial, and Kensington Gardens. But we can't see everything in one Sunday, so we had better make up our mind to go and see the Parks and the Memorial next Sunday."
Kate did not answer, but Marion chose to consider the matter settled. Later in the day, when they had time for a few minutes' chat to themselves, Marion said, "You