Nat nodded.  She had done what she felt she had to do to survive and not be put somewhere bad.  It had been a hard life, but she had been strong enough and smart enough to make a life for herself.  She walked to the barn and climbed up to the loft.  She was ready to get back to the life she should have had, but first, she had to have an honest job and a place to live.  Without those things, she would have to remain a boy.  She had not unpacked much in the loft, so it was basically getting the blankets she had brought with her to roll up and attach to her pack.

After a while, there were footsteps outside the barn. "Well, off ye go, and ye apologise to 'im. And that'd better be the last I hear about this nonsense."

"Aye, Mr. Appleton," came Jimmy's timid voice. A few seconds later, the door below opened and Jimmy stepped in. "Nat?"

Nat looked up hearing Jimmy's voice.  She put her sack over her shoulders and headed down to where Jimmy was.  "Your back.  I hope it wasn't too bad.  I wasn't planning on challenging you for anything you were working on here.  But for sure you won't have to worry now.  I will be leaving."  She gave him a sad glance.

Jimmy's face went from subdued to startled. "Leave? Is it because of what I did? Listen, I'm sorry I was an arse to ye. Please don't go. We'll be friends!"

She gave a shake of her head.  "No, not because of you.  You had your reasons, and we would, I hope, would have settled it out and been friends.  I have to leave because I had a secret and it was too huge.  I told your sister as I wanted to have a normal life here, and be friends and work hard.  But Mr. Appleton is not going to let me stay when he finds out."  She shifted the sack over her shoulders.  "I just liked it so much here already that I had to tell the truth about who I am."

She gave Jimmy an apologetic look.  "I am not a boy, Jimmy, I'm a girl.  I've been living on the streets as a boy since my folks were killed to not have to be taken to orphanages or to bad people.  I heard things about how they might treat girls that are not so young to be cute to be adopted.  I didn't want that kind of life.  I wanted a different kind of life.  Like you have here, actually."  She gave a wry twist of her lips.  "Enjoy it, Jimmy.  It is worth being honest and working hard."

Jimmy looked at Nat in disbelief. For a girl, she was pretty tall and strong. He suddenly felt really bad for bullying him - her - with his friends. Sure, they tormented girls as well, pelting them with sticks and leaves when they were trying to play alone without the boys, and tying their skipping ropes together in difficult knots. And sometimes if they really wanted a girl's attention, they would dip the end of her braid or ponytail in the ink or tie things to it. But they would never steal a girl's lunch and let her go hungry!

"Surely, Mr. Appleton won't throw ye out just like that. I doubt he'd be comfortable turning a boy out on the streets. I'm sure he wouldn't do it to a girl."

She gave him a look.  "You think?  But what would he have me doing working for him?  I want to work and earn to have a place of my own someday.  I was enjoying in the barn.  And I was looking forward to working out in the fields too.  Outside in the fresh air is much better than the smoke of the city."

"Well... I dunno. Maybe he'd find ye a place to work... or an orphanage... I don't think ye can work in the barn or field... unless its the lighter work durin' t' harvest. Girls are cheaper." Jimmy quirked his head a little. "I'm sorry for bein' mean. I didn't know ye were a girl."

She shook her head.  "I am too old now to be in an orphanage, I think.  But work that was enough to make it, is another question.  I don't want to be stuck in a factory nor do I want to be working the streets like some girls have been pushed into."  She explained.  "It has just been easier to live free as a boy." 

"You were supposed to think I was a boy.  I got paid more that way and it was safer in the streets."

"Well..." Jimmy started awkwardly. He didn't seem to know how to continue, but he didn't have to think of it for long. Mr. Appleton marched in. "What's the matter? Jenny said there was still unfinished business." He looked from Jimmy to Nat severely.