In the Land of the Long White Cloud

have done your bedtime chores like proper Christian girls. First wash and then go to bed.” Helen wanted to sound strict, but tonight she could not quite manage it. She wouldn’t have wanted to strip down and wash with cold water in this stall. For that reason, she already knew that her inspection tonight would not be all that thorough. The girls didnot seem to take her instructions to heart. Instead of acknowledging her with a proper “Yes, Miss Davenport,” they inundated their teacher with questions.
    “Are we not going to get anything to eat?”
    “I can’t sleep on the straw, Miss Davenport, I’ll be sick!”
    “There are bound to be fleas!”
    “Can’t we come with you, Miss Davenport? And what about these people that might come tonight? Do they want to take us, Miss Davenport?”
    Helen sighed. She had tried throughout the trip to prepare the girls for their impending separation when they arrived, but it didn’t seem like a good idea to tear the group apart that night. However, she also didn’t want to prejudice Mrs. Baldwin against the girls and herself any more than she already had. So she answered evasively.
    “Clean yourselves up first, and settle down, girls. Everything will work out, so don’t worry.” She stroked Laurie’s and Mary’s blonde hair. The children were visibly exhausted. Dorothy even made Rosemary’s bed since she was already almost asleep. Helen nodded with approval.
    “I will check up on you again later,” she declared. “I promise!”

8
    “T he girls seem rather spoiled,” Mrs. Baldwin remarked with a forbearing expression. “I hope they will actually be of some use to their future employers.”
    “They are children.” Helen sighed. Hadn’t she already had this conversation with Lucinda Greenwood, who was on the London orphanage committee? “To be honest, only two of them are even old enough to take a position. But they are all well behaved and skilled. I do not think anyone will have complaints.”
    Mrs. Baldwin seemed provisionally placated upon hearing that. She led Helen to the guest room, and for the first time that day, the young woman was pleasantly surprised. The room was bright and clean, with floral wallpaper and gardenias arranged invitingly in country-home style, and the bed looked big and comfortable. Helen breathed a sigh of relief. She may have been stranded in the backwoods, but here was evidence of civilization. Just then, the heavyset girl appeared with a large pot of warm water, which she emptied into Helen’s washbasin.
    “Freshen yourself up a bit, Miss Davenport,” Mrs. Baldwin told her. “After that we’ll expect you at dinner. It won’t be anything special; we weren’t prepared for guests, after all. But if you like chicken and mashed potatoes…”
    Helen smiled. “I’m so hungry that I would eat the chicken and the potatoes raw. And the girls…”
    Mrs. Baldwin seemed ready to lose her patience. “The girls will be taken care of,” she declared abrasively. “I’ll see you in a moment, then, Miss Davenport.”
    Helen took her time washing herself thoroughly, letting her hair down, and then pinning it back up. She contemplated whether it wasworth changing her clothes. Helen owned only a few dresses, two of which were dirty through and through. She had been saving her best outfit for meeting Howard. On the other hand, she couldn’t appear at dinner with the Baldwins in a ragged and sweaty dress. In the end, she decided on the navy-blue velvet dress. Something festive was in order for her first evening in her new homeland.
    The food was already being served when Helen finally stepped into the Baldwins’ dining room. Here too the furnishings trumped her expectations. The sideboard, table, and chairs were made of heavy teak and decorated with artistic carvings. Either the Baldwins had brought the furniture from England, or Christchurch could boast excellent joiners. This last thought comforted Helen. If worse came to worst, she could get used to a wooden house if its interior was comfortably furnished.
    Her tardiness caused her some unease, but with the exception of the Baldwins’ daughter, who seemed rather spoiled, everyone stood up at once to welcome her. In addition to Mrs. Baldwin and Belinda, there were the reverend and a young vicar. Reverend Baldwin was a tall, gaunt man with a serious demeanor. He was formally dressed—his dark brown three-piece tweed suit appeared almost too elegant for the domestic table—and