and still she ate
cakes. William watched her in amazement, forgetting even to scowl at her. Her capacity for cakes exceeded even William’s, and his was no mean one.
WILLIAM ACCORDED HER A CERTAIN GRUDGING ADMIRATION. ICED CAKES, CREAM CAKES, PASTRIES MELTED AWAY BEFORE HER.
They had a rehearsal of the maypole dance and crowning the next day.
‘I want William Brown to hold the Queen’s train,’ said Miss Dewhurst.
‘ Me? ’ ejaculated William in horror. ‘D’you mean me ?’
‘Yes, dear. It’s a great honour to be asked to hold little Queen Evangeline’s train. I’m sure you feel very proud. You must be her little courtier.’
‘Huh!’ said William, transferring his scowl to Miss Dewhurst.
Evangeline beamed. She wanted William’s admiration. William was the only boy in the form who was not her slave. She smiled at William sweetly.
‘I’m not good at holdin’ trains,’ said William. ‘I don’t like holdin’ trains. I’ve never bin taught ’bout holdin’
trains. I might do it wrong on the day an’ spoil it all. I shan’t like to spoil it all,’ he added virtuously
‘Oh, we’ll have heaps of practices,’ said Miss Dewhurst brightly.
As he was going Bettine pressed a small apple into his hand.
‘A present for you,’ she murmured. ‘I saved it from my dinner.’
He was touched.
‘I’ll give you somethin’ tomorrow,’ he said, adding hastily, ‘if I can find anythin’.’
They stood in silence till he had finished his apple.
‘I’ve left a lot on the core,’ he said in a tone of unusual politeness, handing it to her, ‘would you like to finish it?’
‘No, thank you. William, you’ll look so nice holding her train.’
‘I don’t want to, an’ I bet I won’t ! You don’t know the things I can do,’ he said darkly.
‘Oh, William!’ she gasped in awe and admiration.
‘I’d hold your train if you was goin’ to be queen,’ he volunteered.
‘I wouldn’t want you to hold my train,’ she said earnestly. ‘I’d – I’d – I’d want you to be May King with me.’
‘Yes. Why don’t they have May Kings?’ said William, stung by this insult to his sex.
‘Why shouldn’t there be a May King?’
‘I speck they do , really, only p’raps Miss Dewhurst doesn’t know about it.’
‘Well, it doesn’t seem sense not having May Kings, does it? I wun’t mind bein’ May King if you was May Queen.’
The rehearsal was, on the whole, a failure.
‘William Brown, don’t hold the train so high. No, not quite so low. Don’t stand so near the Queen, William Brown. No, not so far away – you’ll pull the train off.
Walk when the Queen walks, William Brown, don’t stand still. Sing up, please, train-bearer. No, not quite so loud. That’s deafening and not melodious.’
In the end he was degraded from the position of trainbearer to that of ordinary ‘swain’. The ‘swains’ were to be dressed in smocks and the ‘maidens’ in print
dresses, and the maypole dance was to be performed round Evangeline Fish, who was to stand in queenly attire by the pole in the middle. All the village was to be invited.
At the end of the rehearsal William came upon Bettine, once more gazing wistfully at Evangeline Fish, who was coquetting (with many tosses of the fair ringlets) before a crowd of admirers.
‘Isn’t it lovely for her to be May Queen?’ said Bettine.
‘She’s a rotten one,’ said William. ‘I’m jolly glad I’ve not to hold up her rotten ole train an’ listen to her narsy squeaky voice singin’
close to, an’ I’ll give you a present tomorrow.’
He did. He found a centipede in the garden and pressed it into her hand on the way to school.
‘They’re jolly int’restin’,’ he said. ‘Put it in a matchbox and make holes for its breath and it’ll live ever so long. It won’t bite you if you
hold it the right way.’
And because she loved William she took it without even a shudder.
Evangeline Fish began to pursue William. She
cakes. William watched her in amazement, forgetting even to scowl at her. Her capacity for cakes exceeded even William’s, and his was no mean one.
WILLIAM ACCORDED HER A CERTAIN GRUDGING ADMIRATION. ICED CAKES, CREAM CAKES, PASTRIES MELTED AWAY BEFORE HER.
They had a rehearsal of the maypole dance and crowning the next day.
‘I want William Brown to hold the Queen’s train,’ said Miss Dewhurst.
‘ Me? ’ ejaculated William in horror. ‘D’you mean me ?’
‘Yes, dear. It’s a great honour to be asked to hold little Queen Evangeline’s train. I’m sure you feel very proud. You must be her little courtier.’
‘Huh!’ said William, transferring his scowl to Miss Dewhurst.
Evangeline beamed. She wanted William’s admiration. William was the only boy in the form who was not her slave. She smiled at William sweetly.
‘I’m not good at holdin’ trains,’ said William. ‘I don’t like holdin’ trains. I’ve never bin taught ’bout holdin’
trains. I might do it wrong on the day an’ spoil it all. I shan’t like to spoil it all,’ he added virtuously
‘Oh, we’ll have heaps of practices,’ said Miss Dewhurst brightly.
As he was going Bettine pressed a small apple into his hand.
‘A present for you,’ she murmured. ‘I saved it from my dinner.’
He was touched.
‘I’ll give you somethin’ tomorrow,’ he said, adding hastily, ‘if I can find anythin’.’
They stood in silence till he had finished his apple.
‘I’ve left a lot on the core,’ he said in a tone of unusual politeness, handing it to her, ‘would you like to finish it?’
‘No, thank you. William, you’ll look so nice holding her train.’
‘I don’t want to, an’ I bet I won’t ! You don’t know the things I can do,’ he said darkly.
‘Oh, William!’ she gasped in awe and admiration.
‘I’d hold your train if you was goin’ to be queen,’ he volunteered.
‘I wouldn’t want you to hold my train,’ she said earnestly. ‘I’d – I’d – I’d want you to be May King with me.’
‘Yes. Why don’t they have May Kings?’ said William, stung by this insult to his sex.
‘Why shouldn’t there be a May King?’
‘I speck they do , really, only p’raps Miss Dewhurst doesn’t know about it.’
‘Well, it doesn’t seem sense not having May Kings, does it? I wun’t mind bein’ May King if you was May Queen.’
The rehearsal was, on the whole, a failure.
‘William Brown, don’t hold the train so high. No, not quite so low. Don’t stand so near the Queen, William Brown. No, not so far away – you’ll pull the train off.
Walk when the Queen walks, William Brown, don’t stand still. Sing up, please, train-bearer. No, not quite so loud. That’s deafening and not melodious.’
In the end he was degraded from the position of trainbearer to that of ordinary ‘swain’. The ‘swains’ were to be dressed in smocks and the ‘maidens’ in print
dresses, and the maypole dance was to be performed round Evangeline Fish, who was to stand in queenly attire by the pole in the middle. All the village was to be invited.
At the end of the rehearsal William came upon Bettine, once more gazing wistfully at Evangeline Fish, who was coquetting (with many tosses of the fair ringlets) before a crowd of admirers.
‘Isn’t it lovely for her to be May Queen?’ said Bettine.
‘She’s a rotten one,’ said William. ‘I’m jolly glad I’ve not to hold up her rotten ole train an’ listen to her narsy squeaky voice singin’
close to, an’ I’ll give you a present tomorrow.’
He did. He found a centipede in the garden and pressed it into her hand on the way to school.
‘They’re jolly int’restin’,’ he said. ‘Put it in a matchbox and make holes for its breath and it’ll live ever so long. It won’t bite you if you
hold it the right way.’
And because she loved William she took it without even a shudder.
Evangeline Fish began to pursue William. She
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