White Boots (11 page)

They found a very nice shop and Lalla had lemonade, Harriet chocolate and Miss Goldthorpe a cup of coffee, and they all had buns. While they ate and drank Lalla described every moment she had been on the ice taking her test. Neither Miss Goldthorpe nor Harriet understood much of what she was saying, but Miss Goldthorpe managed to look interested, and Harriet really was. Interested faces were all that Lalla needed and she enjoyed herself more and more each minute. When Miss Goldthorpe went to a desk to pay the bill she suddenly remembered an extra nice thing.

“Oh, Harriet, I've thought of something. The very first second you see him you've got to tell Toby about me. How many marks I got, and every single thing you can think of. That'll show him that he's absolutely wrong saying I won't be a champion.”

A few days after the test there was more excitement for Lalla. Max Lindblom thought that, as she had passed with such flying colours, it would be good for her to have the experience of skating before an audience. He went to see Mr Matthews. Mr Matthews was drinking a glass of milk and swallowing tablets for his duodenal ulcer. He listened to
what Max Lindblom had to say with a surprised expression.

“But I've been wanting the kid to skate in public for years. We've got that big charity do in January. Nothing could suit me better. But you've always said you wouldn't allow it.”

Max nodded.

“I do not like a show being made of a small child. A small child does a pretty exhibition badly, but people do not know she is bad, they think it wonderful she can skate at all, so they stamp and scream and applaud. How then can I say to that child, you are a naughty one, that was a bad display last night. The child has heard the applause, and she cocks a snook at me.”

Mr Matthews looked shocked.

“I hope not, I shouldn't like any of our youngsters behaving that way.”

“I do not mean they cock a snook with the hand, I mean they cock a snook inside the head.”

Mr Matthews did not care what happened inside the head, so he went back to the discussion of Lalla giving a skating exhibition.

“D'you think that aunt of hers would agree?”

Max explained that Aunt Claudia would have liked Lalla to have skated in public long ago, but she had agreed to wait until he said that she was ready for it. He thought now the time had come; she had passed her inter-silver very well indeed, which meant she had mastered those figures well, and he thought she might perform an exhibition of free skating now and again to
give her a sense of showmanship. He wanted her to understand how a free skating programme was made up. That the movements were chosen, and the jumps and spins arranged to show her to her best advantage, please the audience, and yet be well inside her range. The only question was who should write to the aunt. Should he do it or should Mr Matthews. Mr Matthews said he thought he ought to write. After all, he was arranging the performance for charity and he would say that Max had suggested it.

The result of Mr Matthews' letter was that one morning Aunt Claudia came up to the schoolroom just as Lalla was starting lessons. It was easy to see, as she opened the door, that nobody had done anything wrong, for she looked like a cat just after it had drunk a large saucer of cream.

“Forgive me for interrupting, Miss Goldthorpe, but I have some exciting news for Lalla. Mr Matthews asks that you may give an exhibition, dear, at his big charity performance in January. I think we may say yes, don't you?”

Lalla was surprised as Mr Matthews had been, for she knew Mr Matthews had always wanted her to give exhibitions and Max had never allowed it.

“Does Max say I can?”

“Mr Matthews says he suggested it. Now when you go skating this afternoon I want you to find out what sort of programme he is arranging, because we've got to see that you have a really lovely skating dress for this occasion. I think the
first skating frock for our little star ought to be white, don't you, Miss Goldthorpe? With perhaps a sprinkling of silver stars or something pretty like that.”

When Aunt Claudia said “our little star” Miss Goldthorpe's inside felt as if it was milk about to curdle. She did not approve of that sort of talk. Time enough, she thought, to call Lalla a star when she was one. However, it was no good talking to Aunt Claudia; she had to say things like that, poor woman, she did not seem to be able to help it. So she answered politely, thought in rather a governessy, stuffy sort of voice, that she thought white would be very nice indeed.

Aunt Claudia sat down.

