William and the Pop Singers (Just William, Book 35) by Richmal Crompton

Author:Richmal Crompton [Crompton, Richmal]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books
Published: 1993-01-01T05:00:00+00:00

“I’m trying to tell you,” said Archie. “You see, I did this head of Ethel—”

“Your girl friend?”

“Y-yes—I mean, she’s more my girl friend than I’m her boy friend, if you know what I mean. I mean, she’s never taken me seriously, but I hoped this head I did of her would show her something of what I felt for her and and show her something of my artistic ability. It was the best thing I’ve ever done. I put my new signature on it, too.”

“Your—?”

“My new signature. Like Whistler’s butterfly. Didn’t I tell you? I’ve decided in future to stamp all my work with an acorn. It’s a symbol of artistic growth.” He stopped and looked at her helplessly. “Or isn’t it?”

Miss Stanton sighed.

“Mr Mannister, I'm rather busy today. Perhaps you could get to the point.”

“I’m trying to,” said Archie. “Honestly I am. You see, I’d finished this head. Quite the best thing I’ve ever done. And I was bringing it to you so that you might perhaps suggest some further touches to make it more perfect. A spot of colour perhaps. Like the old masters. Della Robbia, for instance—"

“Please, Mr Mannister!”

“I’m telling you as quickly as I can,” said Archie in dignified reproach. “Well, I was carrying it along the road when suddenly I saw Ethel coming from the opposite direction. I didn’t want her to see the head just then. I could hardly present it to her in the middle of the village street, and I couldn’t hide it because the piece of paper I’d put round it was very inadequate so . . .”

“Yes?” said Miss Stanton.

“Well, I was passing an excavation in the road and on a sudden impulse I slipped the head into it and pushed the soil down over it with my foot. I meant to get it out as soon as she’d passed, but it turned out that she was taking some things in a suitcase for her mother to the Village Hall for a jumble sale, so of course I had to carry it for her—I mean, I considered it a privilege to carry it for her—and when I got back to the hole—well, you simply won’t believe this—”

“The head had gone,” said Miss Stanton.

Archie gaped at her.

“How did you know?” he said.

“It seemed to be the inevitable denouement,” said Miss Stanton wearily. “The whole story seemed to be leading up to it. How do you account for the loss?”

“I can’t,” said Archie. “I’ve been thinking and thinking about it ever since it happened. I—I wondered . . ."

“Yes, Mr Mannister?”

The tension of Archie’s features had relaxed into an expression that was almost sheepish.

“It’s honestly the best thing I’ve ever done—I just, wondered—I mean, it occurred to me that—well, it really is the best thing I’ve ever done and I thought—I mean, the idea came into my mind that perhaps some— some unprincipled art collector might have seen it (you can see right into the studio of my cottage from the road, you know) and followed me and—well, you do hear of such things, you know.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.