again,’ said Dan. ‘I did tell ’em not to be a worry to you.’
‘’Ave you ever heard of water off a duck’s back?’ asked Tilly. ‘Well, you’ve got two ducks, and there’s both of them.’
‘All the same, thanks a lot for takin’ them under your wing this afternoon,’ said Dan.
‘It was to save meself from bein’ driven to drink,’ said Tilly. ‘They’re all yours now, Mr Rogers, and I ’ope you did a bit of serious thinkin’ today. Wait a tick, you gels.’ She went to the cupboard serving as a larder and found two bananas. She gave one each to the girls. ‘There, you didn’t do too bad this afternoon. Off you go with your dad now.’
‘Oh, fanks,’ said Bubbles.
‘We’ll sit wiv you tomorrer, if you like,’ said Penny-Farving.
‘All I’ll see of you tomorrow will be when I measure you for your new frocks,’ said Tilly. ‘I’ve got calls on customers to make tomorrow, Mr Rogers, if you’d kindly remember that.’
‘I’m hopin’ to get a girl called Cassie Ford here tomorrow to keep an eye on things,’ said Dan. ‘Well, thanks again, Tilly, you’re a sport. Come on, sausages, let’s go down and see about a bit of supper, eh?’
Down they went, and peace and quiet made a welcome visit to the upstairs back.
At seven-twenty that evening, the door of Mrs Brown’s house opened to a pull on the latchcord, and a familiar voice floated through the passage.
‘Coo-ee, Freddy, can I come in?’
‘No, not tonight,’ called Freddy, ‘I’m in bed with a broken leg.’
A fat lot of good that did him, because Cassie was in the kitchen almost before he’d finished speaking. Sally was out with friends, but Freddy’s mum and dad were present.
‘Oh, good evenin’, Mrs Brown, and how’d you do, Mr Brown?’ said Freddy’s blithe spirit. ‘Freddy, you ’aven’t broken your leg, you’re standin’ up. Can you come ’ome with me and spend the evenin’ helpin’ Cecil to do more talkin’? He still isn’t sayin’ much.’
‘Give ’im a drop of port,’ said Freddy.
‘Well, I must say a drop of port livens me up myself,’ said Mrs Brown, ‘but I don’t know I’ve ever heard what it does to parrots.’
‘Probably knocks ’em off their perch,’ said Mr Brown.
‘We don’t ’ave any port except at Christmas,’ said Cassie. ‘Come on, Freddy, let’s go and talk to Cecil. Me dad says you’ll be very welcome – oh, did I tell you he said it’s all right for me to be your girlfriend now I’m over fourteen?’
‘Yes, you told me,’ said Freddy, ‘but we’re still mates.’
‘No, me dad says girls can’t be mates when they’re over fourteen.’
‘Blokes can,’ said Freddy.
‘Well, I’m not a bloke,’ said Cassie, ‘I’m a girl.’
‘Which I like you for, Cassie,’ said Mr Brown.
‘Yes, I do too,’ said Cassie.
The front door knocker sounded.
‘I’ll go,’ said Freddy, and found the caller was Mr Dan Rogers, a friendly and cheerful neighbour, who looked as if he could play a good game of rugby football. ‘Oh, ’ello, Mr Rogers.’
‘How’s yerself, Freddy?’ smiled Dan. ‘I wondered if your long-standin’ mate Cassie Ford was here.’
‘She mostly is,’ said Freddy, ‘it’s ’er second ’ome, you might say, and she’s ’ere now.’
‘Could I have a word with her?’
‘Come in,’ said Freddy. He took Dan through to the kitchen, and Dan said hello to his neighbours. Mrs Brown gave a little touch or two to her hair. She liked Mr Rogers. He was what Walworth women called manly, which was how most Walworth women liked their men, as long as they didn’t break up the furniture. It was nice Mr Rogers had a lady lodger now, seeing his wife had as good as deserted him.
‘Mind if I have a word with Cassie, Mrs Brown?’ asked Dan.
‘Oh, ’elp yourself, I’m sure, Mr Rogers,’ said plump Mrs Brown.
‘How’d you do, Mr Rogers, I’m just visitin’ Freddy,’ said Cassie.