“The other thing I want to speak about, Lalla, is your food. Now that you're really on the threshold of success, we must do something about your diet. A skater should be slim, and there are a few naughty curves I should like to see disappear. Don't you agree, Miss Goldthorpe?”

Miss Goldthorpe looked at Lalla's round face, coloured like a nice ripe peach, and her mass of shining dark curls, and her nicely-made, solid body, and Aunt Claudia or no Aunt Claudia, she had to speak her mind.

“Lalla's not fat, she's nicely covered, and I like to see a child nicely covered.”

Aunt Claudia smiled at Miss Goldthorpe in a you-and-I-understand-each-other way.

“An ordinary child, yes. But we can't treat Lalla as an
ordinary child, we must treat her as a little race-horse.”

Lalla was startled. A race-horse! She had been wondering what sort of diet she was to have, for the only kind she knew as the sort known as “starve a fever”, which happened when she had measles, chicken-pox, and influenza.

“Do you mean I've got to eat oats? I have those in porridge.”

Aunt Claudia tried not to look impatient, but she thought Lalla was being slow and her voice showed that she thought that.

“Certainly not oats. We have to increase the proteins and reduce the starchy foods.” She turned to Miss Goldthorpe. “There's to be no bread with her luncheon, nor potatoes, and there'll be no starchy sweets. I've told Cook it's to be stewed fruit in future. For tea and breakfast rusks instead of bread, and no cakes at present.”

Lalla gasped.

“Rusks for tea! But I like toast. No cakes!”

Aunt Claudia used her reciting voice.

“Not for the moment. We don't mind any sacrifice, do we, to achieve our end?”

Lalla did mind, and she minded Aunt Claudia saying “we”. She thought to herself, “I bet she has cakes and toast, and it's only me that's got to eat rusks.” But she kept these thoughts to herself, because she wanted to give the skating exhibition and if Aunt Claudia was cross she might say she was not to do it.

“I thought I was to have square-turn'd joints and strength of limb. I won't have those on rusks.”

Aunt Claudia gave her a kiss.

“Naughty child. You know I'm only planning this diet because I have to. And believe me, it's not an easy thing to do. With meat rationed as it is, it's going to mean a sacrifice all round to see you have sufficient.”

There was a little silence after Aunt Claudia had gone. Miss Goldthorpe was wondering what Nana was going to say when she heard about the diet. Lalla was listening to hear that Aunt Claudia was out of hearing. Presently her bedroom door shut, but all the same she spoke in a whisper for safety.

“She's gone to tell Nana, but I'll get round her. Nana'd never be so mean as to stop me making toast. Do you think I'm too fat, Goldie?”

Miss Goldthorpe struggled to be loyal to her employer.

“Well, dear, I know nothing about skating.” Then she broke off and her real feelings got hold of her. “No, I don't dear. However, if you've got to have a diet, you've got to have a diet, and there's the end of it. Now come on, we've wasted too much time. Where's your atlas? Open it at North America.”

In Lalla's bedroom Nana listened to Aunt Claudia's description of Lalla's diet with a respectful face but a turbulent heart. Never had there been a diet in her nurseries except when a child was ill. There had been trouble in the past because a child would not eat, but never when it could.

“Lalla's been brought up to eat what's put in front of her, ma'am, and so she does, bless her. I don't hold with interfering with children's food.”

Aunt Claudia tried to be patient.

“But you see Lalla's not an ordinary child. As I've just been saying to Miss Goldthorpe, we've got to treat her with the same care as we would a little race-horse.”

“Race-horse! I don't like to speak against poor dumb animals, but I wouldn't wish it to be said that I would treat a race-horse better than one of my children. Same care as a race-horse indeed! Lalla couldn't have had better attention since I had her when she was a month old, if she was Princess Anne.”

Aunt Claudia wondered, as she had sometimes wondered before, if Nana were getting past her work. It would be awkward getting rid of her, for she had been chosen by Lalla's mother and there was some money to come to her if she stayed with the family till Lalla was grown up. The lawyer who looked after Lalla's money was a fairly reasonable man to deal with, but she had a feeling he might be difficult if she tried to get rid of Nana.

