"So if you came here from far away, who sent for you?"
"Why, what a silly question. The reverend sent for me. He needed someone to help him take care of the children. You can't expect that Mr. Pryde to do it, can you? Not that I have anything personal against Mr. Pryde because I hardly know him, but he doesn't seem like the type at all you want raising children. He's so snarly and quick-tempered. And he has those dogs with him all the time. Not that I have anything against dogs either, but they are not very clean. They're always tracking mud around. You can't have children playing with filthy dogs all the time or they'd need a dozen baths a day. That would be so much work and their skin-" Samantha slapped her across the face again, this time not quite as hard. Still, tears came to Miss Brigham's face. "You are such a wicked thing, Samantha Young. I don't like you one bit. It's so awfully rude to slap a body who's only trying to answer your questions. If you're going to slap me for answering your silly questions I don't think I shall answer any more."
Samantha considered slapping the teenager again, but thought better of it. She went over to Prudence and whispered instructions into her ear. Then Prudence knelt down beside Miss Brigham, wiping her tears away while Samantha glowered at them from nearby, arms folded over her chest. "I'm sorry, Miss Brigham," Prudence said. "My friend and I are only trying to find out what's going on here. You see, those children you saw this morning were about the same age as Samantha and I last night. Do you know anything about what the reverend gave them?"
"No and I think you must be mistaken. I clearly heard the reverend say I wouldn't find any children over three here. He didn't say anything about mean-spirited girls punching me and tying me up and slapping me."
"Think about it very carefully, Miss Brigham. Did he tell you anything about why he needed you to care for the children?"
"He said their parents had all gone away and he needed some help raising them according to God's way. I could never forget anything Reverend Crane said. He's so wonderful and kind."
"Did he say where the parents went?"
Miss Brigham hesitated until Samantha charged forward to grab her by the front of her dress. "He said they went to Hell with all the other heathens and sinners. They're gone, but he's going to save the souls of their children. He's such a wonderful man to want to save other people's children-"