Leprechaun in Late Winter (4 page)

“It was at our school,” Jack broke in, before Annie could tell them that she and Jack had actually met Shakespeare himself!

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream?”
said Augusta. She looked surprised.

“Don’t listen to them, Augusta,” said Gertrude. “I doubt these children have ever been to school—much less acted in a play by William Shakespeare.”

“I suspect you are quite right, Gertrude,” someone said.

A tall woman was standing in the doorway of the parlor. She wore a long black velvet dress and stood very straight. There was an icy look on her face as she stared at Jack and Annie.

“Oh! Mother!” said Eliza.

“H
i there!” Annie said cheerfully.

Augusta’s mother did not reply. She was staring at Jack’s bare feet. Her expression made him sink down in his chair.

“Do not blame Eliza or me, Mother,” said Gertrude. “These are Augusta’s friends, not ours.”

“I took pity on them, Mother,” said Augusta. “They were wet and miserable.”

Her mother finally smiled. “Yes, daughter, I imagine they were. It’s very nice to have pity for the poor, but dirty children should not be sitting in our parlor.”

“They were hungry, Mother,” said Augusta.

“Yes, and I see you have given them food,” said her mother. “So it is time to take them out of the house
now
.”

Jack and Annie stood up. Jack was happy to leave. He felt like Augusta and her mother were talking about stray dogs or cats.

But Augusta sat very still and just stared at her mother.

“Go on—get them out of here, Augusta,” said Gertrude. “They are not clean! They might even have bugs in their hair.”

The mere mention of bugs made Jack’s scalp itch. He and Annie both scratched their heads.

“See!” said Gertrude.

“Augusta …,”
her mother said in a stern voice.

“Oh, all right! All right!” said Augusta, standing up. “I was trying to be kind! Come with me, please,” she said to Jack and Annie. “I’ll lead you down the lane a bit, at least past the sheepdogs.”

As Augusta started out of the room, her mother
stopped her and pinched her shoulders. “Carry yourself straight, daughter,” she said.

Jack couldn’t imagine how the girl could carry herself any straighter.

Augusta led Jack and Annie back down the dark hallway, through the fish-smelling kitchen, past the ancient butler sleeping by the fire and the three kitchen maids and the cook. Without a word, she grabbed her red cape and pulled it around her.

“Where are you going, Miss Augusta?” asked Molly.

“I have been ordered to send these poor children back out into the storm,” Augusta said.

Jack and Annie forced their feet into their stiff, wet socks and boots. Augusta held the door for them, then followed them outside, slamming the door shut behind her.

Even though it was still rainy and windy, Jack felt much happier outside the Big House than inside it. He and Annie followed Augusta past the gates and out to the lane. Augusta walked
stiffly, leading them like a mother duck.

“What are we going to do about her?” Annie whispered to Jack.

“I don’t know,” whispered Jack. “She doesn’t seem very creative or imaginative to me.”

“Well, we have to
inspire
her! Come on!” said Annie. She and Jack hurried to catch up with Augusta.

“Miss Augusta!” said Annie, walking alongside her. “Do you like to sing? Dance? Paint? Play a musical instrument? Anything creative like that?”

“No,” said Augusta. She sounded angry. Jack figured she must be mad at her mother for kicking them out of the Big House.

“Well, what about nature?” said Annie.

“What about it?” asked Augusta.

“Walking in the woods?” said Annie. “Trees? Birds? Does anything like that inspire you?”

“Not anymore. I
was
close to nature once,” Augusta said. “I used to roam the woods with my younger brothers. They said I was like a robin with the eye of a hawk. I knew where to find the caves of the otters. I knew where to find the nests of wild birds.”

“That’s so cool,” said Annie.

“I knew where the deer lay down to sleep,” said Augusta. “I knew the names of every tree: oak, beech, elm, hazel, larch, pine.…” Augusta’s voice grew a little wobbly, as if she might cry. “But I’m
not allowed to roam the woods with my brothers anymore. Mother says it’s not proper for a young lady.”

“That’s so sad!” said Annie.

“Never mind,” said Augusta, lifting her chin. “Let us not talk about me anymore. Let us try instead to help the two of you. Cook said you were not good for anything. Why would she say that?”

“They asked us if we were good for cleaning chimneys, plucking chickens, or catching rats,” said Annie, “and we said no.”

“Then you must find other ways to make yourselves useful,” said Augusta, “or you will never find your way in the world. Can you shear sheep?”

“We’ve never tried it,” said Jack.

“Milk cows? Churn butter? Weave a shawl?” Augusta asked impatiently. “Hunt rabbits with hounds?”

“Oh, never that!” said Annie. Jack laughed.

Augusta frowned. “This is nothing to laugh about. Every day, you must ask yourselves: what am I good for?”

Actually, that was a good question, Jack thought. What
was
he good for?

“And I would like to give you a further piece of advice,” said Augusta. “Never make up stories about yourselves that aren’t true.”

“What do you mean?” said Jack.

“You never acted in a play of Shakespeare’s, did you? Tell the truth now,” said Augusta.

“We did,” said Jack. “My sister
was
telling the truth. We were both in
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
.”

