heather and . . . er . . . lakes. I want to milk cows!’ said Mr Knacksap, waving his hand.
‘Sheep, dear,’ said Heckie. ‘It’s sheep you have in hill country.’
Mr Knacksap frowned. He did not like to be interrupted and was not quite sure if he wanted to milk sheep.
‘Chickens too!’ he cried. ‘I want to get up at daybreak and look for brown eggs in the straw!’
He fished in the pocket of his jacket and showed Heckie a picture. It was of a pretty whitewashed cottage with a porch, standing in the shelter of a high hill. A stream ran through the garden, with alder trees along its banks, and a dovecote covered in honeysuckle stood by the gate.
‘Oh, Li-Li, what a pretty place!’
‘It’s called Paradise Cottage,’ said Mr Knacksap. ‘And what I want more than anything in the world is to live there.’
Heckie was silent. When you love somebody it is sad to think that they may go and live a long way away, but she tried to be brave. ‘If that’s what you want, you must do it, Li-Li. But, oh, I shall miss you.’
Mr Knacksap seized Heckie’s hand. ‘No, no, dearest Hecate – you don’t understand! I want you to come with me. I want us to live there together! I am asking you to marry me!’
In the staffroom of Wellbridge Junior School, they were once again talking about Daniel Trent.
‘He’s looking thoroughly peaky again,’ said the deputy head. ‘Just when he seemed so much brighter. I wonder if I ought to have a word with those professors?’
But it wasn’t the fault of Daniel’s parents that he was unhappy. They did what they had always done. It was Heckie’s engagement that had made Daniel so wretched. If she’d just been going to marry Mr Knacksap, it would have been bad enough, but she was going to live miles and miles away in the Lake District. And so soon! Mr Knacksap wanted to have the wedding before the end of the month.
‘You’ll come and stay with us often and often,’ Heckie kept saying, and Daniel always answered: ‘Yes, of course I will.’ But he knew that he wouldn’t. Mr Knacksap didn’t like children; anyone could see that.
‘I suppose Heckie must be very happy,’ said Sumi when the children met at break. ‘But she looks awfully tired.’
‘She’s worried about the dragworm,’ said Daniel. ‘She can’t take him with her because of Mr Knacksap being allergous or whatever he is.’
‘Well, I think he’s up to something,’ said Joe. He was sitting on the coal-bunker eating a banana and looking more like a small ape than ever. ‘I believe he’s marrying her for a reason. And why can’t he ever come and see her on a Monday or a Wednesday or a Friday? What’s he doing the other days, do you suppose? I tell you, he’s a crook; I just know it.’
But what could the children do?
‘If we try and warn her, she’ll never believe us,’ said Sumi.
‘No,’ said Daniel thoughtfully. ‘She wouldn’t believe us . But there’s someone she’d have to believe, isn’t there?’
The others looked at him. ‘Yes,’ said Joe slowly. ‘I see what you mean.’
Mr Knacksap opened the door of his shop and stepped into the street. He was carrying a bunch of roses and a box of chocolates, but the roses were white, not red, and the chocolates were not plain ones with hard centres, but milky ones with soft centres.
There were other differences too. When he went to see Heckie, the furrier always wore a dark suit and had his hair parted in the middle. Now he was wearing a white suit and his hair was parted at the side. What was the same, though, was the greedy, furtive look on his face.
He crossed Market Square and made his way down the narrow road which led to the bus station. A Number 33 was waiting to set off for Fetlington, on the north side of the town, and as he rode past the prison and the football ground, the furrier closed his eyes and gloated. In a month he’d be safely in Spain, leading a life of luxury. Fast cars, casinos, beautiful girls to massage
‘Sheep, dear,’ said Heckie. ‘It’s sheep you have in hill country.’
Mr Knacksap frowned. He did not like to be interrupted and was not quite sure if he wanted to milk sheep.
‘Chickens too!’ he cried. ‘I want to get up at daybreak and look for brown eggs in the straw!’
He fished in the pocket of his jacket and showed Heckie a picture. It was of a pretty whitewashed cottage with a porch, standing in the shelter of a high hill. A stream ran through the garden, with alder trees along its banks, and a dovecote covered in honeysuckle stood by the gate.
‘Oh, Li-Li, what a pretty place!’
‘It’s called Paradise Cottage,’ said Mr Knacksap. ‘And what I want more than anything in the world is to live there.’
Heckie was silent. When you love somebody it is sad to think that they may go and live a long way away, but she tried to be brave. ‘If that’s what you want, you must do it, Li-Li. But, oh, I shall miss you.’
Mr Knacksap seized Heckie’s hand. ‘No, no, dearest Hecate – you don’t understand! I want you to come with me. I want us to live there together! I am asking you to marry me!’
In the staffroom of Wellbridge Junior School, they were once again talking about Daniel Trent.
‘He’s looking thoroughly peaky again,’ said the deputy head. ‘Just when he seemed so much brighter. I wonder if I ought to have a word with those professors?’
But it wasn’t the fault of Daniel’s parents that he was unhappy. They did what they had always done. It was Heckie’s engagement that had made Daniel so wretched. If she’d just been going to marry Mr Knacksap, it would have been bad enough, but she was going to live miles and miles away in the Lake District. And so soon! Mr Knacksap wanted to have the wedding before the end of the month.
‘You’ll come and stay with us often and often,’ Heckie kept saying, and Daniel always answered: ‘Yes, of course I will.’ But he knew that he wouldn’t. Mr Knacksap didn’t like children; anyone could see that.
‘I suppose Heckie must be very happy,’ said Sumi when the children met at break. ‘But she looks awfully tired.’
‘She’s worried about the dragworm,’ said Daniel. ‘She can’t take him with her because of Mr Knacksap being allergous or whatever he is.’
‘Well, I think he’s up to something,’ said Joe. He was sitting on the coal-bunker eating a banana and looking more like a small ape than ever. ‘I believe he’s marrying her for a reason. And why can’t he ever come and see her on a Monday or a Wednesday or a Friday? What’s he doing the other days, do you suppose? I tell you, he’s a crook; I just know it.’
But what could the children do?
‘If we try and warn her, she’ll never believe us,’ said Sumi.
‘No,’ said Daniel thoughtfully. ‘She wouldn’t believe us . But there’s someone she’d have to believe, isn’t there?’
The others looked at him. ‘Yes,’ said Joe slowly. ‘I see what you mean.’
Mr Knacksap opened the door of his shop and stepped into the street. He was carrying a bunch of roses and a box of chocolates, but the roses were white, not red, and the chocolates were not plain ones with hard centres, but milky ones with soft centres.
There were other differences too. When he went to see Heckie, the furrier always wore a dark suit and had his hair parted in the middle. Now he was wearing a white suit and his hair was parted at the side. What was the same, though, was the greedy, furtive look on his face.
He crossed Market Square and made his way down the narrow road which led to the bus station. A Number 33 was waiting to set off for Fetlington, on the north side of the town, and as he rode past the prison and the football ground, the furrier closed his eyes and gloated. In a month he’d be safely in Spain, leading a life of luxury. Fast cars, casinos, beautiful girls to massage
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