Skating Shoes by Noel Streatfeild

Author:Noel Streatfeild
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2018-11-05T16:00:00+00:00

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Lalla’s success at the skating gala made Lalla less nice to have as a friend than she had been. Lalla had what is called a vivid personality, which was the part of her that made her remembered and stand out from other skaters. Because she had this, the sports writers noticed her and wrote about her in their papers, and photographers took photographs of her.

If Nana and Miss Goldthorpe could have had their way, Lalla would never have read about herself in the papers, or looked at the photographs. Aunt Claudia, however, thought that it would stimulate Lalla to further efforts. Many days she had her down to the drawing room after tea and read the press notices out loud to her.

“Little Lalla Moore, Cyril Moore’s daughter, is a skater of remarkable promise, of whom we should hear more.” “Little Lalla Moore, the daughter of figure skater Cyril Moore, was the star of the evening.” “Little Miss Lalla Moore, for whom a great future is predicted, won all hearts.” And in the Sunday papers, under pictures, “A Young Skating Star.” “A Winsome Child Skater.” “A Pretty Little Queen of the Ice.”

The more press cuttings Aunt Claudia read or showed to Lalla the more prancy and difficult to deal with Nana and Miss Goldthorpe found her. It was difficult to get her back from what Nana called being above herself. Aunt Claudia wanted her to be above herself. Wilson, the cook, and Helen the housemaid did not mind her being above herself. They cut out photographs of her, and stuck them up in their bedrooms, in their sitting room, and on the kitchen mantelpiece, and liked it when she came in and told them all about the gala.

Harriet tried not to side with Nana and Miss Goldthorpe against Lalla, but she did wish her friend would stop being grand. Lalla had always been inclined to order Harriet to do things for her, and after the gala she treated Harriet rather as though the girl existed for no other purpose than to wait on her.

“Don’t you give in to her, dear,” Nana told Harriet. “The way she goes on you’d think you were no more than a heathen slave that she’d bought. You want to say no to her sharp and plain, same as I do.”

Miss Goldthorpe said: “I do hope Mrs. King will soon come to a decision about your doing lessons with Lalla, Harriet dear. It’s going to be so good for Lalla to have someone to work with, and you must not give in to her. She needs a friend who doesn’t give in.”

Nana and Miss Goldthorpe’s great supporter in putting Lalla back to being an ordinary girl who skated rather nicely was Max Lindblom. He spoke to Nana most seriously about his star pupil.

“It is not good that Lalla is shown these press cuttings. She thinks now she is so clever she need not work. But I tell you that she must work harder than ever if she is to pass the test for her silver medal in May.

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