Read Online Anne Douglas by The Handkerchief Tree - Free Book Online
Authors: The Handkerchief Tree
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wage. I’ll make you a nice bit o’ breakfast and a good tea so you’ll have no worries, eh?’
Fifteen
No worries. So it seemed, and Shona still couldn’t believe how smoothly her plans were working out. Until, back at Mrs Hope’s, when all the family had returned, the first scan of the advertisements in the evening paper showed nothing at all of interest. Plenty of jobs going for domestic servants, of course. Plenty for shop assistants, too, but as the Hopes took turns at calling out what was on offer, Shona only sighed and shook her head.
‘Greengrocer’s assistant!’ cried Dair, looking at her with round brown eyes so like his mother’s and Kitty’s. ‘Any good?’
Weighing carrots and potatoes, sorting out cauliflowers? Oh, no!
‘Draper’s in Lothian Road,’ said Biddy, twelve years old and with features like those of her fair-haired father, not yet back from the mill. ‘That’d no’ be bad, eh? Working with materials?’
Measuring and cutting, selling curtaining and cushions? Shona looked mournful. She’d die of boredom doing that.
Even when Kitty found her a dress shop position, to ‘suit young lady interested in fashion’, she had to turn the suggestion down.
‘No’ exactly a young lady, am I? And I know nothing at all about fashion. They’d never want someone from an orphanage, anyway.’
There was a silence as they considered this, and it was only Mrs Hope, setting the table for tea, who called across that being an orphanage girl should make no difference at all. Shona would get a good reference from Miss Bryce and as soon as folk saw her, they’d know she’d do well.
‘Got to get them to see me, though,’ Shona said gloomily. ‘And so far I’ve no’ even seen a job I’d like. I want to learn something – maybe a craft, you know – for a career.’
A career? The Hopes fixed her with wondering eyes. They didn’t know anyone who had what could be called a career.
‘What was all that about wanting to work with plants?’ Mrs Hope asked as she waved her family over to the table, seeing her Jock come through the door. ‘That wouldn’t be a career, would it?’
‘Oh, I wasn’t serious,’ Shona murmured, taking her place next to Kitty. ‘I know I couldn’t have that sort of job.’
‘Hello, Shona!’ Jock Hope cried cheerfully as he washed his hands at the sink. ‘Nearly ready to leave Edina Lodge, eh?’
‘Looking for a job,’ his wife told him, as Shona smiled and nodded. ‘Nothing in the paper today but there’ll be other days. It’s never easy to find just the right thing.’
‘If you don’t want to be a housemaid,’ said Kitty. ‘And who does? How about a bakery, Shona? I love selling bread and cakes.’
‘Well, there might be something for another lassie where I am,’ said Jock, eyeing his wife’s meat pie. ‘Doing packaging and that sort o’ thing. I could put in a word if you’re interested.’
‘Oh, Dad, Shona’d never want mill work!’ Kitty cried. ‘She’s looking for something different from that.’
‘That right? Well, it’s probably no good, then, but I did see a notice on a shop in George Street. You remember, Addie, when we went up to town on my half day?’
‘What notice?’ asked Addie, busy organizing food on to her family’s plates. ‘What shop was it? That ironmongers?’
‘No,’ Jock answered, as he slowly cut into his portion of pie. ‘It was a flower shop.’
A flower shop? As a great bell began ringing inside her head, Shona put down her knife and fork.
‘No’ Maybel’s?’ she asked tremulously. ‘Maybel’s Flowers?’
‘That’s it. That’s the one. Big place, window full o’ plants.’
‘Plants?’ cried Addie. ‘Why, there you are, Shona! That’s just what you were wanting – a place o’ flowers and plants. Now, why did I no’ see that notice?’
‘You were too busy looking in the shoe shop next door,’ Jock said with a laugh. ‘But it was there, all right, on the window. “Junior
Fifteen
No worries. So it seemed, and Shona still couldn’t believe how smoothly her plans were working out. Until, back at Mrs Hope’s, when all the family had returned, the first scan of the advertisements in the evening paper showed nothing at all of interest. Plenty of jobs going for domestic servants, of course. Plenty for shop assistants, too, but as the Hopes took turns at calling out what was on offer, Shona only sighed and shook her head.
‘Greengrocer’s assistant!’ cried Dair, looking at her with round brown eyes so like his mother’s and Kitty’s. ‘Any good?’
Weighing carrots and potatoes, sorting out cauliflowers? Oh, no!
‘Draper’s in Lothian Road,’ said Biddy, twelve years old and with features like those of her fair-haired father, not yet back from the mill. ‘That’d no’ be bad, eh? Working with materials?’
Measuring and cutting, selling curtaining and cushions? Shona looked mournful. She’d die of boredom doing that.
Even when Kitty found her a dress shop position, to ‘suit young lady interested in fashion’, she had to turn the suggestion down.
‘No’ exactly a young lady, am I? And I know nothing at all about fashion. They’d never want someone from an orphanage, anyway.’
There was a silence as they considered this, and it was only Mrs Hope, setting the table for tea, who called across that being an orphanage girl should make no difference at all. Shona would get a good reference from Miss Bryce and as soon as folk saw her, they’d know she’d do well.
‘Got to get them to see me, though,’ Shona said gloomily. ‘And so far I’ve no’ even seen a job I’d like. I want to learn something – maybe a craft, you know – for a career.’
A career? The Hopes fixed her with wondering eyes. They didn’t know anyone who had what could be called a career.
‘What was all that about wanting to work with plants?’ Mrs Hope asked as she waved her family over to the table, seeing her Jock come through the door. ‘That wouldn’t be a career, would it?’
‘Oh, I wasn’t serious,’ Shona murmured, taking her place next to Kitty. ‘I know I couldn’t have that sort of job.’
‘Hello, Shona!’ Jock Hope cried cheerfully as he washed his hands at the sink. ‘Nearly ready to leave Edina Lodge, eh?’
‘Looking for a job,’ his wife told him, as Shona smiled and nodded. ‘Nothing in the paper today but there’ll be other days. It’s never easy to find just the right thing.’
‘If you don’t want to be a housemaid,’ said Kitty. ‘And who does? How about a bakery, Shona? I love selling bread and cakes.’
‘Well, there might be something for another lassie where I am,’ said Jock, eyeing his wife’s meat pie. ‘Doing packaging and that sort o’ thing. I could put in a word if you’re interested.’
‘Oh, Dad, Shona’d never want mill work!’ Kitty cried. ‘She’s looking for something different from that.’
‘That right? Well, it’s probably no good, then, but I did see a notice on a shop in George Street. You remember, Addie, when we went up to town on my half day?’
‘What notice?’ asked Addie, busy organizing food on to her family’s plates. ‘What shop was it? That ironmongers?’
‘No,’ Jock answered, as he slowly cut into his portion of pie. ‘It was a flower shop.’
A flower shop? As a great bell began ringing inside her head, Shona put down her knife and fork.
‘No’ Maybel’s?’ she asked tremulously. ‘Maybel’s Flowers?’
‘That’s it. That’s the one. Big place, window full o’ plants.’
‘Plants?’ cried Addie. ‘Why, there you are, Shona! That’s just what you were wanting – a place o’ flowers and plants. Now, why did I no’ see that notice?’
‘You were too busy looking in the shoe shop next door,’ Jock said with a laugh. ‘But it was there, all right, on the window. “Junior
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