Nat nodded.  She gave him a surprised glance, having not heard anyone call her by her given name in some time.  Even her parents had called her 'Nat' as a nickname.  Though after a bit of a pause she smiled.  It was nice to hear it again.  She headed back out back to put her two blankets down on the edge of the porch to wash them later, but got her sack and went in to follow Jenny.

Jenny led Nat upstairs, putting her index finger against her lips to sign for her to be quiet on the landing. A narrow staircase at the end of the corridor led up to the attic room. There, Jenny closed the door behind him. "We shouldn't disturb Mrs. Appleton, or Mrs. Carpenter and the bairn," she explained.

The attic was dark but for the light coming from a a single window at the wall end of the room. Though it probably had more floor than any other room in the house, an adult person of average height would probably only be able to stand up in the tallest part, running along the middle. Against the wall opposite the one with the window, there was an old iron bed with a rug in front of it. "We can share t' bed until Mr. Appeton get sum't else up 'ere," Jenny said.

Nat nodded looking around curiously.  It was better than many places that she had stayed in over the last few years.  Other than a couple of empty houses that she found during the winter.  Those though were dusty and had lived animals as roommates.  She hated rats.  This place looked clean and the bed looked comfortable to her thought.

"Once he has some blankets I will move to the floor.  Really, I don't want to crowd you."  She put her pack down.  "I should shake out the one dress I have to let it start airing out, don't you think?"  She asked.  "I can show you the picture I kept when I left my home back first after going on the road, if you would like?"  She asked.  She had hidden it and only pulled it out when she was sure she was safe.  Here, she had the feeling ... the need to share her parents with Jenny.

Jenny shook her head. "I would love to see the picture, Nat, but we must get to work first. We can't keep t' master and missus waitin' fer breakfast. Wear what ye wear today. Tomorrow's wash day, we take the laundry to me mam and she can wash yer dress along with the rest. Have ye no other?"

She quickly opened a drawer and pulled out a dress and held it up in front of Nat. As she had expected, it looked too small. It was growing rather tight on Jenny already and would soon be handed down to her sister. "Wear what ye 'ave. It won't do 'arm now that everyone's seen ye the way yer dressed." Wasn't there something in the Bible against men dressing as women? And women dressing as men? She supposed Paul had never considered women living on the streets and trying not to get assaulted. Never seemed to consider women much at all.