table. Our father had left a little money which we were trying to use sparingly but it must run out sooner rather than later. What would we do after that? Beg, like Peg did? No, before that, we would have to start selling some of our things. Louisa, unknown to our mother, had already returned her muff to the shop; not that that had raised any money, but at least it had cancelled out one of our smaller debts.
This morning, without saying anything, we each took some toys and half a dozen books that we’d had when we were younger. Even though we had grown past these things in age we were reluctant to part with them but knew that we must. We took the toys to the toy shop at the head of our own close. They had been bought from Mr Gray originally. Naturally he gave us less than our father would have paid, with them being second-hand. We then proceeded to Bell and Broadfoot the bookseller’s in Parliament Close. We found it difficult to haggle over prices as our father might have done but in the end we had enough money to buy a box of candles.
Our mother was delighted. She did not ask how we had come by them, seeming to think that we had done what she had suggested.
“She’s niver had tae manage the money hersel’, that’s the problem,” said Bessie, when we took the candles to her in the kitchen. “Yer faither’s aye protected her.” Bessie did ask about the candles and when we told her she said, “Yer mither could sell some things hersel’. They’d fetch mair money.”
“That’s for her to decide,” I said.
We went out again after lunch and the first person we encountered was Monsieur Goriot. He was out and about in the town a great deal more than any of the other French courtiers, or so it seemed to us, who are abroad much ourselves. We did not exactly encounter him; we merely passed in the street and as we did he gave us a long stare. He could not have known, though, I reasoned, that we had been spying on him. When I glanced round I saw that he was looking back too. He did not turn until I did. And when I risked a second glance he had disappeared. He must have gone into a nearby close.
We had not long arrived at the Abbey Strand when Tam appeared. He greeted us with his usual cheery smile.
“I was hopin’ I might see ye. I got yer faither a new job. He’s tae wait at table.”
“Oh, Tam!” Louisa hugged him and he laughed and his face reddened.
We were as pleased as if our father had been given high office in the realm.
Chapter 13
Lucy and Will had just finished reading the chapter of William and Louisa’s journal when the doorbell rang. Lucy slid the book into a carrier bag lying at her feet and pushed it behind a chair while Will sprang up to go and answer the door.
“The stone, Will!” cried Lucy.
He turned back and together they lifted it up. It took a minute or two to fix it firmly into the wall. The bell rang again.
“I’m coming,” shouted Will, though there was no chance anyone would be able to hear him through the thickness of these walls.
He opened the door to find one of their dad’s oldest friends standing outside.
“Dan!”
“Hi, Will, how’re you doing, man?”
“OK.”
“Dad in?”
“No, but come on in.”
Dan came in and said “Hi” to Lucy too, and then made for the radiator under the window, where he stood, warming his hands on it. “Cold out there.”
“Want a cup of hot chocolate?” asked Lucy. “We were just going to have one.”
“Love one. So your dad’s not in? I’ve just been round to his office but it was all locked up. What’s he playing at these days? Haven’t seen him for a couple of weeks and he hasn’t beenanswering the phone.”
Lucy and Will looked at each other and nodded. They would have to let Dan know what was going on, whether their mother approved or not. She was very proud and wanted to go on pretending to the outside world that everything was normal. But it was not. Jane knew, and now Gran did. The latter was on the
This morning, without saying anything, we each took some toys and half a dozen books that we’d had when we were younger. Even though we had grown past these things in age we were reluctant to part with them but knew that we must. We took the toys to the toy shop at the head of our own close. They had been bought from Mr Gray originally. Naturally he gave us less than our father would have paid, with them being second-hand. We then proceeded to Bell and Broadfoot the bookseller’s in Parliament Close. We found it difficult to haggle over prices as our father might have done but in the end we had enough money to buy a box of candles.
Our mother was delighted. She did not ask how we had come by them, seeming to think that we had done what she had suggested.
“She’s niver had tae manage the money hersel’, that’s the problem,” said Bessie, when we took the candles to her in the kitchen. “Yer faither’s aye protected her.” Bessie did ask about the candles and when we told her she said, “Yer mither could sell some things hersel’. They’d fetch mair money.”
“That’s for her to decide,” I said.
We went out again after lunch and the first person we encountered was Monsieur Goriot. He was out and about in the town a great deal more than any of the other French courtiers, or so it seemed to us, who are abroad much ourselves. We did not exactly encounter him; we merely passed in the street and as we did he gave us a long stare. He could not have known, though, I reasoned, that we had been spying on him. When I glanced round I saw that he was looking back too. He did not turn until I did. And when I risked a second glance he had disappeared. He must have gone into a nearby close.
We had not long arrived at the Abbey Strand when Tam appeared. He greeted us with his usual cheery smile.
“I was hopin’ I might see ye. I got yer faither a new job. He’s tae wait at table.”
“Oh, Tam!” Louisa hugged him and he laughed and his face reddened.
We were as pleased as if our father had been given high office in the realm.
Chapter 13
Lucy and Will had just finished reading the chapter of William and Louisa’s journal when the doorbell rang. Lucy slid the book into a carrier bag lying at her feet and pushed it behind a chair while Will sprang up to go and answer the door.
“The stone, Will!” cried Lucy.
He turned back and together they lifted it up. It took a minute or two to fix it firmly into the wall. The bell rang again.
“I’m coming,” shouted Will, though there was no chance anyone would be able to hear him through the thickness of these walls.
He opened the door to find one of their dad’s oldest friends standing outside.
“Dan!”
“Hi, Will, how’re you doing, man?”
“OK.”
“Dad in?”
“No, but come on in.”
Dan came in and said “Hi” to Lucy too, and then made for the radiator under the window, where he stood, warming his hands on it. “Cold out there.”
“Want a cup of hot chocolate?” asked Lucy. “We were just going to have one.”
“Love one. So your dad’s not in? I’ve just been round to his office but it was all locked up. What’s he playing at these days? Haven’t seen him for a couple of weeks and he hasn’t beenanswering the phone.”
Lucy and Will looked at each other and nodded. They would have to let Dan know what was going on, whether their mother approved or not. She was very proud and wanted to go on pretending to the outside world that everything was normal. But it was not. Jane knew, and now Gran did. The latter was on the
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