Phew! Only when the lesson stopped did Anæsthesia realise how exhausting the whole thing had been. She had little realised that teaching is not so much telling people what you know, as listening to what they do not know, and seizing upon any small chink of illuminating light that does penetrate their understanding and building upon it with further insights, as with building blocks. She puffed out her cheeks and blew; she felt like she'd just fought 20 rounds in the ring with Bobby Cullen.

Addy was a little surprised as well that the time had gone by so quickly -- she was enjoying herself, and felt like she was actually learning something -- and she nodded as she stood. "I'm right grateful fer yer time an' tolerance, ought'a only get easier from here, right?"

"Oh it really has been a pleasure, I do hope that you found it useful Miss Chappel and that you wish me return for further... meetings." she beamed, standing too, to match her host.

Standing, she held out her hand to shake. "Do ya need a ride home? Arabesque does real good double, an' it ain't no fuss."

Anæsthesia took her hand and suddenly realised that the woman in the masculine attire, whom she had always somehow supposed to be taller than herself, was, in fact, a good two inches sorter. This made Anæsthesia feel slightly beanpoleesque! She was about to say something, when she became very aware of the door to the room creaking gingerly open, as if someone had been wanting to enter for some time, but had politely waited until the lesson was over.

Anæsthesia frowned, and was about to say something to the furtive figure outside the door about 'listeners never hear well of themselves' but it turned out to be just a little boy.

"Hey, Josh, c'mon out an' meet Miss Anæsthesia, she's teachin' me how ta read an' right real proper." Her grin widened. "I bet you can read better'n me any ol' day!"

The prim and proper girl was surprised to hear Addy admit her shortcomings to a small child, for the lad could be no more than five or six years old, let alone laud the boy above herself. Too much of that, and child might become conceited and unmanageable. Anæsthesia had read an article about young children and how to deal with them in the pages of The Young Lady and fancied herself quite the expert on the horrible little creatures.

The author of that particular piece had leaned hard on the side of strict discipline and children being seen and not heard. Consequently, Anæsthesia cast a rather cold eye on the boy, almost willing him to do something to disapprove of. She conveniently forgot what a horrible little monster she had been herself at that age.

"Hey, I bet Miss Anæsthesia'd like ta see th' big horses over at th' barn." Even though Josh was still a small kid, he had the family genes, and love of horses.

The girl gave a tight smile. No, she certainly didn't want to see a bunch of smelly horses.

"No thank you" she said, rather coldly "Is the boy a relative?" she asked Addy, friendly enough, but ignoring the subject of her question as if he wasn't even there.

Addy wasn't particularly sure she cared for Miss Anæsthesia's manners, but maybe she was just nervous. "Boy's name is Josh, named after one'a my brothers who was kilt in th' War Between th' States," she pointed out, "his ma passed, so him an' his Pa have come ta stay here."

"I am sorry to hear of the loss to your family." replied Anæsthesia: a set of words that written down would look trite, but there was a mist in the girl's eyes and a slight huskiness in her voice that betrayed a resonance with her own recent bereavement. The boy had recently lost a parent, just as she.

She softened a bit as she reached to give Joey's shoulder a light squeeze, then explained, "Isiah's my youngest brother...still older'n me...I'm th' baby in th' family, had eight brothers growin' up...lost five in th' war."

"They died in a glorious cause, the defence of their homeland." the 18 year old Yankee replied, but followed it with an explanatory addendum "My Father was an aide to General Mahone in the Army of Northern Virginia." she said, rather proudly "And he was with Lee 'til the end."

But now she turned to the little boy, to whom, as a fellow mourner of a much beloved parent, she felt more empathy, although she had not the knack of changing her tone when talking to a small child.

"So, Master Josh... Joshua, I suppose. Do you know your alphabet yet, young man?"

"He's real smart, he is, not like ol' Addy, who didn't get no education." Well, at least not schooling, but then, she truly believed there was more to education than book learning.

Anæsthesia deplored Miss Chappel's use of the double negative, of course, but bit her lip: after all, she was here to teach the poor woman to read and write, perhaps elocution could wait for another day. She rather fancied the wagoneer's rough language might rub off on the child, though.

"Ya sure ya don't wanna see th' horses? An' I'd wager ol' Buster's out there, too." She grinned. "He's an old one-eyed cat, took a real shine ta Josh here."

She had really planned to go straight home after the lesson but, on reflection, what a home to go back to! Her mother hysterically trying to get in touch with her Father, all her odd Spiritualist friends around every evening, not just the Sunday service, including that dreadful Wigfall girl.

