'And pray who is to take you?' demanded Miss Morton.

'Why, couldn't I go alone?' said Jimmy.

Miss Morton did not answer, but she put on her eye-gla.s.ses again, and looked Jimmy up and down from head to foot.

'Ring the bell,' she said, and when he had rung the bell and the butler had come, Aunt Selina told him to send Hannah. Jimmy stood on the hearth-rug--whilst the black cat rubbed its back against his leg--wondering who Hannah might be. When she came, he saw that she was one of the servants, with a red, kind-looking face; and Aunt Selina told her to take him away and to give him some tea. When they were outside the door Hannah took his hand, and he felt that he liked having his hand taken, and she led him downstairs to a small room near the kitchen where she gave him such a tea as he had never had before. There were cake and jam, and hot scones, and b.u.t.tered toast, and although it was not very long since dinner, Jimmy ate a good meal.

He told Hannah all about his father and mother and Winnie, and how that Miss Morton had said perhaps they were on their way home; and he told her he hoped that his aunt would send him to Chesterham.

'Because,' he said, 'I know I could go all right alone.'

Hannah put an arm round him and kissed him, but Jimmy did not much like being kissed; still he felt lonely this afternoon, and he did not mind it so much as he would have done sometimes, especially if any of his schoolfellows had been there.

'Now,' said Hannah presently, 'I think you had better go back to Miss Morton.'

'Must I?' asked Jimmy. 'Because I like being here best.'

But she led him back to the dining-room, and as soon as he entered the door Aunt Selina asked what time he went to bed.

'Eight o'clock at school,' he answered, 'but when I am at Aunt Mary's she always lets me stay till half-past.'

'Aunt Mary always spoils you,' said Miss Morton. 'Sit down,' she added, and Jimmy took a chair on the opposite side of the fire-place.

'I suppose you don't remember your mother,' she said.

'No,' answered Jimmy.

'Shall you be glad to see her?' asked Aunt Selina.

'Yes, very glad,' said Jimmy. 'Shan't you?' he asked, looking into his aunt's face.

'Of course I shall be pleased to see my sister,' was the answer.

'And I shall be glad to see Winnie, too,' said Jimmy. But Aunt Selina's words had put a fresh idea into his mind. He seemed never to have realised until now that the mother whom he had never seen, although he had thought about her so much, was his Aunt Selina's sister. He thought that sisters must surely be very much alike; but if his mother was like her sister, why, Jimmy did not feel certain it would be nice to have her home again after all. He forgot that he was staring at his aunt until she asked him what he was looking at.

'Is my mother as old as you?' he asked.

'I cannot say they teach politeness at Miss Lawson's,' Aunt Selina answered.

'But is she?' asked Jimmy, for it seemed very important that he should know at once.

'Your mother is a few years younger than I am,' said his aunt, 'but she would be very angry with you for asking such a question.'

'Can she be angry?' asked Jimmy.

'She will be very angry indeed when you are naughty,' said Miss Morton.

For a few minutes Jimmy sat staring into the fire.

'Is--is she like you?' he asked.

'She is not quite so tall.'

'But is she like you?' asked Jimmy.

'We used to be considered very much alike,' was the answer, and Jimmy felt inclined to cry. Then Aunt Selina said it was his bed-time, and he came close to her and kissed her cheek.

'Am I to go to Aunt Ellen's?' he asked.

'I shall not tell you until to-morrow morning,' said Aunt Selina; and Jimmy fell asleep in the large spare room wondering whether he should go to-morrow to Chesterham or not.

CHAPTER V

AT THE RAILWAY STATION

When Jimmy awoke the next morning he found that Hannah was drawing up his blind. The sun-light fell into the room, and the smoke rose from the can of hot water on the wash-stand.

'You must get up at once,' said Hannah, 'or you will be late for breakfast, and Miss Morton won't like that.'

He would have liked to lie in the warm bed a little longer, and when at last he jumped out he felt rather cold. Jimmy was not used to dressing himself quite without help, for at school Miss Roberts had always come to tie his necktie and b.u.t.ton his collar. He found it difficult to b.u.t.ton it this morning with his cold little fingers; and as for the necktie, it was not tied quite so nicely as it might have been.

Still he was ready when he heard a bell ring, and he ran downstairs two steps at a time, and almost ran against Aunt Selina at the bottom. She looked more stiff and severe in the morning than she had looked last night, and not at all the sort of person you would like to run against.

'Good-morning,' said Jimmy, as she entered the dining-room.

She shook hands with Jimmy and her hand felt very cold; but when once he was seated at the table the coffee was nice and hot, and so were the eggs and bacon, and Jimmy had no time to think of anything else just yet. But just as he was wondering whether he should ask for another rasher of bacon, his aunt spoke to him.

'When you have _quite_ finished,' she said, 'I wish to speak to you,'

and after that he did not like to ask for any more.

So Jimmy pushed back his chair, and his Aunt Selina rose from hers and went to stand by the fire.

'I did not wish to tell you last night for fear of exciting you and keeping you awake,' she said, 'but I wrote to your Aunt Ellen while you were having tea.'

'Oh, thank you, I'm glad of that,' answered Jimmy.

'I told her I should send you to Chesterham by the half-past twelve train,' Miss Morton explained, 'and I asked her to meet you at the station.'

'Hurray,' cried Jimmy, 'then I am to go this morning.'

'It is not quite certain yet,' was the answer. 'I asked your Aunt Ellen to send me a telegram if she could receive you. If the telegram arrives before twelve, you will go by the half-past twelve train.'

'But suppose it doesn't come?' said Jimmy.

'I sincerely trust it will,' was the answer.