‘Makes a change,’ said Freddy.
‘You
‘’Ave you ever heard of water off a duck’s back?’ asked Tilly. ‘Well, you’ve got two ducks, and there’s both of them.’
‘All the same, thanks a lot for takin’ them under your wing this afternoon,’ said Dan.
‘It was to save meself from bein’ driven to drink,’ said Tilly. ‘They’re all yours now, Mr Rogers, and I ’ope you did a bit of serious thinkin’ today. Wait a tick, you gels.’ She went to the cupboard serving as a larder and found two bananas. She gave one each to the girls. ‘There, you didn’t do too bad this afternoon. Off you go with your dad now.’
‘Oh, fanks,’ said Bubbles.
‘We’ll sit wiv you tomorrer, if you like,’ said Penny-Farving.
‘All I’ll see of you tomorrow will be when I measure you for your new frocks,’ said Tilly. ‘I’ve got calls on customers to make tomorrow, Mr Rogers, if you’d kindly remember that.’
‘I’m hopin’ to get a girl called Cassie Ford here tomorrow to keep an eye on things,’ said Dan. ‘Well, thanks again, Tilly, you’re a sport. Come on, sausages, let’s go down and see about a bit of supper, eh?’
Down they went, and peace and quiet made a welcome visit to the upstairs back.
At seven-twenty that evening, the door of Mrs Brown’s house opened to a pull on the latchcord, and a familiar voice floated through the passage.
‘Coo-ee, Freddy, can I come in?’
‘No, not tonight,’ called Freddy, ‘I’m in bed with a broken leg.’
A fat lot of good that did him, because Cassie was in the kitchen almost before he’d finished speaking. Sally was out with friends, but Freddy’s mum and dad were present.
‘Oh, good evenin’, Mrs Brown, and how’d you do, Mr Brown?’ said Freddy’s blithe spirit. ‘Freddy, you ’aven’t broken your leg, you’re standin’ up. Can you come ’ome with me and spend the evenin’ helpin’ Cecil to do more talkin’? He still isn’t sayin’ much.’
‘Give ’im a drop of port,’ said Freddy.
‘Well, I must say a drop of port livens me up myself,’ said Mrs Brown, ‘but I don’t know I’ve ever heard what it does to parrots.’
‘Probably knocks ’em off their perch,’ said Mr Brown.
‘We don’t ’ave any port except at Christmas,’ said Cassie. ‘Come on, Freddy, let’s go and talk to Cecil. Me dad says you’ll be very welcome – oh, did I tell you he said it’s all right for me to be your girlfriend now I’m over fourteen?’
‘Yes, you told me,’ said Freddy, ‘but we’re still mates.’
‘No, me dad says girls can’t be mates when they’re over fourteen.’
‘Blokes can,’ said Freddy.
‘Well, I’m not a bloke,’ said Cassie, ‘I’m a girl.’
‘Which I like you for, Cassie,’ said Mr Brown.
‘Yes, I do too,’ said Cassie.
The front door knocker sounded.
‘I’ll go,’ said Freddy, and found the caller was Mr Dan Rogers, a friendly and cheerful neighbour, who looked as if he could play a good game of rugby football. ‘Oh, ’ello, Mr Rogers.’
‘How’s yerself, Freddy?’ smiled Dan. ‘I wondered if your long-standin’ mate Cassie Ford was here.’
‘She mostly is,’ said Freddy, ‘it’s ’er second ’ome, you might say, and she’s ’ere now.’
‘Could I have a word with her?’
‘Come in,’ said Freddy. He took Dan through to the kitchen, and Dan said hello to his neighbours. Mrs Brown gave a little touch or two to her hair. She liked Mr Rogers. He was what Walworth women called manly, which was how most Walworth women liked their men, as long as they didn’t break up the furniture. It was nice Mr Rogers had a lady lodger now, seeing his wife had as good as deserted him.
‘Mind if I have a word with Cassie, Mrs Brown?’ asked Dan.
‘Oh, ’elp yourself, I’m sure, Mr Rogers,’ said plump Mrs Brown.
‘How’d you do, Mr Rogers, I’m just visitin’ Freddy,’ said Cassie.
‘Makes a change,’ said Freddy.
‘You
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