"Very well" she heard herself say "Do lead on."

Anæsthesia shook her head at Josh's attempts at whistling.

"It is considered rather uncouth to whistle in public" she informed him rather pompously , but then couldn't help adding "... however, if you must insist, try doing it with your teeth, she said and, glancing around to make sure that nobody was watching, whistled the opening bars of Dixie through her teeth. She hadn't done that since she was twelve.

Addy chuckled at Josh's attempts at whistling, although it was actually enough to attract the cat, who had been lounging on the porch in the sun. Buster chirped a little as he rubbed against Josh's leg, then waited for pets. The boy reminded her of Weedy, when he'd first started hanging around her barn, about the same time Buster had.

"That there's Buster," she explained to Anæsthesia, "feisty ol' tom cat, don't rightly know what happened ta his eye, he was like that when he started comin' 'round, but it don't keep him from bein' a great mouser!"

"Then binocular vision is clearly not required." nodded Anæsthesia.

She led the way outside, pleased that her brother had already started to teach Josh good manners. "Barn's just up th' street," she commented, "keep th' wagon there, an' th' big horses fer that an' th' stage, an' I got my own mare there. Named her Arabesque." She honestly couldn't remember where she'd heard the ballet term -- she'd never even seen a ballet -- but she'd liked the way it sounded.

Anæsthesia nodded politely and let the harum-scarum tomboyish woman rattle on; the name of the horse raised her eyebrows a little. "How curious!" she smiled "I presume the creature cannot stand on one leg! I mean, that is what an Arabesque is." she said and, not being able to resist showing off, looked around again, to ensure they were unobserved and actually performed one herself! It was hard to see exactly what she was doing under all that clothing.

"It is a position in the ballet." she added as she became bipedal again.

"Ya ever been ta a ballet?" Miss Anæsthesia seemed pretty refined, maybe she'd had a chance to go to the theater. "Oh, an' there's some kittens..."

"Once, in Helena" Anæsthesia murmured to Addy in confidential tones. "It was not very good. I thought I had been taken to see the hefalumps at the zoo! I'm sure that the kittens in their gambolling will be much more pleasant to observe!" She was excited about the kittens. Oh, this was all so unladylike! but after two weeks of doom and gloom and hysteria and having to act the grown up, this was just what she needed.

Anæsthesia shook her head at Josh's attempts at whistling.

"It is considered rather uncouth to whistle in public" she informed him rather pompously , but then couldn't help adding "... however, if you must insist, try doing it with your teeth, she said and, glancing around to make sure that nobody was watching, whistled the opening bars of Dixie through her teeth. She hadn't done that since she was twelve.

Addy chuckled at Josh's attempts at whistling, although it was actually enough to attract the cat, who had been lounging on the porch in the sun. Buster chirped a little as he rubbed against Josh's leg, then waited for pets. The boy reminded her of Weedy, when he'd first started hanging around her barn, about the same time Buster had.

"That there's Buster," she explained to Anæsthesia, "feisty ol' tom cat, don't rightly know what happened ta his eye, he was like that when he started comin' 'round, but it don't keep him from bein' a great mouser!"

"Then binocular vision is clearly not required." nodded Anæsthesia.

She led the way outside, pleased that her brother had already started to teach Josh good manners. "Barn's just up th' street," she commented, "keep th' wagon there, an' th' big horses fer that an' th' stage, an' I got my own mare there. Named her Arabesque." She honestly couldn't remember where she'd heard the ballet term -- she'd never even seen a ballet -- but she'd liked the way it sounded.

Anæsthesia nodded politely and let the harum-scarum tomboyish woman rattle on; the name of the horse raised her eyebrows a little. "How curious!" she smiled "I presume the creature cannot stand on one leg! I mean, that is what an Arabesque is." she said and, not being able to resist showing off, looked around again, to ensure they were unobserved and actually performed one herself! It was hard to see exactly what she was doing under all that clothing.

"It is a position in the ballet." she added as she became bipedal again.

"Ya ever been ta a ballet?" Miss Anæsthesia seemed pretty refined, maybe she'd had a chance to go to the theater. "Oh, an' there's some kittens..."

"Once, in Helena" Anæsthesia murmured to Addy in confidential tones. "It was not very good. I thought I had been taken to see the hefalumps at the zoo! I'm sure that the kittens in their gambolling will be much more pleasant to observe!" She was excited about the kittens. Oh, this was all so unladylike! but after two weeks of doom and gloom and hysteria and having to act the grown up, this was just what she needed.