Pilgrim’s Rest by Patricia Wentworth

Pilgrim. She goes in every morning when I’m doing the rooms round there. They talk, and he tells her stories.”
    Lesley Freyne’s face had lighted up.
    “How very good for him!”
    “That’s what I thought. But Miss Day wants me to stop Penny going in. She says it’s too exciting for him, and he mustn’t be excited. She says the stories he tells Penny might set him off wanting to write again. It sounds nonsense to me. I mean I think it would be a very good thing if he did start doing anything that would take him out of himself.”
    Lesley’s face was grave and controlled as she said,
    “It isn’t easy to go against the nurse who is responsible for a case.”
    Fear pricked Judy on.
    “Miss Freyne, will you tell me the truth? About Penny- Miss Day said, ‘Don’t leave her alone with him.’ I want to know why she said that. I want to know if there’s any reason. Please, please, won’t you tell me?”
    The strong, deep colour came up under Lesley Freyne’s brown skin. She set her jaw and kept her mouth shut for a full half minute before she said,
    “Jerome would never hurt a child.”
    Reassurance and comfort flowed in on Judy. She cried out,
    “That’s what I feel-but I wanted to hear you say it. He wouldn’t-would he?”
    Lesley said, “No.” And then, “I don’t know what is going on here. There’s something. There was that ceiling, and the burnt-out room, and there have been other things as well. I don’t think it’s a house for a child, Judy. That’s one of the things I came here to say if you gave me an opportunity. Frank’s Miss Silver is down here, isn’t she-perhaps I shall see her before I go. He believes she may be able to clear things up. I only hope he is right. But meanwhile why not let Penny come to me on a visit? We could say that it was to give you a chance of settling down and catching up with some of the work.” She smiled suddenly and delightfully. “And it would all be perfectly true, because I expect everything is simply inches deep in dust since Ivy went. Gloria isn’t a bad child, but she couldn’t begin to get through with the work on her own. Now, what do you say?”
    Judy didn’t know what to say. She had never liked anyone better on a short acquaintance, but it was too sudden-too soon.
    Perhaps Lesley saw all this in her face, for she said very kindly,
    “You’d like to think it over, wouldn’t you? Don’t feel you’ve got to give an answer at all. Bring her round about half past nine for the morning’s play, and I’ll send her back in time for lunch. Then you’ll see how she likes it, and if you want her to come on a visit you need only bring her along. And now I’ll go up and see Jerome.”
    Jerome Pilgrim was in his chair with a writing-pad on his knee and a pencil in his hand. He looked up with so much pleasure when Judy said, “Miss Freyne is here to see you,” that she went away wondering why he should not have this pleasure more often. That the occasions for it were few and far between seemed clear from his words as Lesley came in.
    “I thought you had forgotten me. It’s weeks since you’ve been in.”
    Miss Freyne stayed to tea, and brought Jerome down with her. It was very evident that the whole family liked her. Roger’s moody brow smoothed out as he greeted her with a “Hullo, Lesley!” Miss Janetta and Miss Columba kissed her with affection. She was introduced to Miss Silver, and created the best possible impression by saying presently that she had always admired Tennyson and felt sure that he would some day come back into his own. After which the tea-party became pleasant and cosy to the last degree. Penny behaved as every fond relation hopes its child will behave when strangers are present. She ate tidily and perseveringly, managed her cup with elegance, and only spoke when spoken to.
    Lona Day, coming in when tea was nearly over, expressed her own pleasure at the comfortable scene.
    “It is turning so cold outside. I’ve been