"I've been so afraid you might have second thoughts," she said.

"It's the six children they put people off, you know..."

Cressida rea.s.sured her.

"I don't know much about it," she said, 'but I should have thought that several children must be a lot easier to amuse than one, and they're never lonely. "

Their drive was a short one and the house when they reached it looked pleasant. Smaller than the van der Bronses', but with a good deal of ground around it. The door was flung open as they got out and children and dogs came tumbling out to greet them.

"The boys have stayed at home especially to greet you," said Mevrouw ter Beemstra, 'and my husband also will come for lunch and take them back with him for afternoon school. Now I will tell you their names; Willum, our eldest son. Jacobus, Friso, and the twins Sepke and Galske and the baby Lucia. They speak a little English and I hope you will speak English to them at all times. Miss Preece must I call you that? "

"I'd like it if you would call me Cressida and I'd like the children to call me that too. Miss Preece makes me sound like an elderly governess."

She shook hands with the children in turn, first Willum, twelve years old, rather a solemn boy, and, she suspected, very conscious that he was the eldest. Jacobus, two years younger, had a round jolly face and a thatch of unruly gold hair and Friso, eight years old, was very like him. The twins were st.u.r.dy with bright blue eyes and blonde pigtails and looked older than their five years, they each held a hand of Lucia, a cherub with golden curls who, when it came to her turn, put up her face to be kissed and shouted, "Dag, Cressy and burst into giggles.

"We call you Cressy," said Willum, and they all nodded, and when their mother remonstrated Cressida said, "Oh, I think that's a splendid idea, so much easier than Cressida, isn't it?"

They all went into the house then, through the tiled hall and into a lofty room with windows at each end, very comfortably furnished and cluttered with books and toys. Mevrouw swept a pile of magazines off a roomy sofa and bade Cressida sit down.

"The room is not tidy, but the playroom and nursery are at the top ofthe house and it is too far, you understand? But now that you are herethere will be someone to be with them. The boys are old enough to gocycling together and Willum has his own room now, but the little girlsmay not go out alone."

She sat down beside Cressida.

"Let us have coffee and then you shall see your room and the house and meet everyone."

A tall bony woman brought the coffee and Mevrouw ter Beemstra said, "This is Leike, she speaks no English but she will help you all she can."

Cressida shook hands and Leike smiled from a fairly stern face.

Looking around her, Cressida had that nice warm feeling that she was going to be happy.

Mijnheer ter Beemstra came home for lunch. A large man, thick-set, anda good deal older than his wife with a rugged good-humoured face. Hischildren fell upon him, all talking at once, as his wife introducedCressida. He shook hands, smiling broadly.

"We are glad to welcome you. Miss Preece, and we hope that you will be happy with us; you will also be busy..."

Sitting up in bed, much later, Cressida paused in writing a letter toMoggy to review her day. It had been full, not a minute wasted fromthe moment when she had been led upstairs to her room, a small cosyplace comfortably furnished and with a view out over the wide fieldsbeyond the grounds, then, accompanied by all six children, she had beentaken on a tour of the house. The children had come to show hereverything and they had rooms close to hers, and at the end of a longpa.s.sage there was a big playroom and beside it a smaller room, used asa nursery for Baby. Here she had met Lucia's nurse, elderly, her beadyeyes studying Cressida with guarded politeness. Of course, Cressidahad thought, she was afraid that Cressida was going to usurp herposition, something she had no intention of doing. She had contrivedto let the nurse understand this with the help of Willum, who'dlaboured away doing his best to translate for her. It had been arelief to see the nurse relax presently.

English was to be spoken at meals; lunch had been a hilarious affairwith her encouraging and correcting and offering, rather diffidently,to improve upon an accent. Afterwards, walking down to the village tobuy stamps at the little post office, accompanied by everyone exceptLucia, she had been teased into trying her Dutch. Which, Willumsolemnly told her, was very bad.

At the end of the day, getting them to bed had been a major operation, so that when she went downstairs finally and Mevrouw ter Beemstra suggested that she might like to go to bed herself she was glad to go.

