She dashed from one sash window to the next, hurling them open to admit a rush of cold morning air before scampering back to her bed. Should have about half an hour to snuggle with Bessie, she reckoned, before the wake-up bell was rung.That afternoon she was being sent to the kennels to help the Master with the dogs. She had been worrying about it for most of the night, but as the darkness had begun to recede, so had some of her anxiety, and the thin morning light had brought with it a slight tempering of her fear. There was nothing she could do about it, she decided, so she might as well just grit her teeth and put up with it. If she could just manage to do as she was told and please the Master and Matron, she might, with any luck, continue to be sent to work at the Hall, and eventually leave the poorhouse for good.She’d been with the Master before and survived, hadn’t she, like the other chosen girls? The dogs were the scariest part by far, but she was sure the Master wouldn’t really let them hurt her.
