Read Online The Pearly Queen by Mary Jane Staples - Free Book Online Page A

stop in the Walworth Road was a group of ex-Servicemen. Forming a little band, they were playing for coppers, coppers that some passers-by tossed into a hat on the kerbside. Aunt Edie found a silver threepenny-bit in her purse and dropped it into the hat.
    â€˜Bless yer, lady.’
    Aunt Edie and Jimmy went on to the tram stop, Aunt Edie saying, ‘That poor mother of yours, Jimmy.’ It was the first time she had mentioned her cousin during the shopping expedition. ‘Like your dad says, she can’t ’elp bein’ religious, but if she’s that keen on goin’ after sinners, she ought to start on the Government first. The war’s been over nearly five years, but there’s still old soldiers out of work and ’aving to earn a few pennies like those men, by playin’ accordions and suchlike in gutters. There can’t be anything more sinful than any Government lettin’ that ’appen.’
    â€˜Good point, Aunt Edie,’ said Jimmy. ‘I’d like to see Mum chargin’ into the Houses of Parliament and settin’ about all of them with her umbrella.’
    â€˜I don’t know about that,’ said Aunt Edie, who plainly felt it was her cousin who ought to be set about. She eyed the traffic impatiently. She wanted to get on with things. There were still many horse-drawn vehicles about. The law required them to keep clear of tram tracks, but the drivers of vehicles such as beer drays considered their claim to rights of way went back a bleeding sight longer than electric trams. Accordingly, a tram could often be seen moving slowly along behind a lumbering beer dray, the frustrated tram driver clanging away and looking for a bobby, and the stubborn dray driver taking his time to move over to join traffic on the left of the tram tracks. Street kids always hoped it would lead to a fight. A good pair of fists earned the total admiration of street kids anywhere.
    With no tram coming their way at the moment, Aunt Edie and Jimmy spotted a little open cart approaching. It was drawn by a sleek brown pony, and was painted in decorative blue and gold. At the reins sat a pearly king, his cap, jacket and trousers sparkling in the sunshine with a myriad of pearl buttons. He saw Aunt Edie.
    â€˜Whoa there, Poppy,’ he said to his pony, and pulled up beside the kerb. ‘Watcher, Edie, me peach, where yer goin’?’
    â€˜I’m just standin’ still at the moment, waitin’ for a tram ’ome,’ said Aunt Edie. ‘Had a do this mornin’, ’ave you, Joe?’
    Joe Gosling’s broad and ruddy face spread in a large grin. In the back of his cart sat his daughter, fourteen-year-old Hetty, holding a bunch of flowers. ‘Just a bit of a do for some Old Kent Road kids,’ he said, ‘an’ makin’ sure all of ’em won a prize. Got time orf from me work.’ He was a park attendant, employed by the local council. ‘Well, good cause, yer know, Edie. An’ they give ’Etty a bunch o’ flowers, which she’s rapturous about, ain’t yer, ’Etty?’
    Hetty didn’t reply. She was staring woodenly at Jimmy.
    â€˜Sweet girl, your Hetty,’ said Aunt Edie drily.
    â€˜Ain’t she just?’ said Joe. ‘’Ere, ’op up, Edie, and I’ll ride yer ’ome. ’Oo’s yer young man there?’
    â€˜Well, ’e’s not my young man,’ said Aunt Edie. ‘Worse luck,’ she added, and laughed. ‘He’s Jimmy, my nephew.’
    â€˜Well, good on yer, Jimmy, you ’op up too, along side of ’Etty,’ said Joe, ‘and I’ll cart both of yer to Camberwell. It’s yer lucky day, me lad, yer’ll like ’Etty.’
    Jimmy had reservations about that. But he placed the shopping bag aboard, and while Aunt Edie climbed up to sit beside Joe, he swung himself into the cart by using a wheel spoke as leverage. He sat down on the