“Hullo,” she said.
“Hullo, Doris. Where are Micky and Marlene?”
“Outside. They’re all right. They’ve found the snowman the others made and they’re mucking him up.”
“Run along and join them.”
“I want to stay here with you ? and him.”
“I bet you do,” said Basil. “No such luck, I’m going to find you a nice billet miles and miles away.”
“I want to stay with you.”
“You go and help muck up the snowman.”
“That’s a kid’s game. I’m not a kid. Mister, why wouldn’t you pull my hair last night? Was it because you thought I had nits? I haven’t any more. The nurse combed them all out at the institution and put oil on. That’s why it’s a bit greasy.”
“I don’t pull girls’ hair.”
“You do. I saw you. You pulled hers. He’s your boy, isn’t he?” she said, turning to Barbara.
“He’s my brother, Doris.”
“Ah,” she said, her pig eyes dark with the wisdom of the slums, “but you fancy him, don’t you? I saw.”
“She really is an atrocious child,” said Barbara,
Basil set about the problem of finding a home for the Connollies with zeal and method. He settled himself at a table with an ordnance map, the local newspaper and the little red-leather-covered address book which had been one of old Mrs. Sothill’s legacies to Barbara; in this book were registered all her more well-to-do neighbours for a radius of twenty miles, the majority of whom were marked with the initials G.P.O. ? which stood for Garden Party Only. Barbara had done her best to keep this invaluable work of reference up to date and had from time to time crossed out those who had died or left the district, and added the names of newcomers.
Presently Basil said, “What about the Harknesses of Old Mill House, North Grappling?”
“Middle-aged people. He retired from some sort of a job abroad. I think she’s musical. Why?”
“They’re advertising for boarders.” He pushed the paper across to her, where she read, in the Accommodation column:?
Paying Guests accepted in lovely modernized fifteenth century mill. Ideal surroundings for elderly or artistic people wishing to avoid war worries. All home produce. Secluded old world gardens. 6 gns weekly. Highest references given and expected. Harkness, Old Mill House, North Grappling.
“How about that for the Connollies?”
“Basil, you can’t.”
“Can’t I just. I’ll get to work on them at once. Do they allow you extra petrol for your billeting work?”
“Yes, but…”
“That’s grand. I’ll take the Connollies over there this morning. D’you know, this is the first piece of serious war work I’ve done so far?”
Normally, whenever the car left the garage there was a stampede of evacues to the running boards crying “Give us a ride.” This morning, however, seeing the three forbidding Connollies in the back seat, the other children fell back silently. They were not allowed by their mothers to play with the Connollies.
“Mister, why can’t I sit in front with you?”
“You’ve got to keep the other two in order.”
“They’ll be good.”
“That’s what you think.”
“They’ll be good if I tell them, mister.”
“Then why aren’t they?”
“Cos I tell ‘em to be bad. In fun you know. Where are we going?”
“I’m finding a new home for you, Doris.”
“Away from you?”
“Far away from me.”
“Mister, listen. Micky ain’t bad really nor Marlene isn’t silly. Are you, Marlene?”
“Not very silly,” said Marlene.
“She can be clean if she wants to be, if I tell her. See here, mister, play fair. You let us stay with you and I’ll see the kids behave themselves.”
“And what about you, Doris?”
“I don’t have to behave. I’m not a kid. Is it on?”
“It is not.”
“You going to take us away?”
“You bet I am.”
“Then just you wait and see what we give them where we’re going.”
