Read Online The Carpenter's Children by Maggie Bennett - Free Book Online
Authors: Maggie Bennett
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a couple of games. Why don’t you give it a try?’
She was a pleasant girl, and their families knew each other well. There was no good reason to refuse, and Ernest accordingly accompanied her to the courts one Saturday evening, where his skill surprised everyone, Phyllis included. He had walked her back to her home in the twilight, and parted with her on the doorstep with smiles and thanks for a delightful evening. She was a nice girl, he thought, from a family much like his own, and a few more evenings on the courts might well lead to a good-night kiss, though the idea alarmed him, having had no previous experience, and if he was honest with himself, no real inclination to kiss Phyllis Bird. In the end he decided that the cycling club held more appeal for him than the mixed membership of the tennis set, and in any case the pressing need to find himself suitable employment drove other thoughts from his mind.
Mr Chisman’s interview with her parents had thoroughly shaken Grace Munday, and their severity with her was worse than she’d expected, especially from her father who was not to be won over by tears and protests to ‘dear Daddy’ that she had never meant any harm, and had been sadly misunderstood by her class teacher Miss Forster who had never treated her fairly.
‘Stop that whining, my girl, and think yourself lucky you weren’t expelled!’ he said sharply, and she drew back, her dark eyes wide; tears began to flow again, but Tom Munday hardened his heart, and told her that she had shamed her whole family, especially her mother who had been deeply distressed. He demanded her promise that in the time remaining to her at school she would endeavour to be a credit to her parents, and not a disgrace. She had sobbed bitterly, and promised not to cause any more trouble at school, ‘no matter how unkindly they treat me, Daddy!’ – but inwardly she made up her mind that if Ernest
did
go to London, she would join him there, just as soon as her fourteenth birthday freed her from that rotten school. She’d get a job in a music hall, and progress from the chorus to being a star turn like the beautiful, daring Marie Lloyd; she too would become famous and wear elegant, expensive outfits – and she’d visit North Camp and Everham to show herself off, and all the girls would envy her. Oh, yes, Miss Grace Munday would show old manChisman and that bitch Miss Forster how mistaken they’d been about her!
But meanwhile she kept her pretty little nose down and her eyes lowered; right now she needed to get back into her parents’ good books.
Tom learnt that the Mundays were not the only family to have problems with a daughter. As he talked with Eddie Cooper over a pint at the Tradesmen’s Arms, he heard the latest about Mary, now living at Yeomans’ farm, so her father rarely saw her. When the farmer had asked him to repaint the dairy throughout, he had eagerly accepted, and put Yeomans at the top of his order list, thinking it would give him a good opportunity to see and speak to his daughter.
‘But I wasn’t so pleased, Tom, when I went into the kitchen and found her, all smiles and rosy cheeks, in the middle of half a dozen clodhoppin’ farm-hands, in for their bread and cheese. “Mornin’, Mary,” I said, lookin’ pretty straight at her, and she started tryin’ to explain, said that Mrs Yeomans was busy with the baby cutting his teeth or somesuch, and she was takin’ her place in the kitchen. They found their manners when they heard her call me Dad, but I made up my mind to have a word with her, soon as they’d gone back to the fields.’
‘And did you get a chance to speak to her, Eddie?’ asked Tom.
‘More than enough,’ came the terse reply. ‘WhenI went back mid afternoon I found her laughin’ and gigglin’ with that oaf Dick Yeomans – you know, the son – and he was ticklin’ her with his great hands and tryin’ to kiss her, if you please!’
‘The devil he was! I’d’ve given him
She was a pleasant girl, and their families knew each other well. There was no good reason to refuse, and Ernest accordingly accompanied her to the courts one Saturday evening, where his skill surprised everyone, Phyllis included. He had walked her back to her home in the twilight, and parted with her on the doorstep with smiles and thanks for a delightful evening. She was a nice girl, he thought, from a family much like his own, and a few more evenings on the courts might well lead to a good-night kiss, though the idea alarmed him, having had no previous experience, and if he was honest with himself, no real inclination to kiss Phyllis Bird. In the end he decided that the cycling club held more appeal for him than the mixed membership of the tennis set, and in any case the pressing need to find himself suitable employment drove other thoughts from his mind.
Mr Chisman’s interview with her parents had thoroughly shaken Grace Munday, and their severity with her was worse than she’d expected, especially from her father who was not to be won over by tears and protests to ‘dear Daddy’ that she had never meant any harm, and had been sadly misunderstood by her class teacher Miss Forster who had never treated her fairly.
‘Stop that whining, my girl, and think yourself lucky you weren’t expelled!’ he said sharply, and she drew back, her dark eyes wide; tears began to flow again, but Tom Munday hardened his heart, and told her that she had shamed her whole family, especially her mother who had been deeply distressed. He demanded her promise that in the time remaining to her at school she would endeavour to be a credit to her parents, and not a disgrace. She had sobbed bitterly, and promised not to cause any more trouble at school, ‘no matter how unkindly they treat me, Daddy!’ – but inwardly she made up her mind that if Ernest
did
go to London, she would join him there, just as soon as her fourteenth birthday freed her from that rotten school. She’d get a job in a music hall, and progress from the chorus to being a star turn like the beautiful, daring Marie Lloyd; she too would become famous and wear elegant, expensive outfits – and she’d visit North Camp and Everham to show herself off, and all the girls would envy her. Oh, yes, Miss Grace Munday would show old manChisman and that bitch Miss Forster how mistaken they’d been about her!
But meanwhile she kept her pretty little nose down and her eyes lowered; right now she needed to get back into her parents’ good books.
Tom learnt that the Mundays were not the only family to have problems with a daughter. As he talked with Eddie Cooper over a pint at the Tradesmen’s Arms, he heard the latest about Mary, now living at Yeomans’ farm, so her father rarely saw her. When the farmer had asked him to repaint the dairy throughout, he had eagerly accepted, and put Yeomans at the top of his order list, thinking it would give him a good opportunity to see and speak to his daughter.
‘But I wasn’t so pleased, Tom, when I went into the kitchen and found her, all smiles and rosy cheeks, in the middle of half a dozen clodhoppin’ farm-hands, in for their bread and cheese. “Mornin’, Mary,” I said, lookin’ pretty straight at her, and she started tryin’ to explain, said that Mrs Yeomans was busy with the baby cutting his teeth or somesuch, and she was takin’ her place in the kitchen. They found their manners when they heard her call me Dad, but I made up my mind to have a word with her, soon as they’d gone back to the fields.’
‘And did you get a chance to speak to her, Eddie?’ asked Tom.
‘More than enough,’ came the terse reply. ‘WhenI went back mid afternoon I found her laughin’ and gigglin’ with that oaf Dick Yeomans – you know, the son – and he was ticklin’ her with his great hands and tryin’ to kiss her, if you please!’
‘The devil he was! I’d’ve given him
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