The Swish of the Curtain by Pamela Brown

Author:Pamela Brown [Pamela Brown]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781782691860
Publisher: Pushkin Press
Published: 2018-10-10T16:00:00+00:00

The maid knocking on the door of the girls’ room was not surprised to receive no answer, as she had previously taken tea into the boys’ room, and all that had been visible of them were three humps under the bedclothes. She walked in and banged the tray down on the table that stood between the two beds, on one of which lay a red head and a black one, and on the other two fair ones.

“Your tea, missies,” she announced loudly, but was only answered by grunts. She banged the door behind her, and Lyn stirred slightly. For a minute she thought she was at home and turned over to go to sleep again, thinking through a haze of slumber that she need not get up till she heard Jeremy let the bath-water out; then she felt Vicky’s feet at the bottom of the bed and remembered, and was out of bed in a moment.

“Wake up!” she cried. “It’s today!”

She flung off her nightdress and danced madly round the room in her birthday suit, then began to hurry her clothes on. Vicky was wakened by the cold draught caused in the bed by Lyn’s exit, and she got up. Maddy and Sandra continued to slumber until the other two snatched their pillows from under them.

“We can’t all bath, but I should think two of us could if we hurried. Anyone want to particularly?”

“I do,” cried Lyn, and ran into the adjoining bathroom, where they heard her splashing and singing opera. The unmistakable aroma of bacon and eggs met them as they went down to break-fast. The bishop and the boys had preceded them, and Jeremy’s greeting to them was, “We’re waiting for the women, as usual.”

“Trust men to be on the scene if there’s food about,” rejoined Maddy with spirit.

The dining-room was very full of other visitors, and they were all staring at the peculiar party that sat at the centre table, making a considerable amount of noise, and evidently in charge of the elderly clerical gentleman. Two spinsters at the next table were overjoyed when the chance came to satiate their curiosity. Maddy, who, though a slow eater, was a thorough one, was left behind at the table to finish her egg while the others went to tidy their rooms. Instantly the two spinsters, who both wore pince-nez and had faded mousy hair, came and sat one on each side of her.

“So you’ve come here for the Festival?” said the thinner one, in her reedy voice.

Maddy, her mouth full, nodded an affirmative.

“With your father, I suppose?” asked the plumper one, who, when Maddy nodded again, shot a triumphant glance at her companion. When Maddy’s mouth was empty she told them, “My father’s a bishop.”

“So we noticed. And what a large family he has.” The thin one was pumping her scientifically.

“Yes, there are six of us. But, of course, Sandra is his third wife.”

“Sandra?”

“Yes. The fair girl that sat at the end of the table. She’s only our stepmother, so we call her by name.

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