Anne basked in the love for a while. Then she finally let go. "Can I do sum't for ye, Mrs. Blacke? Me dad says I can spend t' afternoon, if that's alright with ye. Rose's taken over me chores. I'm not dressed to 'elp ye with t' washin'. But I could read to ye while ye work."

Ever since Alice had left, it had been Anne's job to read to her family at night during their short time of leisure before bed. Sometimes it was a Bible story. Sometimes it was a few poems from the book of verses that her mother had won in Sunday school as a child, a family heirloom they all took great pride in. Sometimes it was a story-section from the periodical that passed from family to family until that episode of the serial story had been read by every fireplace in the Crag.