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Mrs. Wells hadn’t taken her gaze from Sarah. “Oh, yes, you said you were a midwife, I believe.”
Sarah heard the unspoken questions that Mrs. Wells was too well bred to ask. She would naturally think it odd a man in Richard’s position would be well acquainted with a midwife. “My family and Mr. De
Mrs. Wells nodded, silently acknowledging the bond between them. “I hope your work affords you as much satisfaction as mine does to me, Mrs. Brandt,” she said. Then she turned to Richard. “I believe you wanted to see what we do here at the mission.”
“Yes, if you wouldn’t mind showing us around,” he said, giving her one of his charming smiles. Sarah wouldn’t have thought charm could influence Mrs. Wells, but she allowed herself to return his smile.
“I would be happy to, Mr. De
3
SARAH HARDLY HAD A MOMENT TO REGISTER THE implication before Mrs. Wells rose to lead them out into the hall. She hadn’t been aware of any needs of her own in making this visit, but she couldn’t help admiring the fulfillment Mrs. Wells seemed to feel. Perhaps Mrs. Wells had sensed something of which Sarah herself had been unaware.
“We don’t work on Sunday, of course,” Mrs. Wells was saying, “but I can let you see where we do our other activities during the rest of the week.”
She took them to the room where the girls had been singing earlier. They sat in rows and were bowed over their Bibles now, struggling with various degrees of success to read them. They all looked up when their visitors entered. Sarah sca
These girls were as well scrubbed as the hallway, their hair braided or pi
“These are the girls who live here with us at the present time,” Mrs. Wells explained. “They have no place else to go except back to lives of sin and abomination, but they are safe here with us.”
Sarah winced at the fact that she’d said this in front of them, but if any of them minded, they gave no indication. Probably, they’d heard it before. Sarah had to admit it was also true. A ministry that saved destitute girls from the streets was a haven indeed.
Mrs. Wells then took her visitors through the kitchen, a large room as spotless as the rest of the house, and out to the small plot of ground behind the house that had been turned into a playground. Here a couple dozen children played on swings and slides and seesaws, things that existed no place else in this part of town. They weren’t as clean or as well dressed as the girls inside. Obviously, they were children from the neighborhood who had come to this amazing refuge to enjoy a few hours of idyllic childhood. Then Sarah noticed other small faces pressed longingly against the slats on the other side of the fence, peering in at their fellows.
True, the yard was already swarming with children, but Sarah couldn’t imagine locking others out and cheating them of this unique opportunity. “How do you decide who gets to come in to play and who doesn’t?” Sarah asked, indicating the pathetic onlookers.
“We can’t allow them all in at once, of course,” Mrs. Wells explained, her gaze settling lovingly on the children. “If we did, none of them could enjoy the yard. So we let a group of them come in for an hour, and then we send them out and admit the next group. It’s the only fair way.”
Sarah looked at the older woman with admiration. She might be a bit rigid in her religious views, but she obviously cared deeply for the people in the neighborhood.
A few adult women stood around, watching over the children as they played, stepping in to settle disputes and helping the smaller children when they needed it. Their clothes identified them as belonging to a higher social class than the children they tended, so Sarah assumed they were volunteers. She imagined Hazel De
Sarah glanced up at Richard and wondered what he was thinking as he watched the grubby children at their play. Could he imagine his wife finding joy and satisfaction here?
“Would you like to go upstairs and see the work rooms and the dormitory?” Mrs. Wells asked.
“Yes,” Richard said, still deep in thought. “Yes, I would.”
When they reentered the house, they found Emilia waiting for them. “The bambini are happy here,” she said, the words almost a question, demanding they agree.
“They certainly appear to be,” Sarah said. The girl seemed eager for their approval, and Sarah knew how much attention from outsiders could mean to someone in her position in life. “How long have you been here, Emilia?”
The girl’s eyes widened in surprise that Sarah knew her name. “I am here five months,” she said carefully, glancing at Mrs. Wells for confirmation. “I learn to sew.”
“Emilia hopes to find a job making clothes,” Mrs. Wells explained. “She’s been doing very well.”
“I’m sure she is,” Sarah said with an encouraging smile. The girl beamed.
“Are the girls finished with their Bible study, Emilia?” Mrs. Wells asked.
“Si, they have gone to eat.”
Sarah hoped Mrs. Wells would invite Emilia to join them upstairs, but she left the girl standing in the kitchen, staring longingly after them. Mrs. Wells didn’t speak again until they reached the top of the stairs. Then she turned to face Sarah and Richard.
“Emilia is a perfect example of what we have been able to accomplish here,” she said softly, so no one could overhear. “She was seduced by a wicked man who had no intention of marrying her. When her family found out, they disowned her for her wanto
De
Upstairs they saw the workrooms where the girls learned various skills. Mrs. Wells pointed out the two sewing machines she’d been able to provide for the girls to practice on. The attic had been converted into a dormitory where the residents slept on rows of identical cots under the sloping roof, all neatly made up with identical blankets.
“What exactly did my wife do when she came here?” Richard asked as they made their way back down the stairs to the first floor.
“Let’s see,” Mrs. Wells said, considering. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it? I’m not sure, but I believe she led the singing. She had a fine voice, if I recall.”
“Yes, she did,” Richard confirmed eagerly. “Our friends always enjoyed hearing her sing.”