“We played wood fairies,” said Annie. “We had green costumes, and Jack gave a little speech and I danced and sang.”

Augusta shook her head. “You poor dears,” she said. “I know you only make up these wild stories because your real lives are so miserable, but—”

“Wait a minute. Stop,” said Jack. “What’s wrong with you? Why do you act so snobby?”

“Snobby?
Me?
” Augusta looked confused.

“Jack—” said Annie.

“No, I’m serious,” Jack said to Annie. “She thinks she’s better than us.”

“No, I don’t!” Augusta said, stunned. “I’m not like that at all! Each day I walk several miles to town to give cakes and clothes to poor children like yourselves.”

“That’s nice,” said Jack. “But you think you’re better than those poor children, don’t you? You’d never want to be real friends with them, would you?”

“What you say about me is
not
true!” Augusta said to Jack. “I love the poor! Why, my favorite friend in all the world is quite poor and has never been to school. Some say she’s even a little cracked in the head, but I love her dearly!”

“Who’s that?” asked Annie.

“Mary! Mary Sheridan, our old nursemaid,” said Augusta. “I’ll take you to meet her. Mary will tell you the truth about me! Come along!”

Augusta ran from the lane and across the muddy grass, her red cape flying in the wind.

“Um … I don’t think you inspired her,” Annie said.

“I know, I’m sorry,” said Jack. “I just couldn’t take her attitude any longer.”

“Well, get over it,” said Annie. “We’re supposed to help her, not annoy her.”

“She was annoying
me
!” said Jack.

“Yeah, I know,” said Annie. “Me too. But we’ve got a mission. Come on.”

Jack and Annie followed Augusta across the grass to a small white cottage with a straw roof. Augusta banged on the door, scaring away birds eating crumbs by the front steps. “Mary! Mary! It’s me, Augusta!” she called.

“Come in, my dear,” a voice answered.

Augusta lifted the latch and led Jack and Annie inside.

Wrapped in a brown shawl, Mary Sheridan was stroking an orange cat by an open fire. She had ragged white hair and bright blue eyes. Her crooked smile revealed a few missing teeth.

“One and twenty welcomes on this
wonderful
winter day!” said the old woman.

“H
ello, Mary!” said Augusta. She kissed the old woman on her wrinkled cheek.

With the firelight on her face, Mary seemed to glow. Her warm, snug cottage was the opposite of the Big House. It smelled of damp leaves and moss, bread and chocolate. Firelight danced on the earthen floor and stone walls. Rain dripped through the roof,
pinging
into a couple of tin buckets.

“And who do we have here, Miss Augusta?” Mary asked.

“Two poor children from town,” said Augusta. “I want you to tell them about me—how I truly love the poor and try to help them.”

Mary smiled. “Please, sit down first,” she said.

Jack, Annie, and Augusta sat down on three rickety wooden chairs.

“Would you children like some hot cocoa?” Mary asked.

Jack and Annie nodded eagerly.

“Yes, please, Mary,” said Augusta. “But would you tell them—”

“Yes, I will tell them all about you,” said Mary. She picked up a pot sitting on the hearth. She poured steaming cocoa into three mugs and handed them to Jack, Annie, and Augusta.

The cocoa smelled delicious. Jack took a sip and licked his lips. “Yum,” he said. His insides felt warm for the first time all day.

“Now, Mary?” asked Augusta.

“In time, my child,” Mary said to Augusta. “Tell me, what have you been doing today?”

“I delivered cakes in town,” Augusta said proudly. “Then I found these poor children in our kitchen looking for work. I’ve tried to help them. But they say I am snobby. I brought them here so you could tell them the truth about me.”

“Ah, I see, Miss Augusta. How did you try to help them?” said Mary.

“I’ve tried to discover what they are good for,” said Augusta. “But it appears they are good for nothing.”

“Really?” Mary fixed her twinkling eyes on Jack and Annie. “Well, let us start with this, children: tell me something you like to do. No, wait—what do you
love
to do?”

“Uh … well, I love to read,” said Jack.

“And write,” said Annie.

“Read and write?” said Augusta. “I don’t think so.”

Mary ignored Augusta and kept looking at Jack and Annie. “What do you like to read and write?” asked Mary.

“Facts mostly,” said Jack. “True stories.”

“Jack writes facts down all the time,” said Annie.

“Honestly, Mary,” said Augusta. “Soon they’ll be telling you that they are actors, too—and have performed in a play by William Shakespeare. Can we talk about me now?”

“Actually, that’s
true
,” Jack said to Mary. “We were in
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
. Annie and I were fairies. I had stage fright, but Will—”

“William Shakespeare
himself
,” said Annie.

“He helped me get over it,” said Jack. He looked straight at Augusta.

Augusta rolled her eyes.

“Will was
so
nice,” said Annie.

“And smart,” said Jack.

“Of course he was!” said Mary. “You can tell that from his stories.”

“Oh, please stop. Don’t tell Mary those ridiculous things!” Augusta said. “What about me, Mary?”

“Wait, child, I have a question for them,” Mary said. She leaned forward and spoke in a whisper. “Where is summer? Can you answer me that?”