Read Online Hetty Feather by Jacqueline Wilson - Free Book Online
Authors: Jacqueline Wilson
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way.'
'I'm very, very, very pleased,' I said.
The band struck up again, and a plump lady in
a tight magenta costume came dancing into the
ring. She ran over to a vast ladder at the side and
started climbing up it, rung after rung, up and up
and up, as nimble as a squirrel. She reached a little
platform right at the top and clasped a long pole
waiting there. We saw a taut rope stretching all the
way across the tent, high in the air. She was Flora
the tightrope walker!
The lady gave a flourish, seized her pole and
stepped out onto the rope! She walked right along
it, even pointing her feet and dancing, as if she was
a magenta fairy flitting through the air. It hurt
my neck to watch her and I could hardly breathe
because I was so scared she'd fall. Jem had warned
me so many times that I mustn't ever try to edge
along the tree branches in our squirrel house. He
nudged me purposefully now.
'You mustn't try this lark, Hetty, promise!' he
whispered. 'My Lord, isn't she amazing?'
We watched as she skipped along, walked
backwards, even sat upon the rope, arranging her
deep-pink skirts around her and taking a book out
of her pocket, pretending to read! These seemed
marvels enough, but when she'd advanced all
the way over to the other side, she took something
from under a cloth on the other lofty platform. It
was a little perambulator on two wheels with a
baby doll sitting up inside. She took the vehicle,
wobbling alarmingly, so that we all went 'Ooooh!' Then she balanced it on the rope, with dolly still
inside. Flora walked steadily back across the rope,
as casually as any mother wheeling her baby. When
at long last she reached the other platform and took
her bow, she seized the doll and made her take a
bow too.
Then Chino the clown came capering back with
his silly friend, Beppo, plus two very little clowns in
comical baby gowns with woollen booties on their
feet. They had greasepaint on their faces and silly
red noses. At first I thought they were simply child
clowns, but then I spied a flash of silver beneath
the baby gown and realized they were the two
tumbling boys dressed up. They kept playing tricks
on the clowns, leaping up into the air, landing on
their hands and then walking upside down all
round the ring. There was a lot of fun and games
with bottles and napkins. Jem laughed so much he
nearly fell off his seat. Then at last all four clowns
took a bow and ran off. That seemed to be the end of
the circus, because everyone clapped and then stood
up, stretching.
'Oh!' I said. 'Oh dear, Jem.'
'What is it, Hetty? Aren't you enjoying the
circus?' Jem asked.
'I think it's wonderful, but now it is ended and I
didn't get to see her, the lady in pink spangles with
red hair. My lady,' I said, nearly in tears.
'It's all right, silly. She'll be in the second half.
This is only an interval, Hetty. There's lots more to
come, I promise.'
'Really! And so we haven't missed her? We really
will see her?'
'Yes, we will.'
'She's the one I like the best,' I said.
'But you haven't even seen her perform yet!'
'I still know.'
'I like the clowns, they are so funny,' said
Jem, chuckling. 'I should so love to set folk laughing
like that.'
'We could have our own circus!' I said. 'You could
be a clown, Jem, and Gideon can be a boy tumbler,
and I will wear a short pink skirt and ride on my
horse. Let us run away and start our circus, you and
me and Gideon, and then I won't have to go to the
hospital,' I said earnestly.
'I wish we could, Hetty,' said Jem, looking
wretched. 'We could maybe have a circus when we're
married. Perhaps we could start a farm circus, and
you could train the pig to stand on a tub and get
the chickens to cluck in time and set all the goats
dancing,' he went on, trying to humour me. 'Here
now, Hetty. Eat your gingerbread.'
He was trying to distract me. I did have a very
sweet tooth so I set about eating my biscuit, though
it had cracked and crumbled
'I'm very, very, very pleased,' I said.
The band struck up again, and a plump lady in
a tight magenta costume came dancing into the
ring. She ran over to a vast ladder at the side and
started climbing up it, rung after rung, up and up
and up, as nimble as a squirrel. She reached a little
platform right at the top and clasped a long pole
waiting there. We saw a taut rope stretching all the
way across the tent, high in the air. She was Flora
the tightrope walker!
The lady gave a flourish, seized her pole and
stepped out onto the rope! She walked right along
it, even pointing her feet and dancing, as if she was
a magenta fairy flitting through the air. It hurt
my neck to watch her and I could hardly breathe
because I was so scared she'd fall. Jem had warned
me so many times that I mustn't ever try to edge
along the tree branches in our squirrel house. He
nudged me purposefully now.
'You mustn't try this lark, Hetty, promise!' he
whispered. 'My Lord, isn't she amazing?'
We watched as she skipped along, walked
backwards, even sat upon the rope, arranging her
deep-pink skirts around her and taking a book out
of her pocket, pretending to read! These seemed
marvels enough, but when she'd advanced all
the way over to the other side, she took something
from under a cloth on the other lofty platform. It
was a little perambulator on two wheels with a
baby doll sitting up inside. She took the vehicle,
wobbling alarmingly, so that we all went 'Ooooh!' Then she balanced it on the rope, with dolly still
inside. Flora walked steadily back across the rope,
as casually as any mother wheeling her baby. When
at long last she reached the other platform and took
her bow, she seized the doll and made her take a
bow too.
Then Chino the clown came capering back with
his silly friend, Beppo, plus two very little clowns in
comical baby gowns with woollen booties on their
feet. They had greasepaint on their faces and silly
red noses. At first I thought they were simply child
clowns, but then I spied a flash of silver beneath
the baby gown and realized they were the two
tumbling boys dressed up. They kept playing tricks
on the clowns, leaping up into the air, landing on
their hands and then walking upside down all
round the ring. There was a lot of fun and games
with bottles and napkins. Jem laughed so much he
nearly fell off his seat. Then at last all four clowns
took a bow and ran off. That seemed to be the end of
the circus, because everyone clapped and then stood
up, stretching.
'Oh!' I said. 'Oh dear, Jem.'
'What is it, Hetty? Aren't you enjoying the
circus?' Jem asked.
'I think it's wonderful, but now it is ended and I
didn't get to see her, the lady in pink spangles with
red hair. My lady,' I said, nearly in tears.
'It's all right, silly. She'll be in the second half.
This is only an interval, Hetty. There's lots more to
come, I promise.'
'Really! And so we haven't missed her? We really
will see her?'
'Yes, we will.'
'She's the one I like the best,' I said.
'But you haven't even seen her perform yet!'
'I still know.'
'I like the clowns, they are so funny,' said
Jem, chuckling. 'I should so love to set folk laughing
like that.'
'We could have our own circus!' I said. 'You could
be a clown, Jem, and Gideon can be a boy tumbler,
and I will wear a short pink skirt and ride on my
horse. Let us run away and start our circus, you and
me and Gideon, and then I won't have to go to the
hospital,' I said earnestly.
'I wish we could, Hetty,' said Jem, looking
wretched. 'We could maybe have a circus when we're
married. Perhaps we could start a farm circus, and
you could train the pig to stand on a tub and get
the chickens to cluck in time and set all the goats
dancing,' he went on, trying to humour me. 'Here
now, Hetty. Eat your gingerbread.'
He was trying to distract me. I did have a very
sweet tooth so I set about eating my biscuit, though
it had cracked and crumbled
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