Edmund had returned to the drinking troughs where he'd seen the man earlier that day a whole hour before three o'clock for fear of being late.  He hadn't had much planned for the day anyway besides shoe-shopping, but in light of this potential job, he'd forgotten all about it.  Instead, he'd found Mable to tell her about the good news and treated her to some fresh fruit from the market.  They'd talked together on the beach for nearly the whole day.

It was the nicest time he'd had with Mable in a long time.  Of course things got better before he had to leave.

So Edmund sat beside the troughs, hoping and praying to whoever was listening he wouldn't make a fool of himself and that the man would come back and hold true to his promise.  As surreptitiously as the boy can manage, he looked at every person that passed before turning away.  Which, wasn't very.

What were the chances the other man would arrive early too, and Edmund would be caught doing something so unusual.  Was this unusual?  He had such a hard time knowing.

Tobias had left the cart at an inn nearby and the horses in the care of the inn's stablemaster. He had one last matter to settle before he collected them. It was near three when he returned to the place he had met the boy and he was surprised to find him waiting already. At least it was a good sign.

"There ye are already. Come through 'ere," he nodded in the direction of the inn. "I've barely had lunch, and I doubt you 'ad. Ye can bring yer sister if ye like." He had thought about the children after his talk with the priest, and had decided that even if Castleton would turn out to be too far for them or the employment too sporadic, he could at least buy them a meal.

Edmund jumped up when he saw the man approaching, only to stand awkwardly until he was close enough to hear.  Down the street, Mable saw him and followed his gaze, starting a slow approach to his side.  He was surprised that the man knew he even had a sister, but at least that saved him from having to bring it up on his own.

"That's very generous of you sir," he said, motioning for Mable.  She rushed to his side, staring up at the stranger before them.  "This - this is Mable, my sister.  She's nervous so see me off."

The girl looked drastically different from Edmund, but she stuck close to his side like second nature.

"Did you tell him about me?" she asked Edmund before turning to the man.  "How'd you know about me?"

Tobias looked at the girl and immediately wondered whether the two were real siblings, or half ones, or perhaps merely raised in the same home. They didn't look alike. As with Edmund, it was hard to estimate how old the girl was. She was small, and Tobias wondered whether she was past school age at all - though given that the boy had confessed to being illiterate, he doubted that concept meant anything to the children at all.

Nervous to see him off? If anyone seemed nervous it was Edmund. His sister seemed bolder. "The priest at St. Hilda's told me," he answered Mable's question. "And ye won't need to see him off just yet. As I've explained to your brother, the work is seasonal only, and only later this month." Had he not been clear? Or had the boy been so nervous he hadn't properly registered it?

Tobias gestured in the direction of the inn and then began to move slowly in that direction, so the children would follow.

The - Father Brennan?  This man had gone all the way there to see him?  Edmund wanted to ask him why, for what, but he refrained.  Father Brennan wouldn't say anything bad about him, he hoped.  Obviously he hadn't if this man was here talking to them, offering to buy them lunch.

Mable looked as surprised as Edmund felt at the mention of their priest, and more so about the work.  She gave Edmund a look, which he dutifully ignored.  He wasn't so bright, he knew, so if he misunderstood something it was only his own fault.

The two followed after the man, Edmund placing himself between Mable and him.  Even so, the girl leaned forward to look at his face.

"You met Father Brennan?  Did he say nice things about me?  I hope he did, because we're very good friends.  What's you name anyway, sir?"

Tobias led them inside and although he would usually sit in a corner in the back, from where he could overlook the room while being left alone, he now picked a table in the front, near the door. He was aware that he was a stranger and they were two homeless children who had probably seen more of the world than they should have. He did not want to spook them.

If the children looked different, that was nothing compared to the difference in their personalities, as became more and more apparent. The girl talked too much and out of place, whereas the boy rather seemed to suffer from the opposite flaw; he seemed to have trouble speaking up clearly even when he was supposed to speak. What an odd pair.

"Tobias Appleton," he replied to the girl. "And aye, I did go see 'im. He just affirmed that 'e paid for yer hotel and explained yer situation." He had also expressed concern about the boy being corrupted if he should hang around bad company, but Tobias kept that to himself.

