Silent Music by Jane Hawking

Author:Jane Hawking
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Alma Books

34

Even though the distance to school was shorter by ten minutes as a result of the move, Ruth left home at the same time as before to walk up the road with her father. His office was only ten minutes beyond the school, but since his recent promotion, he liked to arrive earlier than the rest of the staff, attacking his new duties as Manager of the Rates Office with his customary seriousness of purpose. The arrangement gave Ruth, by special dispensation, a welcome clear fifteen minutes of piano practice before the bell rang. Her class teacher for the year, the assistant Head, raised no objection to her arriving early for her music practice, and although her father may have wondered why she ran off into school so eagerly while the other children still played in the playground, his mind by this stage would be focusing on his own day ahead and he never stopped to enquire. By the end of the day he would have forgotten about it anyway.

In the companionship of the piano and her music, Ruth found some compensation for the absence of Susan and Ben. Simple Simon had also gone, but no one knew where. Rumours were rife: some said that he had been caught stealing, others that he had attacked his younger sister. The only certain fact was that he was not in school. Ruth did have friends with whom she played skipping games or jacks or pick-a-stick in break time, but none were as close as Susan had been, so it was no great sacrifice to relinquish their company in favour of Chopin or Mozart.

In any case a general air of gloom and apprehension hung over that class of children in this, the year of the Eleven Plus exams, upon which the rest of their lives depended. The whole course of their lives might be determined by the results. If successful, they would go to the grammar school, or even to the high school on an assisted place, with opportunities for higher education. Otherwise the Secondary Modern would mop up the failures and destine them to a life as second-class citizens. Although, like all the others, Ruth hoped for a place at the grammar school, she was sure that her maths would let her down.

Shirley had reacted brusquely one evening when over supper Ruth had complained that she simply didn’t understand how to do subtraction with pounds, shillings and pence.

“I don’t believe it,” she remarked cuttingly. “I expected you were going to be a mathematician like your father. After all, it’s obvious that you take after him, not me.” She went on more encouragingly after a minute or two, in which time she may have considered her remarks rather unfair. “As I’ve said before, it wasn’t my best subject either, but you can learn if you try – I did, and look at me now, doing sums all day behind the counter and much of the night as well! I’m sure your father would teach you.

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