Ballet Shoes Part 2

'Never you two mind about Malaya,' Cook said firmly, 'quite enough to be able to buy a bit of india-rubber, no need asking where it comes from. Is this Mr and Mrs Simpson taking the rooms, Petrova ?'

Petrova looked surprised.

'That's what they've come for. They wouldn't come if they didn't want them, would they ?'

'Ah!' Clara put her iron to her face to feel how hot it was. 'There's a lot come to look at rooms, but do they take them ?'

'Don't they never take them ?' Posy inquired.

'One in a million,' said Cook. 'That's my experience.'

The Simpsons seemed to be the one in a million; they said they would be on leave for six months, or perhaps longer, and they would move into the Cromwell Road the next Monday. Garnie told Petrova that she considered she had done the letting, and she would take her to the motor show as a reward.

The next tenant was a Miss Theo Dane. She was an instructress of dancing at 'The Children's Academy of Dancing and Stage Training.' She was little and pretty, and wanted a room on the ground floor so that she would not disturb anybody when she was practising. The children stared at her over the stairs when she moved in.

'I thought she would wear shoes like the ones your mother left you,' Pauline whispered to Posy.

Posy thought of the tiny pale pink satin ballet shoes upstairs.

'Not when it's raining,' she suggested.

'Look!' Petrova, who was in the middle, dug an elbow into each of them. 'What's that red box?'

She spoke louder than she knew. Theo Dane looked up and smiled.

'It's a big gramophone. Perhaps you'll come down and hear it when I've arranged my things. Will you ?'

Pauline skipped down the stairs.

'Can we come after tea?'

'That'll be very nice.'

Petrova followed Pauline.

'All of us, or just Pauline?'

'All of you.'

They went, and found the gramophone very nice indeed. Theo let Pauline and Petrova wind it and change the records. Posy began to dance as soon as the music started; the other two were a bit shocked.

'You mustn't mind. She doesn't mean to show off - it's because she's little.'

'It's not showing off,' said Theo, who was watching Posy with interest. 'Why don't we all dance? It's the right thing to do to music'

It did seem to be, for she put on a record which had the most striking effect on the feet, even on Petrova's, which were the least dancing feet in the family.

When Nana came to fetch Posy to bed, she found a most hot, dishevelled party.

'Well, you have been having a time.' She smoothed Posy's hair. 'Thank Miss Dane nicely, Posy, and say good-night.'

Theo kissed Posy. She looked anxiously at Nana.

'I hope we haven't made too much noise.'

'There was plenty,' Nana said. 'But it hasn't done no harm. We let the other two rooms while you was at it.'

The three children threw themselves at her.

Who, Nana? Did they look nice ?'

'Have they got cars?'

'Have they got a gramophone?'

'One at a time,' Nana said firmly. 'They are both doctors - lady doctors.'

'Lady doctors!' Pauline made a face remembering various bottles of medicine that she had not cared for. 'I don't think we want those in the house. n.o.body's ill.'

'These aren't the sort that come when you're ill,' Nana explained. 'Doctors for learning, they are. They coach.'

Posy looked interested.

'Like the picture of John Gilpin? "My sister, and my sister's child." That one ?'

Nana shook her head.

'No. Miss Brown says their sort of coaching is teaching. Come on Posy.'

Pauline and Petrova went in to the drawing-room, where Sylvia always read to them for a bit before they went to bed. They were reading a book called The Secret Garden The Secret Garden which had belonged to Sylvia when she was a child. Neither Pauline nor Petrova could sit quiet while they were being read to, however interesting the book, without something to do. Pauline had sewing, and embroidered very well for somebody not yet ten. Petrova was very stupid with her needle, but very neat with her fingers; she was working at a model made in Meccano. It was a difficult model of an aeroplane, meant for much older children to make. Sylvia opened the book. which had belonged to Sylvia when she was a child. Neither Pauline nor Petrova could sit quiet while they were being read to, however interesting the book, without something to do. Pauline had sewing, and embroidered very well for somebody not yet ten. Petrova was very stupid with her needle, but very neat with her fingers; she was working at a model made in Meccano. It was a difficult model of an aeroplane, meant for much older children to make. Sylvia opened the book.

