one after one
She had red-rimmed eyes . Marcella stood still , staring , and thought how white her mother 's ear was against the faded blue of her old flannel jacket over which her long black hair lay in two long plaits . Then her father came in and sent her down to the village for the old woman who attended to the births and deaths of people . She went over the croft , among the hungry cows that stared at her , one after one as she passed . Later , when the woman had gone , and the two servant women were crying in the kitchen while they drank scalding tea and spilt it down their aprons from trembling hands , Andrew Lashcairn and Aunt Janet sat in the book-room with all Rose Lashcairn 's papers spread out before them . Marcella sat for a while watching . There were letters , smelling of the lavender and rue that lay among them .