The Ogress and the Orphans by Kelly Barnhill
Author:Kelly Barnhill
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Canada
Published: 2022-01-24T00:00:00+00:00
26
The Orphan House Was Never Meant for This
The first day of Cassâs disappearance, a sharp panic settled on the Orphan House.
Kye walked in circles in the kitchen, pinching himself, while Iggy sobbed under the couch. Fortunate and Gratitude checked the chicken coop no fewer than fifty times, while Hiram continually climbed onto the roof to see if Cass had somehow made her way up there in the meantime. âJust in case,â he said in utter seriousness, leaving his crutches again on the ground. Anthea knew better, and eventually put him on door duty.
Matron had run out the door screaming and found the man who had all of the tools kept in those clever pockets, which Anthea thought was a sensible plan. Anthea implicitly trusted people who not only understood how tools worked but also devised useful places to keep them. Very quickly, however, Anthea began to suspect that perhaps her trust had been misplaced.
Matron returned, saying that this man, who Anthea learned was the cobbler, had gone to the Mayor. Matronâs face became light at the thought, even as her tears flowed.
âThe Mayor?â Anthea said slowly. âAre you sure thatâs a good idea?â
âHe defeated a dragon, you know,â Matron said, blowing her nose. âSurely he will find our Cass. Indeed, perhaps he already has!â
The more Matron hoped, the more Anthea felt her heart sink. We have to be practical, she thought desperately. Without logic, we are lost.
The cobblerâs wife rang the bell at the front gate midmorning, offering sympathy. Later, she came back with a vat of soup. An hour after that, she returned with bags of things the house might needâshoes and sweaters and mittens and day-old bread from the baker. Which was generous. But then the cobblerâs wife wouldnât leave. She mentioned the thinness of the children. The chilliness and the draft. She lamented the lack of toys and wondered how on earth any of the children could be educated. She mentioned the disrepair of the furniture and the lack of insulation in the walls. She kept fussing over what she called âthe state of things,â which Anthea found rather rude. She tutted and exclaimed as she bustled from room to room.
Matron followed in her wake, wringing her hands, unable to finish a single sentence. âThank you for your concern, Mrs.ââ
âOh, I insist that you call me Esmé. One cannot stand on ceremony at a time like this.â She pulled out the measuring tape in her pocket and began measuring the twins. âThese two are in dire need of warmer dresses, with winter coming soon. Does anyone have pencil and paper? I need to write this down.â She scribbled numbers and started a list, first asking everyone to show her their shoes.
âWe appreciate yourââ
âAnd to think, youâve been suffering deprivations all this time, and no one in town knew. What a disgrace!â
She checked the cupboards and added to her list. She noted with some alarm the sagging floorboards and the broken stair. She examined the larder and nearly fainted dead away.
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