'Garnie,' said Pauline, 'do you think you are going to like having boarders ?'

'I shan't.' Petrova screwed in a tiny nut. 'Houses is meant for families, not for strangers.'

Pauline wriggled excitedly on her chair.

'I shall like Miss Dane. Oh, Garnie, she has such a lovely gramophone!'

Petrova looked up.

'I shall like Mr and Mrs Simpson best, because of their car.'

Pauline nodded at Sylvia.

'You'll have to like the poor doctors, then; it's mean they shouldn't be liked by anybody.'

'I shall like all the boarders,' Sylvia said firmly, 'because they are going to pay enough money to help me to bring you up properly.' She opened the book. 'Do you remember where we had got to last time ?'

CHAPTER III.

The Fossil Family Makes A Vow PAULINE had a cold, and she was left at home when Nana took Petrova and Posy for their walk. She was in that state of having a cold when nothing is very nice to do. Sylvia had got her a piece of linen and some coloured thread, and she could have started on the dressing-table cover she was going to give Nana for her birthday. Cook had invited her to come to the kitchen and make toffee. Clara brought in a page of transfers, and suggested she stuck them on a book to 'Give to a poor child in hospital.' Nana, who remembered how one felt with colds, gave her some bra.s.s polish and the sets of bra.s.s out of the dolls' house. had a cold, and she was left at home when Nana took Petrova and Posy for their walk. She was in that state of having a cold when nothing is very nice to do. Sylvia had got her a piece of linen and some coloured thread, and she could have started on the dressing-table cover she was going to give Nana for her birthday. Cook had invited her to come to the kitchen and make toffee. Clara brought in a page of transfers, and suggested she stuck them on a book to 'Give to a poor child in hospital.' Nana, who remembered how one felt with colds, gave her some bra.s.s polish and the sets of bra.s.s out of the dolls' house.

'I expect those to s.h.i.+ne when we get in,' she said firmly. 'Much better to have something to do. No good sitting around thinking how miserable you feel.'

The last being an order, and as Nana expected things done when she said they were to be, Pauline finished them first. She found them quite fun to do, but she worked at them so hard that in half an hour they could not s.h.i.+ne more than they did. Pauline put them back in the dolls' house, and thought for a moment of rearranging the drawing-room, but decided it would not be any fun without the others. She looked at the clock and wished it was tea-time, but it was only three. She took out the linen, and even threaded a bit of thread; but somehow she did not feel sewish, so she put it back in her drawer. She decided as there was not anything else to do she had better go and make toffee; but she felt hot, and not very much like eating toffee, and what is the fun of making toffee unless you want to eat it. She sat down on the landing of the second floor and sniffed and thought how beastly colds were. At that moment the door behind her opened and a head popped out. It had a shawl round it, and for a moment Pauline was not sure who it was. Then she recognized that it was one of the lady doctors - the one whose surname was Jakes. Doctor Jakes looked at Pauline.

'My dear child, what are you doing there by yourself?'

'I'b G.o.d a coad,' Pauline explained stuffily, for she had come down without her handkerchief. 'And the others hab G.o.d out withoud me, and I habbent G.o.d edythig to do.'

Doctor Jakes laughed.

'You sound as though you have have got a cold. So have I, as a matter of fact. Come in. I've got a lovely fire, and I'll lend you a large silk handkerchief, and I'll give you some ginger drink which is doing me good.' got a cold. So have I, as a matter of fact. Come in. I've got a lovely fire, and I'll lend you a large silk handkerchief, and I'll give you some ginger drink which is doing me good.'

Pauline came in at once. She liked the sound of the whole of the invitation. Besides, she had not seen the inside of the two doctors' rooms since they had been boarders' rooms instead of homes for Gum's fossils. As a matter of fact, this one had changed so she felt it was a new room altogether. It had owned a rather shabby wall-paper; but when the boarder idea started it was distempered a sort of pale primrose all over. But the primrose hardly showed now, for the whole walls were covered with books.

