in school?’
‘To be honest, I don’t know. Is there something in the regulations or anywhere?’
Kate Pascoe pointed to the floor. ‘I’ve my class to get back to. Please see that this floor is clean before the tables are put out.’ She turned on her heel and went back to her class.
Pat screwed the mop dry and began mopping. Then she leant on the mop handle and said, ‘You don’t want a job as school-caretaker, do yer, Sylvia?’
‘No, thanks.’
‘I thought not. I’m about at the end of my tether with her. And that cat. It spits if yer get too close. It ’as claws like a tiger’s. I reckon it’s related to a panther. Black as night, evil it is. It’s got all-seeing eyes. Does my nerves no good at all.’
‘You’d better leave.’
‘I’ve half a mind to. I reckon it can put the evil eye on yer – yer know, like yer read in books. If cats start disappearing it’ll be ’er that’s spiriting ’em away.’
Mindful of Mimi, Sylvia went off to collect Alex and Beth, thinking over what Pat had said. It was all ridiculous of course but … ‘There you are, come along then, you two. Had a nice morning?’ Beth held up a picture for her to see.
‘Oh Beth, that is lovely, Mummy will be pleased. What have you made, Alex? A car. That’s splendid. Let’s get home. We’ve got everything, I think. Come along then. Bye bye, Mrs Neal.’ Beth’s thumb was in her mouth, her lover tickling her nose, the scarf still round her neck, her handbag hanging from her arm. Alex skipped blithely along, his sister walked quietly, as though weighed down by care. Sylvia glanced down at her; at least she hadn’t run off. Thank goodness.
Caroline put the children’s boots on and then her own. ‘Come along, children. Ready, Sylvia?’
‘I am. Have you seen my gloves?’
‘Here they are on the table.’
‘Oh, right, so they are.’
They crossed Pipe and Nook Lane and climbed over the wall into Rector’s Meadow. The children ran along in front kicking a ball while Caroline and Sylvia walked behind looking in the grass as they went and calling. The wind was keen and Caroline pulled her scarf more closely round her neck.
‘Mimi! Mimi! Really, I suppose it’s pointless calling. If she sees us she’ll come, won’t she?’
‘Yes. Have you seen Kate Pascoe’s cat?’
‘No, but we shall tonight. That’s where we’re going when you sit in.’
‘Oh, I hadn’t realised. Pat says it’s related to a panther. She doesn’t like its eyes.’
‘Oh, honestly!’
‘That’s what I thought.’
‘We could try the old barn, couldn’t we?’ Caroline pointed to the stone barn alongside the wall adjoining the Big House estate. ‘She might have got in there and can’t find her way out.’
‘That’s an idea. Yes, we’ll do that.’
They wandered all the way round the edge of the field calling for Mimi and looking in the long grass, but there was no sign of her. When they reached the barn Sylvia said, ‘The door isn’t locked. Never is. And look – there are places at the bottom of the door where she could have got in. It’s rotting away.’ She took hold of the bracket where the padlock once was and pulled the door open. It opened about a foot and then jammed and they all squeezed in.
Once a barn for holding winter-feedstuff for cattle, it still had bale upon bale of hay stacked against the walls. The thick stone walls had withstood a couple of centuries of weather and were still as strong as the day it was built. The roof, a sturdy construction of timber and tiles, was intact; the only light came from two square openings high up at the apex of the opposite shorter walls. The hay was dry and old and long past its usefulness.
Caroline called, ‘Mimi! Mimi!’ but there was no answering mew, only a scuffling amongst the bales. ‘This place is huge. It would make a fantastic house, wouldn’t it?’
Sylvia said, ‘I heard something then.’
‘Did you? I didn’t. Do you think it’s Mimi?’ Alex
‘To be honest, I don’t know. Is there something in the regulations or anywhere?’
Kate Pascoe pointed to the floor. ‘I’ve my class to get back to. Please see that this floor is clean before the tables are put out.’ She turned on her heel and went back to her class.
Pat screwed the mop dry and began mopping. Then she leant on the mop handle and said, ‘You don’t want a job as school-caretaker, do yer, Sylvia?’
‘No, thanks.’
‘I thought not. I’m about at the end of my tether with her. And that cat. It spits if yer get too close. It ’as claws like a tiger’s. I reckon it’s related to a panther. Black as night, evil it is. It’s got all-seeing eyes. Does my nerves no good at all.’
‘You’d better leave.’
‘I’ve half a mind to. I reckon it can put the evil eye on yer – yer know, like yer read in books. If cats start disappearing it’ll be ’er that’s spiriting ’em away.’
Mindful of Mimi, Sylvia went off to collect Alex and Beth, thinking over what Pat had said. It was all ridiculous of course but … ‘There you are, come along then, you two. Had a nice morning?’ Beth held up a picture for her to see.
‘Oh Beth, that is lovely, Mummy will be pleased. What have you made, Alex? A car. That’s splendid. Let’s get home. We’ve got everything, I think. Come along then. Bye bye, Mrs Neal.’ Beth’s thumb was in her mouth, her lover tickling her nose, the scarf still round her neck, her handbag hanging from her arm. Alex skipped blithely along, his sister walked quietly, as though weighed down by care. Sylvia glanced down at her; at least she hadn’t run off. Thank goodness.
Caroline put the children’s boots on and then her own. ‘Come along, children. Ready, Sylvia?’
‘I am. Have you seen my gloves?’
‘Here they are on the table.’
‘Oh, right, so they are.’
They crossed Pipe and Nook Lane and climbed over the wall into Rector’s Meadow. The children ran along in front kicking a ball while Caroline and Sylvia walked behind looking in the grass as they went and calling. The wind was keen and Caroline pulled her scarf more closely round her neck.
‘Mimi! Mimi! Really, I suppose it’s pointless calling. If she sees us she’ll come, won’t she?’
‘Yes. Have you seen Kate Pascoe’s cat?’
‘No, but we shall tonight. That’s where we’re going when you sit in.’
‘Oh, I hadn’t realised. Pat says it’s related to a panther. She doesn’t like its eyes.’
‘Oh, honestly!’
‘That’s what I thought.’
‘We could try the old barn, couldn’t we?’ Caroline pointed to the stone barn alongside the wall adjoining the Big House estate. ‘She might have got in there and can’t find her way out.’
‘That’s an idea. Yes, we’ll do that.’
They wandered all the way round the edge of the field calling for Mimi and looking in the long grass, but there was no sign of her. When they reached the barn Sylvia said, ‘The door isn’t locked. Never is. And look – there are places at the bottom of the door where she could have got in. It’s rotting away.’ She took hold of the bracket where the padlock once was and pulled the door open. It opened about a foot and then jammed and they all squeezed in.
Once a barn for holding winter-feedstuff for cattle, it still had bale upon bale of hay stacked against the walls. The thick stone walls had withstood a couple of centuries of weather and were still as strong as the day it was built. The roof, a sturdy construction of timber and tiles, was intact; the only light came from two square openings high up at the apex of the opposite shorter walls. The hay was dry and old and long past its usefulness.
Caroline called, ‘Mimi! Mimi!’ but there was no answering mew, only a scuffling amongst the bales. ‘This place is huge. It would make a fantastic house, wouldn’t it?’
Sylvia said, ‘I heard something then.’
‘Did you? I didn’t. Do you think it’s Mimi?’ Alex
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