Perhaps, she reflected, it would be a good idea if she did that every evening, she could always plead letters to write and probably once she had got settled in there would be odd jobs of mending and so on which she could do in the playroom.

She punched her pillows into greater comfort and thought about her free day. It was to be Thursday because the girls went to dancing cla.s.s in

the after G noon and the boys had fencing lessons; she could, if she wished, go in to Leeuwarden with Mijnheer ter Beemstra after breakfast and return when she liked; there was a bus which went through the village in the evening, but if she missed it, she only had to telephone and she would be fetched. The last weekend of each month was to be hers too. She could stay in the house if she wished and go somewhere each day or she could go away for the weekend.

"I be live that Charity will love to have you," said Mevrouw ter Beemstra kindly.

She would go to Leeuwarden, she decided, and have a good look round, and since Christmas was only a couple of weeks away she would buy small gifts and one or two cards--for Moggy and her sister and Mr. Tims, Charity and Tyco and Cook and Dr. van der Linus. She wondered what he was doing, picturing him in Nicola's company. She allowed her imagination to run away with her; Nicola would be quite exquisitely dressed and looking prettier than ever, trilling her tinkling laugh, asking him sympathetically something about his day's work, making him smile. Cressida was suddenly consumed with a profound dislike of the girl; she was all wrong for the doctor and he was extremely silly not to see that for himself. Well, let him cook his own goose, she muttered, and picked up her pen once more and wrote several pages of cheerful news to Moggy.

She slipped into the life of the household quickly, helped by Mevrouw ter Beemstra's kindly hints and the enthusiastic encouragement of the children. Her days were busy, for there were always children around, with the constant need to speak English and whenever possible have it read to them. She set her self, within the first day or so, to learn as many Dutch words as possible, and it was surprising how easy it was to understand the children; committed to speak English with all of them, she didn't venture to try them out, but she listened while she was with them and boldly tried out the few words she had understood on the maid and the elderly cook in the kitchen, quite undeterred when one of them failed to understand her.

Her duties, away from the children, were light she made her bed but no one expected her to do any household ch.o.r.es although there was plenty of mending and occasional ironing to do for the children but her days were full enough, keeping six children occupied while they were not at school. She made sure that they bathed, washing then-flaxen hair, put ting plasters on grazed knees, helping them with their English lessons. The two elder boys brought home a good deal of homework and since she had a smattering of Latin grammar and knew something of geometry and algebra she rose in their regard. It was with Friso and the two girls that she had most contact; their English was sketchy and they were at an age when learning was a bore anyway. All the same, by the end of the first week she had devised several ways of making it more attractive to them, taking them for walks or cycle rides, getting them to tell her names of the trees and flowers and everything else in sight and then repeating everything in English. Baby, of course, was no trouble at all; her nurse relinquished her from time to time and Cressida soon had her prattling away, quite happy to speak any language anyone should choose to teach her.

The week flew by and on the Wednesday evening Charity telephoned to invite her over for her free day.

"I'll come and fetch you," she offered, 'and Tyco shall take you back after dinner. I'll be there about half- past nine so mind you're ready. "

The weather had turned fine with a pale blue sky, a searing cold wind and thin ice on the ca.n.a.ls. Cressida, wrapped in her winter coat and wearing the woolly hat and scarf she had bought in Leiden, bade the ter Beemstras goodbye and got into Charity's car.

"Ought you to be driving?" she asked as they started off.

"I promised Tyco this morning that I won't take the car out again until after I've had the baby. He's fussy..." Somehow it sounded high praise.

"I can drive you," said Cressida.

"Oh, thanks we'll go shopping together. I love Christmas, don't you?"

Charity overtook a farm tractor with caution.

"Well, how do you like the job? The ter Beemstras are delighted with you Beatrix told me when I phoned yesterday."

"It's marvelous. They're so kind and I don't have to do any housework."

"I should hope not. I can't think what came over Aldrik, letting you go to that horrible woman."