“This is not a discussion, it's an order; but I shall need your help over tea. It would be easier if you would eat rusks too; it's a temptation to the child if she sees a loaf on the table.” Aunt Claudia could see by Nana's face that she was never going to agree to eat rusks, so she hurried on. “Now, to a much more exciting subject. Lalla's going to give a skating exhibition in January, so this afternoon I've told her to talk to Max Lindblom about the sort of display it's to be. Perhaps you would talk to him too. I thought her very first special skating dress should be white. What do you think?”

Nana, as usual when she had been interviewed by Aunt Claudia, opened the door for her and saw her down the stairs, then she came back to Lalla's room and went on with what she had been doing, which was tidying drawers. Suddenly she stopped, one of Lalla's socks in her hand. Little race-horse! What a way to speak of one of God's creatures! Rusks indeed! “I've never starved my children yet and I'm not starting now. The moment I see Lalla looking peaky, it's hot dripping toast for her tea and plenty of it.”

AT CHRISTMAS AUNT Claudia and Uncle David went away to spend Christmas with Uncle David's sister. Always before they had spent Christmas at home, because of Lalla. This year's going away was not something which happened accidentally, as Lalla supposed, but happened because of a talk Uncle David had with Nana.

One day Harriet brought Talk an invitation to spend Christmas evening with her and the family.

“We'd have such fun, the Christmas tree, and dressing up, and games, and it'll be twice as nice if you're there.”

Lalla looked longingly at Nana.

“Nana, do you think Aunt Claudia would let me?”

Nana hated to say no, but she had to.

“Not Christmas Day, dear. You have your own tree that evening.”

“But there's only me. It'd be much more fun at Harriet's tree.”

“That's as may be. But your aunt plans a nice day for you, and would be upset if you asked to go out.”

Although Nana had to say no to Lalla at the time, she thought it a great pity that Lalla could not have a family Christmas for once, so that was why she asked Uncle David to help.

“I don't know if there's anything you can do, sir, but it's lonely for a child, being just the one. It'd be a treat for Lalla, and she's been working very hard, and eating those nasty rusks and all.”

Uncle David was fond of Nana, and he could see she was worried.

“This diet nonsense isn't disagreeing with her, is it? She looks splendid.”

Nana thought it all wrong that a child should look splendid while having a diet, and her voice showed what she thought.

“Not at the moment, sir, and I'll soon put a stop to it if it upsets her. I don't want a skeleton in my nursery. No, it's not the diet, it's all work and no play and too much being the only one, it isn't right.”

“She has fun at the rink with Harriet, doesn't she?”

“Not really, sir. That poor little Harriet's not a skater like Lalla, nor never will be. She tries hard, and gets on wonderfully, but she doesn't have proper lessons.”

“Doesn't she come to tea here sometimes?”

“Just twice she's been, and Lalla the once to her. It's not been easy, what with fittings for Lalla's skating frock and that.”

Uncle David knew what Nana's “and that” meant. Aunt Claudia had taken to asking for Lalla to come to the drawing room when she had visitors. “This is my little niece. She's becoming quite a skating star. You must take tickets for her performance in January.” Lalla found it a bore being dressed up in a party frock, but she did not mind meeting the visitors. It was a change from being in the schoolroom with Nana. As well, when cocktails were served, she got nice things to eat, which, now she was on a diet, she appreciated. Aunt Claudia would tell her to take the least starchy of the canapés. “Lalla has to be careful what she eats, poor child, you have to pay for success.” But Lalla generally managed to have a good feed of everything that was going. She was expected to hand round and she usually manoeuvred something into her mouth each time her back was to Aunt Claudia.

“You don't approve of her coming to the drawing room?”

Nana looked more worried than ever.

