Yours truly,
Charmain Baker
12 Corn Street
High Norland City
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"And the house and the poor old man?" Aunt Sempronia persisted.
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"How do you do, sir," Charmain replied politely.
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The front door banged shut, leaving Charmain and Great-Uncle William staring at each other.
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After that, they were all going away down the garden path. Charmain dashed to the open front door and called after them, "How long is he going to be away?" It suddenly seemed urgent to know how long she was going to be left in charge here.
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Then they were all gone before they reached the garden gate.
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IN WHICH CHARMAIN EXPLORES THE HOUSE
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"What a mess!" she said.
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"I suppose you have been ill," Charmain said grudgingly to the thin air.
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It took her a moment or so to realize that there were no taps. Probably this house was so far outside town that no water pipes had been laid. When she looked through the window, she could see a small yard outside and a pump in the middle of it.
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She dragged her two bags over to the crowded table and sat herself down in one of the two chairs there. There she unbuckled the carpet bag, fetched her glasses up onto her nose, and dug eagerly among the clothes for the books she had put out for Mother to pack for her.
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Charmain threw it across the room into the empty hearth and dug further.
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She turned the bag upside down and shook everything out onto the floor.