As it was a journey of great length, the van Kirks did not travel into town often. On one of those occasions, I’d accompanied them to fetch some scarves for Mrs. van Kirk, and the shopkeeper had called me a nasty name. I hadn’t heard it, but I’d seen Mrs. van Kirk mouthing the words “half” and something indiscernible under her breath.
I hadn’t been able to make any sense of it at the time, but Mrs. van Kirk had made it abundantly clear that she’d prefer it if I didn’t go into town. I hadn’t minded so much, though I had missed the change in scenery during the summer months when being outdoors looked so appealing. Victor hadn’t been allowed to go into town often either because he was engaged with his studies, which had made me feel infinitely better about the situation.
I’d watched him thr