“For most children I'd say yes, sir. It's good for children to be used to meeting people, answering prettily when they're spoken to, but it's not right for Lalla. She's just a bit of a little madam, if you know what I mean, sir, and always was. What she needs is being with a nice family like the Johnsons. The Johnson boys are properly brought up, but they won't stand for any nonsense
from a child of Lalla's age. You have to take extra care when there's only one in a family. Three's what I like; there's the size of family a home has a right to expect.”

Uncle David patted Nana's arm and told her to stop worrying, and that he would see what he could do. The first thing he did was the arranging that he and Aunt Claudia went away for Christmas, and the next was a splendid idea which was not really his at all. It came accidentally from Miss Goldthorpe.

Miss Goldthorpe had been thinking a lot about Harriet since she had met her at the rink, and so when one day she met Uncle David in the road, and he asked how Lalla was getting on, it was no surprise when Harriet came into the conversation. It started by Uncle David asking if Miss Goldthorpe knew if Lalla had done anything about presents for the Johnsons for Christmas Day. Miss Goldthorpe explained that Lalla had made grand lists of what she wanted to give them, but so far there had been no shopping because there was not time.

“I think she's going to trust me to get everything. You see, unless she takes time off from her skating or special classes, she's never free when the shops are open.”

The thought of somebody of ten never being free when the shops were open sounded to Uncle David depressing. He could not, of course, interfere as Lalla was not his ward, so instead he told Miss Goldthorpe that he would like to help to make Lalla's Christmas pleasant and that he did not suppose she had enough money to get all the presents she needed, and Miss Goldthorpe
could ask him for anything extra. Miss Goldthorpe looked as pleased as if she had had a present.

“That will please Lalla. She wanted so very much to give Harriet some good skates and boots, but, of course, they'd be too expensive for her. I myself think there are many things Harriet needs more than skates and boots, but Lalla is certain that skates and boots of her own would make Harriet happier than anything else.”

Uncle David looked at Miss Goldthorpe's plain, kind face and bulgy figure, and thought what a nice person she was.

“I wish Lalla could see more of Harriet. Nana tells me they don't have much time together on the rink and of course Lalla's day is so full. It's none of my business, but I'd like to see her have more fun.”

Miss Goldthorpe nodded vigorously.

“So would I. Sometimes when I see her sitting alone at the schoolroom table I wonder if I ought not to try and persuade her aunt to send her to a day school. I should miss her terribly, and of course there are difficulties in the way. Her curriculum does not really allow for a school life, but I feel I should do something, she does spend so much time alone.”

Uncle David stared into Miss Goldthorpe's face, and between them the idea was born. Uncle David said it would take some handling, and Miss Goldthorpe said it would be splendid, just what Lalla needed, and she was sure that competition would be good for her work. They both agreed that Nana would be delighted.

“I wonder if the Johnsons would approve.”

Miss Goldthorpe nodded again even more vigorously than before.

“They would. The day I met Harriet she told me all about herself, and it seems that she misses going to school. She was not allowed to go after her illness, because she was not considered strong enough, and now that she is strong enough her doctor won't let her go until the winter's over. He says schools are full of germs and draughts. In Lalla's schoolroom there are no draughts, and between us Nana and I can take care of her.”

Uncle David thought for a moment.

“Say nothing about this to anyone. You know how I'm placed, I'm only her step-uncle, but I'll think the matter over, and see if I can persuade Mrs King. It'd be a wonderful plan.”

If Lalla and Harriet had known what Uncle David and Miss Goldthorpe were scheming for them, and what Uncle David was going to try and talk Aunt Claudia into arranging, they would have been even more excited about Christmas than they were. As it was they were mad-doggish. Once it was arranged that Aunt Claudia and Uncle David would be away for Christmas it was decided that Lalla should spend all Christmas Day at the Johnsons' house. She was to go there first thing in the morning, and not to come home till after supper. At tea-time both Nana and Miss Goldthorpe were invited for the Christmas tree, games, dressing up and for supper.

