Page:Burnett - Two Little Pilgrims' Progress A Story of the City Beautiful.djvu/66

54 driven by necessity, and it was nothing new to know that muscles ached and feet swelled and burned. In fact they knew no one who did not suffer as a rule from these small inconveniences. And these children, with their set little faces and mature intelligence, were somehow so unsuggestive of the weakness and limitations of childhood, that they were often given work which was usually intrusted only to older people. Mrs. Macartney found that Meg never slighted anything, never failed in a task, and never forgot one, so she gave her plenty to do. Scrubbing and scouring that others were glad to shirk fell to her share. She lifted and dragged things about that grown-up girls grumbled over. What she lacked in muscle and size, she made up in the indomitable will-power that made her small face set itself, and her small body become rigid as iron. Her work ended by not confining itself to the dairy, but extended to the house, the kitchen—anywhere where there were tiresome things to be done.

With Robin it was the same story. Jones was not afraid to give him any order. He was of use in all quarters; in the huge fields, in the barn, in the stables, and as a messenger to be trusted to trudge any distance when transport was not available.

They both grew thin but sinewy looking, and their