"Well, if he's in love with Nicola and she suggested it I suppose he thought it would be all right."

"He's not in love with her, though. She's fastened on to him and he's too busy and wrapped up in his work to do anything about it."

Somehow this piece of news cheered Cressida up.

"Oh, do you think so?"

She would have liked to have pursued the matter but they had arrived at

Charity's home and Jolly came out to drive the car round to the garage

for her and beg them to hurry inside.

"Mrs. Jolly's got the coffee ready, Mevrouw, and there's a good fire in the small sitting-room."

There was a great deal to talk about; Christmas-and things to do with

the children during the school holidays.

"Tyco's family come over for Christmas and of course we'll have a party. You'll come...?"

"Will I? Supposing the ter Beemstras want to go out? There'll be the

children to mind.""They'll come too. Baby's nurse will come and our housemaid ismarvelous with children and we can pop in and out. They have a room toplay in and their own food. Tyco says they've always done it, and theycome and join the grown-ups when the presents are handed out."

"Won't it be a bit much for you?"

Charity poured more coffee. The? No, no. Besides, there's you and

Tyco's sisters and Mrs. Jolly and the ter Beemstras. It'll be greatfun. "She glanced at Cressida."I'm sorry Aldrik won't be here. He's splendid with children." She sighed.

"I suppose if Nicola succeeds in getting him to marry her she'll have lots of nasty little Nicolas..."

"She doesn't look as if she would like even one."

"That won't suit Aldrik; he told me once that he would like a large

family when he married."

She got up.

"Come and see the nursery, it's all ready the girls helped me and we've

had such fun. Tyco keeps bringing home teddy bears and rattles..." They spent a pleasant hour while Cressida admired everything before going to Charity's bedroom to go through her wardrobe and try on her hats. They went downstairs for lunch presently and just as they reached the hall the front door opened and Tyco and Aldrik came in.

"h.e.l.lo, darling Cressida too." Tyco kissed his wife, "Aldrik's on the way to Janslum; I've brought him home for lunch."

Charity lifted her face for Aldrik's kiss.

"How very nice, and here's Cressida, spending her day off with us."

Cressida offered a hand and smiled up at him, aware of a deep delight at seeing him again. He took it in his own large one and bent and kissed her cheek.

"This is an unexpected pleasure," he told her, and Tyco, his arm around his wife, winked at her.

"I have been wondering how you have been getting on."

Cressida had gone rather pink. She had enjoyed the kiss but it mustn't be allowed to go to her head, she reflected.

"I'm very happy," she told him.

"Everyone is kind and the children are dears."

She came to a halt, wishing very much to tell him every detail of her days. That would bore him, she thought, so instead she asked politely, "I hope you haven't been too busy?"

The doctor, who had been out of his bed for most of the night after a long day at Amsterdam Hospital, a.s.sured her that he hadn't been at all busy, and Tyco suggested that they might all go to the drawing-room and have a drink before lunch.

"Teile and Letizia will be here in a few minutes," said Charity.

"Mrs. Jolly's gone to fetch them."

Lunch was a very cheerful meal; Christmas was near enough for it to be the main topic of conversation and the twins could talk of nothing else, but presently Tyco said, "Well, I've a couple of patients to see and I said I'd look in at the hospital. I'll drop these two off as I go. Tell Jolly to fetch them after school, my love, will you? I'll be back about five o'clock." The children went to get their outdoor things and as Charity got up too he said, "And you'll put your feet up, darling."

"While you're doing that," said Aldrik casually, "I'll take Cressida over to Janslum. It will give her the chance to see something of the country."

Charity was b.u.t.toning the twins into their coats and Cressida got up to help her. She said over her shoulder, "It's most kind of you.

Doctor, but I shall be very happy to stay here and read or something while Charity rests. "

"Oh, I'm not being kind." He spoke carelessly.

"Tyske my housekeeper has made specula as and I won't be able to eat all of them; besides, the dogs are there I brought them up with me last night. "