Just then, a waitress approached, and Tobias ordered three steak pies with vegetables, two teas and a lemonade for the girl.

When she had gone, he turned to Edmund. "Now, what would ye 'ave done about yer sister if t' priest hadn't told me, eh? Would ye just 'ave left 'er 'ere by 'erself?"

Oh, the man - Tobias - went to speak with the Father to... ensure he hadn't been lying.  The thought of doing so hadn't even crossed Edmund's mind, but he supposed Tobias had to be careful of who he trusted,  Especially when a dirty looking boy like himself approached him out of nowhere on the street.

Mable sat prim and proper in her seat, kicking her legs under the table happily as lemonade was ordered for her.  She sent an excited smile to Edmund who returned it, thought it disappeared as Tobias questioned him.

"Wh - no, of course not sir," he said quickly.  "Mable is - I spoke to her about it, and she knows to be careful, and go to the Father is she needs anything.  She wouldn't have been... alone."

Not completely anyway, but she would have been... without Edmund for a little while.  That was nothing she wasn't already used to, though, now more than ever.  Both of them were without each other during the day more than they were together lately.

"And I - I trust Mable not to be so irresponsible just because I'm away.  She's young, but she's not a fool."

"Yes," the girl agreed quickly, "I'm very smart in fact.  And I'm used to taking care of myself during the day.  I even know how to cook a little, and I clean very well, on top of doing all the same work he can."  Mable beamed, her hands folding delicately on the table.  Edmund blinked at her, and then at Tobias, and nodded.

That sounded pretty much 'by herself' to Tobias. And he doubted how responsible she was. Once again the girl spoke without being spoken to, and without any humility too. But although he disapproved of her boldness, he couldn't help finding it slightly amusing as well.

"Well, in that case ye can work alongside yer brother." He turned to Edmund. "If the weather permits we'll do a round of haymakin' just after t' Regatta. Ye can come on t' nineteenth. It's t' first potatoes after that. Should get ye over a week's worth of work at least. If ye show ye know what ye're doin' and ye can work hard, I'll put in a good word for ye with t' local farmers, see if someone will hire ye permanently. There will be other workers comin' in for the potato pickin' as well. We work from eight to five, and ye'll get yer meals. I'll pay ye a shillin' and three pence a day and yer sister six pence."

Edmund wasn't quite sure he heard Tobias right.  Hiring - his sister too?

No.  No way.  Too good to be true.

"Six pence," Mable repeated, awe and wonder in her voice.  "Mr. Appleton, thank you very much!  This is a very amazing opportunity, you won't regret it!  I promise!"

Eyes wide but never straying from Tobias, Edmund reached out and placed his hand on Mable's shoulder.

"Very generous, sir," he agreed, "I would be very grateful if - if Mable could work alongside me.  If she could come along at all.  Thank - thank you very much."

It was too good to be true!  One shilling and three pence a day plus Mable's six pence a day, and - what had he said?  A weeks worth of work?  Edmund didn't know why he was bothering to think of his, he couldn't do math.

"Um, the hay - and potatoes, none of that will be any trouble at all for us.  I look forward to starting working."

"Easy even!" Mable added.  "We'll be the best workers you've ever seen!  Thank you, thank you again!"  If it weren't for Edmund's hand restricting her, the boy knew she'd jump right over the table and hug this man.  Her eyes were sparking, and it was amazing her face didn't hurt with how hard she was grinning.

A corner of Tobias' mouth turned up ever so lightly when the girl repeated the reward she'd get as if she had just learned she had inherited a large sum of money. But really, he couldn't help feeling sorry, the way the two seemed delighted over such a small wage and short job. It was the poorest people than came for the 'taiter-pickin', mostly women and children who took any work to earn a shilling or two to complement the husband's income. How desperate these two had to be, for this to seem like some grand opportunity.

"Well, I trust that ye will be," he replied to the girl. If her hands moved anywhere near as fast as her mouth, she would certainly be a hard worker.

The waitress brought their food and drinks. She looked from Tobias to the children with a quizzical expression, but then left them alone.

"Now, as for sleepin' arrangements," he said, turning to the boy once again. "I was goin' to expect ye to find yer own. It's warm enough to camp out. But that won't do for yer sister. Ye can sleep in t' barn. We'll find yer sister a spot in t' house."