“And nobody's to mention diet on Christmas Day,” said Lalla. “I'm going to eat everything I want to eat, plum pudding and mince pies, and Christmas cake, and as many helpings of everything as I can get in.”

There would have been, of course, no chance of turkey in the Johnsons' house if Lalla had not been going there for Christmas. Uncle William did not keep turkeys, and if he had he would have eaten them all. But part of Lalla's spending Christmas at Harriet's was a hamper from Uncle David and George. So that Olivia would not worry about Christmas things Nana told Lalla to tell Harriet that the hamper was coming. “And right and proper it should be, seeing your uncle and Mr Johnson were such friends at school.”

The hamper came two days before Christmas. Olivia saved up opening it till all the family were home. It was an enormous hamper with a big red bow on the top of it, with a sprig of holly through it. Inside was everything Christmasy that was ever heard of; as one thing after another was unpacked and laid on the kitchen table there were gasps and Oohs and Ohs from the family. Edward rubbed his face against Olivia's sleeve.

“Mummy, it's almost Christmas. Couldn't we have one teeny crystallised fruit tonight?”

Olivia explained that the glories of the hamper must wait until Lalla could share them, because her step-uncle had sent the hamper. Toby said:

“I suppose as Lalla is going to share Christmas and her step-uncle has sent Dad all this, we ought to keep it, but it's unsound policy. We should sell most of this, especially the turkey, which will fetch a lot, and we should eat what Uncle William sends.”

The family moaned with horror, but Olivia laughed.

“No,Toby, for one glorious day nothing is going to be eaten out of the shop, except possibly some vegetables, and we wouldn't eat those only I can't be bothered to go out and buy some anywhere else.”

Out of doors Christmas Day was dull and grey, but in the Johnsons' house it was so gay it seemed as if the air was glistening. In the morning almost before the Johnsons had finished breakfast Lalla arrived, and behind her came the chauffeur with his arms full of presents to go under the Christmas tree. While Olivia cooked the turkey George took the family to church; it was a nice service with all the proper carols, including
The First Nowell, Hark! the herald angels sing
, and
O come, all ye faithful
. When they got home again the table in the kitchen-dining room was laid for Christmas lunch. Olivia had made it look lovely, with two red candles, lots of holly, and in the middle something which had come out of Uncle David's hamper; Father Christmas in his sledge, driving six remarkably prancy-looking reindeer.

The food was so good and there were such lovely things in the crackers, including a lot of indoor fireworks, that Christmas
lunch was hardly cleared away and the fat feeling it had brought on had only begun to work off when Miss Goldthorpe and Nana arrived for Christmas tea. In spite of the splendid Christmas cake, nobody could eat much, for not only were they full of Christmas food already but the sooner they stopped eating the sooner they would get to the great moment of the day, presents and the tree.

Lalla had been so happy all day she had not supposed she could have felt happier. Everything was amusing; the family jokes at lunch had seemed to her radiantly funny, helping to wash up and dry, a bore to the Johnsons, was the greatest pleasure to her, but when she was waiting for the Christmas tree to be lighted, she found a new sort of happiness rising in her which gave her a swelling-up feeling inside. Always before Christmas Day had been arranged for her, and though, of course, she gave presents to everybody in the house, it had been her presents that had mattered, and everybody in the house had stood round to admire and be interested when she opened her parcels. But now she had the thrill of parcel giving. Her inside sort of turned over each time she looked at her special parcels done up in holly-trimmed paper and scarlet bows. “Oh, giggerty-geggerty, wouldn't they all be pleased!”

Lalla had to wait for the opening of her parcels. Guests first was Olivia's rule, and she rummaged amongst the parcels, picking out one for Miss Goldthorpe, one for Nana, and one for
Lalla. They were all presents from Aunt Claudia. Nana had a grand new work-basket, Miss Goldthorpe an umbrella, and Lalla the latest book on skating.

“Very nice, I'm sure,” said Nana.