The pool of St Branok

Fanny

The children liked to be together, and we arranged that one day Rebecca would go to the Cartwright house and on the next Pedrek should come to mine. This gave Morwenna and me time to shop and do many things which would otherwise have been difficult, for neither of us wished to leave our children entirely to servants.

It was on one of these days when I decided to take up the invitation Frances and Peterkin had given me to visit their Mission again.

When I told Helena of this she said I would find it interesting and perhaps a little heartrending for people had no idea of the suffering which was endured by others. Matthew was deeply aware of and had talked to her about it. He had discovered a great deal when he was gathering material for his books; and Frances and Peterkin could tell some very sad stories.

She said she would have me driven down there in the morning and send the carriage to pick me up.

There was no need, I told her, I would get a cab.

"You might get one to take you there, but I doubt you would pick up one to bring you back."

So I set off in the middle of the morning and as I was driven eastwards I was struck by the change. The streets of London had always interested me; they were so full of life; in that area which I knew best the houses were large and elegant; there were many garden squares and the parks added a delightful suggestion of the countryside. The Row, the Serpentine, the Palace where the Queen had spent her childhood—they were all delightful to the eyes. But what a contrast when we came to the mean streets.

The vitality had increased. There was noise everywhere. People seemed to talk at the top of their voices. We kept to the main road but I glimpsed side streets. I saw grim-looking children, bare-footed; I saw stalls onto which seemed to have been crowded every commodity one could think of ... from chests of drawers to fly papers. There were women selling pins and needles, and men selling hot pies; there were men sitting on the pavements doing something with counters which I presumed was some sort of game; there were ballad singers who gave demonstrations of their goods. There was noise and bustle everywhere.

The Mission was a tall square building which had, at one time, been two houses built at a time when there had been a certain affluence in the district.

The door was open and I stepped into a large hall. It was lofty and there was no furniture apart from a table and a chair. On the table there was a bell so I rang this. Almost at once a young woman appeared. She was tall, large-boned, with untidy hair, and wearing a coat-like overall.

I thought she was a servant until she spoke.

She said: "Oh, hello. You're Mrs. Mandeville. Frances said you would be coming. She's in the kitchen. It will be open shortly and we are running a bit late. I'll take you to her. By the way, I'm Jessica Carey. How do you do?"

I said How do you do and thanked her.

She smiled at me and started off, so I followed her.

I could smell something savory.

We went down a flight of stairs to a large room in which was a big fire. There were several large cauldrons on this and on a table a pile of wooden bowls.

And there was Frances herself in a coat-like overall, rather flushed giving orders in that precise way which I had come to know; when she saw me she smiled.

"Welcome," she said. "We're running late. They'll be here in half an hour. We have to get these bowls up. You could help carry them."

"Yes. Where?"

Jessica Carey picked up a handful of the bowls and said: "I'll show you."

I did the same and followed her.

We went up a short staircase. We were in a room with a long wooden table on which were several iron stands. I gathered they put the cauldrons on these. Beside them were laid several large ladles.

"We serve it here," Jessica told me. "It's convenient. The door is right on the street ... and they can just come in. It's a busy time of the morning, this. Feeding time. Frances says it is one of the most important. We have to look after their bodies as well as their souls." She laughed. "I'm glad you've come. We need all the help we can get."

We put the bowls on the table and went down to get more.

"I'll leave you to it," said Jessica Carey. "It will be a great help. There are one or two things I have to see to. If you'll get these bowls up and help dish out ... They'll be here at eleven thirty. We have to be ready by then or there is chaos. There seems to be more of them every day. And we've had to make extra. Frances gets really upset if we run out and have to send some of them away."

I thought this was a strange welcome. Frances had been so earnest in her desire that I should come. But I did realize that her work here was most sincere. Amaryllis had always said that she and Peterkin worked as hard as anyone she knew.

I toiled up and down with the wooden bowls and had set up quite a pile of them on the table when the door opened and a man came in from the street.