When they were close to the boys, Dr Cooper leaned back and pulled tight on the reins. The horses pulled up with tossing heads and ear-splitting whinnies. Just as the carriage rattled to a halt, Carly saw the bigger boy shove the other onto the ground. The small boy tumbled over with a scream.
‘Just hold it right there!’ Dr Cooper cried.
Then, to Carly’s surprise, she swore loudly and sprang to her feet.
Dr Cooper leapt down from the carriage with her horsewhip in her hand. She marched towards the boys, her skirt flapping about her legs as she strode.
The small boy in the gutter was still screaming. The bigger boy stood over him with his hands on his hips, getting ready to kick.
Dr Cooper flicked her whip. CRACK! It sounded like a gunshot. The bigger boy nearly jumped out of his skin. Dr Cooper turned to him and lightly struck his back with the tip of her whip, shouting, ‘Leave him alone, you big bully!’
She hadn’t hit him hard enough to hurt, but she had frightened him out of his wits. The boy’s mouth fell open and the blood drained from his face. He turned and fled.
Carly jumped down from the carriage. Dr Cooper was already kneeling beside the boy in the gutter. His arm was bleeding.
‘He’s got a deep cut,’ Dr Cooper said. ‘Pass me my bag.’
Carly climbed back into the carriage and fetched Dr Cooper’s bag. The boy was still bellowing. Carly ran back to the roadside and handed the bag to Dr Cooper.
‘Oh, stop all that nonsense,’ Dr Cooper told the boy. She reached into her bag and pulled out a bottle of peppermints. She poured them into her hand and gave two to the boy. ‘Here, suck on these,’ she said. ‘Your arm will need a few stitches.’
Still squatting in the gutter, the doctor poured antiseptic onto a wad of cloth and gently cleaned the boy’s arm. Carly closed her eyes when Dr Cooper pulled a needle and thread from her bag to sew up the wound.
She held her breath. The boy didn’t make a sound.
‘There,’ the doctor said at last. ‘All done.’
Carly opened her eyes. Dr Cooper closed her bag, stood up, and climbed into the carriage.
At that moment, a gust of wind lifted Carly’s shawl from her shoulders. She caught it before it fell to the ground ... and everything went black.
When she came to her senses, the ferry was pulling away from the quay at South Bank.
‘Sorry,’ the boy with the brown eyes and braces was saying. ‘I shouldn’t have let Simone speak to you like that. Sometimes I just can’t think of the right thing to say - not quickly enough, anyway.’
‘It’s OK,’ Carly said. Her head was spinning; she couldn’t remember what Simone had said but she guessed it must have been bad. Her head was full of Dr Cooper: her strength and skill and no-nonsense courage.
‘Anyway,’ the boy said. ‘My name’s Arthur.’
‘Arthur!’ Simone butted in. ‘What an old-fashioned name.’
‘I’m an old-fashioned kind of guy,’ Arthur said quietly.
Carly smiled and introduced herself.
‘I’m Simone,’ said Simone.
‘We know,’ Carly and Arthur said together and then laughed.
Simone shrugged and wandered off to sulk, leaving Carly to chat with Arthur.
‘Are you nervous about school?’ Arthur asked. ‘I am.’
Carly was surprised. She had thought she was the only one who was frightened and shy.
‘A bit,’ she admitted.
‘People like Simone don’t make it any easier. But she’s probably just scared too.’
Carly supposed he was right, but she couldn’t see herself ever being friends with Simone just the same. Instead, she chatted happily with Arthur. He was a quiet and shy boy with a hint of mischief in his smile.
‘I’m from Far North Queensland,’ he told her.
‘So your family’s even further from Brisbane than mine.’
‘Yep. I miss them already,’ Arthur said.
As they glided along the river, their teacher Ms Carrigan pointed out the sights.
‘I’m a bit scared of her,’ Arthur whispered.
Carly looked closely at the teacher. Ms Carrigan had frizzy dark hair that was going wild in the breeze. She had crazy eyes, but she laughed a lot.
‘I don’t know,’ Carly said. ‘She could be fun.’
They passed under the Story Bridge and along the winding river.
‘There’s a good bookshop over there,’ Simone’s voice made Carly jump.
‘Stop creeping up on me like that!’ Carly grumbled.
‘I wish we could get off this boring boat and go to the bookshop,’ Simone said. ‘Hey Ms Carrigan? Can we go to the bookshop?’
‘Another time,’ the teacher replied. Simone pouted.
‘I like books too,’ Arthur said kindly.
‘I love them,’ said Simone. Carly was surprised; Simone didn’t fit Carly’s idea of a reader. Carly’s sister always had her nose in a book. She was quiet and smart - not a cranky loudmouth like Simone. Carly wondered if Simone was pretending to like books to make herself seem smarter.
‘How do you know where the bookshops in Brisbane are?’ Carly asked.
‘Duh,’ said Simone. ‘I live here.’
‘So do I, now,’ said Carly. ‘That doesn’t make me an expert.’
‘No, I mean I’ve always lived here.’
Carly was confused. ‘So why are you at boarding school?’
Simone shrugged. ‘My parents work overseas.
‘Really?’ Arthur said. ‘Wow, you must miss them.’
Simone shrugged again. ‘Why would I care?’
At last they arrived back at North Quay. Simone pushed ahead of Carly and sprang up the stairs from the riverbank to the street. When they got to the top, Simone tripped and sprawled onto the footpath.
‘Owww!’ she screamed. ‘My ankle!’
Ms Carrigan hurried to her side. Simone clutched her ankle and tears streamed from her eyes. Ms Carrigan squatted and took Simone’s platform shoes off. Seeing her in the gutter looking after the wounded girl reminded Carly of Dr Cooper.
‘Well, an accident was bound to happen with those shoes,’ the teacher said. ‘It’s not
serious. Up you get.’
‘But—’ Simone wailed.
Ms Carrigan stood and brushed off her hands. ‘Carly, Arthur,
