the child to crouch on all fours as she tied the other end to the leg of the desk.
'There, now,' said Miss Turner, red with bending and the success of her lesson. 'You must stay tied up until dinner time. We can't have dangerous animals that bite running loose in the classroom, can we, children?'
'No, miss,' chanted the class smugly.
'Back to work, then,' commanded Miss Turner, resuming her patrolling up and down the aisles. Dolly took up her slate pencil with a shaking hand.
That anyoneâespecially someone grown-upâcould tie up another person like an animal horrified the child. To be sure, Fred Borden, who had feared a trip to the other end of the room where the cane lay on Mr Bond's desk, seemed quite cheerful as he sat on the floor by the desk. But Dolly, putting herself in his place, would have been prostrate with shame. To have sat there, publicly humiliated, enduring the gaze of thirty heartless school-fellows, would have broken Dolly. In fact, Fred Borden was enjoying the limelight, felt no hardship in missing a writing lesson, and considerable relief at getting off so lightly.
At twelve o'clock he was released, and the children trooped home to dinner. It so happened that Fred Borden and another boy were dawdling along the road as Esther, Ada and Dolly came up to them. The boys turned and spread their arms out to bar the way. They both grinned cheerfully. They felt no maliceâthis was just a reflex action when they saw three little girls trying to get by.
Esther stopped nervously, too frightened to protest, and near to tears. She lived considerably further than her charges, and time was short. She dreaded being late back to school.
Dolly, still shocked by the morning's experience, felt that she must tell poor Fred of her sympathy, but could not think how to begin.
At that moment, Ada went into action.
'Bow-wow! Who's a dog? Who bites? Who's a dog?' chanted Ada mockingly.
Fury at her sister's cruelty shook the words from Dolly's tongue. She stepped forward and put one small hand on Fred's filthy jersey. Her earnest face was very close to his.
'I was
sorry,
' she babbled incoherently. 'I was
sorry
she tied you up. She shouldn't have done that. I was
sorry!
'
To her amazement, Fred's grin vanished, and a menacing scowl took its place.
'Shut up, soppy!' he growled fiercely, and with venom he thrust the little girl away so forcefully that she fell backwards into Esther. Fist still raised, Fred followed her.
'What d'you want to hurt her for?' shrilled Esther, finding her voice.
'Because I 'ates 'er!' shouted Fred passionately. 'Because I 'ates all of you! You stuck-up lot!'
And with the hot tears springing to his eyes, he turned and fled down the narrow alley that led to the marsh.
CHAPTER 6
O NE windy March day in 1894 Francis Clare came home from work in a state of high excitement. He blew into the little living-room on a gust of wind that lifted the curtains and caused the fire to belch smoke.
'Well, Mary,' he cried, dropping his dinner satchel triumphantly on the table, 'I've got a house.'
'Francis! No! You mean it?'
'Sure as I'm here.'
'Where?'
'Beech Green.'
'But you've never been to Beech Green today?' queried Mary, still bewildered. The two little girls, playing with Emily on the rag hearthrug, gazed up at him as open-mouthed as their mother.
'No, no. I've been at Springbourne all day, like I said, thatching Jesse Miller's cow shed. He come up while I was working and says: "You the young fellow as near killed 'isself a year or two back and had a ride home in my cart?"
'I told him I was. He's getting forgetful-like now he's oldâkept calling me by my father's name, but it appears one of his chaps told him we was looking for a cottage, and he's got an empty one we can have.
'"'Tisn't a palace," he said, "two up and two down, but a pump inside and good cupboards. Take a look at it, and tell me what you think. Two shillings a week rent old Bob used to pay me before he left me
'There, now,' said Miss Turner, red with bending and the success of her lesson. 'You must stay tied up until dinner time. We can't have dangerous animals that bite running loose in the classroom, can we, children?'
'No, miss,' chanted the class smugly.
'Back to work, then,' commanded Miss Turner, resuming her patrolling up and down the aisles. Dolly took up her slate pencil with a shaking hand.
That anyoneâespecially someone grown-upâcould tie up another person like an animal horrified the child. To be sure, Fred Borden, who had feared a trip to the other end of the room where the cane lay on Mr Bond's desk, seemed quite cheerful as he sat on the floor by the desk. But Dolly, putting herself in his place, would have been prostrate with shame. To have sat there, publicly humiliated, enduring the gaze of thirty heartless school-fellows, would have broken Dolly. In fact, Fred Borden was enjoying the limelight, felt no hardship in missing a writing lesson, and considerable relief at getting off so lightly.
At twelve o'clock he was released, and the children trooped home to dinner. It so happened that Fred Borden and another boy were dawdling along the road as Esther, Ada and Dolly came up to them. The boys turned and spread their arms out to bar the way. They both grinned cheerfully. They felt no maliceâthis was just a reflex action when they saw three little girls trying to get by.
Esther stopped nervously, too frightened to protest, and near to tears. She lived considerably further than her charges, and time was short. She dreaded being late back to school.
Dolly, still shocked by the morning's experience, felt that she must tell poor Fred of her sympathy, but could not think how to begin.
At that moment, Ada went into action.
'Bow-wow! Who's a dog? Who bites? Who's a dog?' chanted Ada mockingly.
Fury at her sister's cruelty shook the words from Dolly's tongue. She stepped forward and put one small hand on Fred's filthy jersey. Her earnest face was very close to his.
'I was
sorry,
' she babbled incoherently. 'I was
sorry
she tied you up. She shouldn't have done that. I was
sorry!
'
To her amazement, Fred's grin vanished, and a menacing scowl took its place.
'Shut up, soppy!' he growled fiercely, and with venom he thrust the little girl away so forcefully that she fell backwards into Esther. Fist still raised, Fred followed her.
'What d'you want to hurt her for?' shrilled Esther, finding her voice.
'Because I 'ates 'er!' shouted Fred passionately. 'Because I 'ates all of you! You stuck-up lot!'
And with the hot tears springing to his eyes, he turned and fled down the narrow alley that led to the marsh.
CHAPTER 6
O NE windy March day in 1894 Francis Clare came home from work in a state of high excitement. He blew into the little living-room on a gust of wind that lifted the curtains and caused the fire to belch smoke.
'Well, Mary,' he cried, dropping his dinner satchel triumphantly on the table, 'I've got a house.'
'Francis! No! You mean it?'
'Sure as I'm here.'
'Where?'
'Beech Green.'
'But you've never been to Beech Green today?' queried Mary, still bewildered. The two little girls, playing with Emily on the rag hearthrug, gazed up at him as open-mouthed as their mother.
'No, no. I've been at Springbourne all day, like I said, thatching Jesse Miller's cow shed. He come up while I was working and says: "You the young fellow as near killed 'isself a year or two back and had a ride home in my cart?"
'I told him I was. He's getting forgetful-like now he's oldâkept calling me by my father's name, but it appears one of his chaps told him we was looking for a cottage, and he's got an empty one we can have.
'"'Tisn't a palace," he said, "two up and two down, but a pump inside and good cupboards. Take a look at it, and tell me what you think. Two shillings a week rent old Bob used to pay me before he left me
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