don’t think there’s any need to be
cutting into it, Mrs Stewart. I could simply add some extra
trimmings. Some pretty blue chiffon around the edge, perhaps, to
give it more width—that would give the hat a more up-to-date
appearance without damaging it. A little veiling, too, that’s
always flattering. You want to keep the feather trim, I
presume?’
‘Yes,’ Amy said. ‘I want to keep
everything.’
‘But do you think those alterations would be
all right, dear?’ Sarah asked. ‘It would be nice if you could
actually wear the hat, wouldn’t it?’
Amy paused to consider the matter properly.
She was aware that to the other two women her attachment to the hat
might seem foolish, but she was not going to let that sway her. The
hat was a link with her father, and she could not bear to have it
mutilated. ‘I think that sounds quite nice,’ she said at last. ‘As
long as you only add those things to it. Don’t take anything
away.’
Mrs Stevenson assured Amy that she would,
indeed, take nothing away from the hat, and on the strength of that
Amy agreed to leave it behind for the proposed retrimming.
‘That was rather a marathon, wasn’t it?’
Sarah said when the two of them were on the footpath outside Mrs
Stevenson’s. The coachman was moving the carriage from a short
distance down the road where he had been allowing the horses to
graze a grassy verge. ‘I’d better take you straight home, you must
be exhausted.’
Now that she was away from them, the spell
of the gorgeous fabrics was relaxing its grip on Amy, allowing
something of cold reality to take its place. ‘Sarah, all those
dresses!’ she said in sudden alarm. ‘They must be going to cost an
awful lot of money. I really don’t need all those, you know. You
could tell Mrs Stevenson not to make so many, couldn’t you?’
‘There’s no need for that.’
‘But all that material! It looked so
expensive. Perhaps you’d better—’
‘Amy,’ Sarah interrupted. ‘Walk over here a
little, I want to show you something. We’ll be with you in a
moment, Jenson,’ she called to the patiently waiting coachman, who
tipped his hat in acknowledgment. Now, Amy, do you see that
building over there?’ She indicated a busier part of the
street.
‘That grey one?’ Amy asked, trying to follow
Sarah’s pointing finger.
‘No, darling, that’s the Bank of New
Zealand. I mean that brick building—the two-storeyed one. It has
several shops in it. Do you see it now?’
‘Yes, I see the one you mean,’ Amy said,
wondering what the building’s significance might be.
‘Well, my dear, I happen to own that
building. It brings in reasonable rents. And it’s only one of…
actually, I’m not sure that I could tell you the grand total off
the top of my head. A good number, at any rate.’
She took Amy’s arm and led her towards the
waiting carriage. ‘I think I can afford a few dresses for you.’
*
‘ Where did you leave that
other cake tin, Dave?’ Beth asked when she had unsuccessfully
sought the tin on the kitchen shelf where it usually
lived.
‘In the parlour, I think. Yes, that’s right,
it’s in there.’
Beth retrieved the tin from the other room.
She was surprised to find it so light, and when she lifted the lid
the mystery was revealed.
‘Have you eaten all those biscuits?’ she
asked in amazement.
‘Well, I get hungry,’ David said, a little
guiltily.
‘You must do! Ma always says there’s nothing
hungrier than boys, but you’re even worse than my lot. When did you
eat all those? That tin was just about full when I went home
yesterday.’
David frowned in thought. ‘I don’t know. I
suppose it must’ve been last night. You know, it’s that dull and
quiet at night, I just sort of eat to pass the time.’
‘Well, never mind, there’s a couple of these
plain ones left.’ Beth put a biscuit on each of their plates and
sat down beside him. ‘Do you get lonely at night?’
‘I suppose I do, a bit. It’s
cutting into it, Mrs Stewart. I could simply add some extra
trimmings. Some pretty blue chiffon around the edge, perhaps, to
give it more width—that would give the hat a more up-to-date
appearance without damaging it. A little veiling, too, that’s
always flattering. You want to keep the feather trim, I
presume?’
‘Yes,’ Amy said. ‘I want to keep
everything.’
‘But do you think those alterations would be
all right, dear?’ Sarah asked. ‘It would be nice if you could
actually wear the hat, wouldn’t it?’
Amy paused to consider the matter properly.
She was aware that to the other two women her attachment to the hat
might seem foolish, but she was not going to let that sway her. The
hat was a link with her father, and she could not bear to have it
mutilated. ‘I think that sounds quite nice,’ she said at last. ‘As
long as you only add those things to it. Don’t take anything
away.’
Mrs Stevenson assured Amy that she would,
indeed, take nothing away from the hat, and on the strength of that
Amy agreed to leave it behind for the proposed retrimming.
‘That was rather a marathon, wasn’t it?’
Sarah said when the two of them were on the footpath outside Mrs
Stevenson’s. The coachman was moving the carriage from a short
distance down the road where he had been allowing the horses to
graze a grassy verge. ‘I’d better take you straight home, you must
be exhausted.’
Now that she was away from them, the spell
of the gorgeous fabrics was relaxing its grip on Amy, allowing
something of cold reality to take its place. ‘Sarah, all those
dresses!’ she said in sudden alarm. ‘They must be going to cost an
awful lot of money. I really don’t need all those, you know. You
could tell Mrs Stevenson not to make so many, couldn’t you?’
‘There’s no need for that.’
‘But all that material! It looked so
expensive. Perhaps you’d better—’
‘Amy,’ Sarah interrupted. ‘Walk over here a
little, I want to show you something. We’ll be with you in a
moment, Jenson,’ she called to the patiently waiting coachman, who
tipped his hat in acknowledgment. Now, Amy, do you see that
building over there?’ She indicated a busier part of the
street.
‘That grey one?’ Amy asked, trying to follow
Sarah’s pointing finger.
‘No, darling, that’s the Bank of New
Zealand. I mean that brick building—the two-storeyed one. It has
several shops in it. Do you see it now?’
‘Yes, I see the one you mean,’ Amy said,
wondering what the building’s significance might be.
‘Well, my dear, I happen to own that
building. It brings in reasonable rents. And it’s only one of…
actually, I’m not sure that I could tell you the grand total off
the top of my head. A good number, at any rate.’
She took Amy’s arm and led her towards the
waiting carriage. ‘I think I can afford a few dresses for you.’
*
‘ Where did you leave that
other cake tin, Dave?’ Beth asked when she had unsuccessfully
sought the tin on the kitchen shelf where it usually
lived.
‘In the parlour, I think. Yes, that’s right,
it’s in there.’
Beth retrieved the tin from the other room.
She was surprised to find it so light, and when she lifted the lid
the mystery was revealed.
‘Have you eaten all those biscuits?’ she
asked in amazement.
‘Well, I get hungry,’ David said, a little
guiltily.
‘You must do! Ma always says there’s nothing
hungrier than boys, but you’re even worse than my lot. When did you
eat all those? That tin was just about full when I went home
yesterday.’
David frowned in thought. ‘I don’t know. I
suppose it must’ve been last night. You know, it’s that dull and
quiet at night, I just sort of eat to pass the time.’
‘Well, never mind, there’s a couple of these
plain ones left.’ Beth put a biscuit on each of their plates and
sat down beside him. ‘Do you get lonely at night?’
‘I suppose I do, a bit. It’s
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