In the Land of the Long White Cloud

Rosemary coldly. The little one started to cry. Daphne, however, returned her gaze with eyes ablaze.
    “Laurie and Mary are twins,” Helen explained. She was furious, but forced herself to remain calm. “They have never been separated before. I do not understand how they could have been placed with different families. There must be some mistake. And Elizabeth surely does not want to leave without saying good-bye. Please, Reverend, you must come along and clear this up.” Helen decided to no longer bother with the coldhearted Mrs. Baldwin. The children fell within the reverend’s purview, and it was high time he did something for them.
    The pastor got to his feet, though clearly against his will.
    “No one told us they were twins,” he explained as he walked thoughtfully to the stables beside Helen. “Naturally, it seemed likely that the girls were sisters, but placing them in the same household is out of the question. There are hardly any English servants here. There’s a waiting list for these girls. We can’t give one family two girls.”
    “But they’ll be useless to anyone alone; the children cling to each other like ivy,” Helen explained.
    “They will have to be separated,” the reverend responded curtly.
    In front of the stables were two vehicles, one of them a delivery wagon to which two bored bays were hitched. A spirited pony that could hardly stand still pulled an elegant black chaise beside the wagon. A tall, haggard man held it with a light hand on the reins, mumbling a few soothing words to it now and then. He looked upset. Shaking his head, he kept looking to the stables, where the girls’ crying and wailing had not abated. Helen thought she recognized a sympathetic look in his gaze.
    Seated among the cushions of the chaise was a frail older woman. She was dressed in black, and her snow-white hair, pinned up beneath her hat, was a striking contrast. Her skin tone was very light, smooth as porcelain and creased by only a few wrinkles, like old silk. Elizabeth stood before her and curtsied beautifully. The old lady seemed to have a friendly and gracious manner. Every now and then, though, she and her driver glanced with irritation and sympathy in the direction of the stables.
    “Jones,” the woman finally said to her driver as Helen and the reverend passed by. “Couldn’t you go in and put a stop to that howling? It does bother us so. Those children are going to cry their eyes out! Please do find out what the matter is and resolve the problem.”
    The driver tied the reins to the post and stood up. He did not seem especially enthusiastic about the task before him. Comforting children did not likely count among his usual chores.
    In the meantime, the old lady had noticed Reverend Baldwin and greeted him in a friendly manner.
    “Good evening, Reverend! Good to see you. But I don’t want to keep you since your presence seems to be required in there.”She indicated the stables, at which her driver lowered himself back down into his seat with a sigh of relief. If the reverend was seeing to it, then his services were no longer necessary.
    Baldwin seemed to be considering whether he should introduce Helen and the lady to each other before he entered the stables. However, he abandoned the idea and headed straight into the uproar.
    Mary and Laurie were sobbing and holding each other tightly while a powerful woman attempted to pry them from each other. A broad-shouldered but passive man stood helplessly to the side. Even Dorothy seemed unsure whether to take action or pray and flee.
    “Why don’t you just take both of them?” she asked desperately. “Please, you can see it won’t work this way.”
    The man seemed to agree. With a forceful tone in his voice, he turned to his wife. “Yes, Anna, we should ask the reverend to give us both girls. The girl is still too young and tender. She won’t be able to do the hard work alone. But if the two work together…”
    “If the two remain together, they’ll just gossip and not get anything done!” the woman replied angrily. Helen looked into the woman’s cold blue eyes, which belonged to a bright, self-satisfied face. “We only asked for one—and we’re only taking one with us.”
    “Then just take me!” Dorothy offered. “I’m bigger and stronger and…”
    Anna Lavender seemed rather taken with this solution. Pleased, she eyed Dorothy’s considerably stronger build.
    But Helen shook her head. “That is very Christian of you,