The changeling

“I don’t mind listening,” said Belinda, which made us all laugh. She was a little sullen when we left and Lucie showed clearly that she did not like it either. But for Pedrek and me the happy day had begun.

We were in such harmony that we did not always have to speak; we often understood the other’s train of thought. This gave me a wonderfully cozy feeling. I was growing closer than ever to Pedrek-as close as I had been to my mother-and that gave me great content. We would laugh all the time-at nothing often, just out of sheer happiness. Simple things seemed extraordinarily amusing-and there were so many plans to be made. It was nearly a year since he had gone to college, he reminded me. “Half way there.

Just think of that.”

“It seems such a long time since you asked me to marry you.”

“It seems an age ... yet half of it has gone. Sometimes I think I can’t wait and I am on the point of abducting you.”

“That wouldn’t be necessary,” I told him. “I’d come without protest.”

“Then ... why don’t we?”

“What about college?”

He was thoughtful. “There’s a good deal to learn.”

“You must learn it then. You would hate to think there were things you didn’t know.

The more you learn the more likely you are to stop accidents like ...”

“I think so. There is so much known about the soil now. I am finding out all sorts of things which would astonish my grandfather.

“We shall have to be patient for another year.”

“I don’t see why we couldn’t start on the house. It will take some time to get all that settled. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to get it all ready ... so that it is there for us. We could do all that while we are waiting.”

“That would be fun. I wonder what your grandfather would say about it.”

“He would probably like the idea and I am sure my grandmother would.”

“It would make us feel that we were almost there.”

“I tell you what we’ll do. We’ll start looking. Next week-end we’ll begin in earnest.

How’s that?”

“It’s a marvelous idea.”

“It will have to be in the vicinity of the mine.”

“It looks as if we may have to build.”

“Yes ... something in between the families. We want to please both sides.”

“They would appreciate it if we were half way. We’ll start looking now.”

The search added zest to the day.

They stopped at an inn-a charming old place called The King‘s Head. There was a picture on the old sign, of Charles II, saturnine in spite of a certain lustful look and a luxuriously curly wig. We went into the parlor with its oak beams, leaded windows and great open fireplace round which sparkling horse brasses were displayed. We drank cider from pewter pots and ate cheese with hot bread straight from the oven. We talked of the house we would have. I saw it materialize before my eyes-the hall, the wide staircase, the rooms upstairs, and I realized I was creating a place which was something between Cador and Pencarron Manor.

“You wouldn’t like a Victorian house,” said Pedrek. “Your heart is in the past.”

“I’ll tell you something,” I said. “I wouldn’t mind what period it was as long as we were in it together.”

On the way back we looked for likely sites and inspected them critically.

“It would be very open here. Imagine the southwest gales.”

“And wouldn’t it be lonely?”

“Not with servants. Lucie will be there. Oh, Pedrek, what about Belinda?”

“She can come, too.”

“She’ll have to be with her father. He will insist. He has to preserve the family atmosphere.”

“She can come and stay with us.”

“I don’t know how she and Lucie will feel about being apart.”

“Are they such good friends?”

“Not exactly. I think they have become a habit to each other. They quarrel of course as all children do ... but I don’t think they would like to be separated.”

“They’ll get used to it.”

“I wonder what my stepfather will say. He is supposed to be my guardian, you know.”

“I shall be your guardian soon.”

“I am not sure I like this talk of guardians. I like to think I am my own. But there is a point. I should have to get his consent, I suppose,”

“We’ll get married first and tell him afterwards.”

We agreed that that was a good idea; but it did not answer the question of how the girls would feel to be separated.

They would be a year older then. They seemed so knowledgeable sometimes that I forgot how young they were. But I suppose most children are aware of what is going on. They have sharp enquiring minds; all they lack is the experience which comes through living. Pedrek came back with me to Cador.

The girls dashed out to welcome me home and they both flung themselves at me. Belinda first ... Lucie in her turn. It was comforting to receive such a welcome. “We’ve been riding this afternoon. Then we went for a walk with Leah ... to the pool.”

“I suppose you did,” I said. I turned to Pedrek. “It’s one of their favorite places.”

“Well, it does have an air of mystery.”

“All those legends ... bells and monks,” I said.

“And other things,” added Belinda.

“What things?” I asked.

“Other things,” she repeated, smiling mysteriously.

My grandmother came into the room. “Oh, you’re back. Good. Had a pleasant day?”