'My goodness!' said Pauline, walking round and blowing her nose on the scarlet silk handkerchief Doctor Jakes provided. 'You must read an awful lot. We have a big book-shelf in the nursery, but that's for all of us and Nana. Fancy all these just for you!'

Doctor Jakes came over to the shelves.

'Literature is my subject.'

'Is it? Is that what you're a doctor of?'

'More or less. But apart from that, books are very ornamental things to have about.'

Pauline looked at the shelves. These books certainly were grand-looking - all smooth s.h.i.+ny covers, and lots of gold on them.

'Ours aren't very,' she said frankly. 'Yours are more all one size. We have things next to each other like Peter Rabbit Peter Rabbit and and Just So Stories Just So Stories, and they don't match very well.'

'No, but very good reading.'

Pauline came to the fire. It was a lovely fire; she stood looking at the logs on it.

'Do you think Peter Rabbit Peter Rabbit good reading? I would have thought a person who taught literature was too grand for it.' good reading? I would have thought a person who taught literature was too grand for it.'

'Not a bit - very old friend of mine.'

Pauline looked at the shawl.

'Why do you wear that round your head?'

'Because I had earache with my cold. Have you got earache with yours?'

'No. Just my nose.'

Pauline remembered the ginger drink, and looked round for it. Doctor Jakes remembered it at the same time. She put on the kettle.

'Sit down. This drink is made with boiling water, and takes quite a time. Have you a holiday from school because of your cold?'

Pauline explained that they did not go to Cromwell House any more, and why.

'You see,' she said, 'Gum said he'd be back in five years, and he isn't.'

'And who exactly is Gum?'

Doctor Jakes poured things out of various bottles into two gla.s.ses.

Pauline hugged her knees.

'Well, he's called Gum because he's Garnie's Great-Uncle Matthew. He isn't really a great uncle of ours, because we haven't any relations. I was rescued off a s.h.i.+p, Petrova is an orphan from Russia, and Posy's father is dead, and her mother couldn't afford to have her, so we've made ourselves into sisters. We've called ourselves Fossil because that's what Gum called us. He brought us back instead of them, you see.'

'I see. Rather exciting choosing your own name and your own relations.'

'Yes.' Pauline saw that the kettle was nearly boiling and looked hopefully at the gla.s.ses. 'We almost didn't choose Posy to be a Fossil. She was little and stupid then, but she's all right now.'

Doctor Jakes got up and took the kettle off the fire and poured the water on the mixture in the gla.s.ses. At once there was the most lovely hot sweet smell. Pauline sniffed.

'That smells good.'

Doctor Jakes put the tumblers into silver frames with handles, and pa.s.sed one to Pauline.

'I do envy you. I should think it an adventure to have a name like that, and sisters by accident. The three of you might make the name of Fossil really important, really worth while, and if you do, it's all your own. Now, if I make Jakes really worth while, people will say I take after my grandfather or something.'

Pauline sipped her drink. It was very hot, but simply heavenly - the sort of drink certain to make a cold feel better. She looked across at Doctor Jakes over the rim of the gla.s.s, her eyes s.h.i.+ning.

'Do you suppose me and Petrova and Posy could make Fossil an important sort of name?'

'Of course. Making your name worth while is a very nice thing to do; it means you must have given distinguished service to your country in some way.'

Pauline gave another gulp at her drink. She frowned thoughtfully.

'I don't think we do the things that make names important. I sew, and Petrova's awfully good at works of things - she can mend clocks and she knows heaps about aeroplanes and motor-cars. Posy doesn't do much yet.'

'There's time. You probably won't develop a talent till you are fourteen or fifteen. Are you good at lessons?'

'Well, we were. Petrova was very good at sums, and I said poetry the best in the cla.s.s; but it's different now we learn with Garnie. You know, she has to teach Posy too, and she has to do the baby things, like learning her letters and it takes a lot of time. Petrova does sums well still, but Garnie just puts R.R.R; she never teaches her a new one. I say poetry sometimes, but not very often now.'

'What sort of poetry do you like?'

'All sorts. We learnt "Oh to be in England" and "The Ancient Mariner", and I had just started "Hiawatha".'