Read Online Ballet Shoes for Anna by Noel Streatfeild - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Noel Streatfeild
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If The Uncle is angry, like a mouse she’d run into her hole.”
Anna had put her hand into Francesco’s.
“I agree with you. Anyway, for us who have almost no friends, it is nice to have a mouse.”
Wally was on the lookout for them. He rushed to meet them.
“I thought you were never coming.” He looked admiringly at the suitcases. “Cor! They’re a bit of all right, aren’t they?”
Wally’s mum was serving a customer but she gave the children a gorgeous smile.
“Shan’t be long,” she called out. “Wally’s got something to tell you.”
“I almost forgot,” said Wally. “That Doreen, her that goes dancing of a Saturday. Well, that Miss de Veane, she charges two pounds and ten pence for a term and there’s extra whenyou take an exam. The term begins when school does and that’s the week after next, so you did orter take Anna long to see ’er right away.”
Wally’s mum was thrilled with the suitcases.
“Now, let’s see ’ow much you need and let’s see if we can get it.”
Francesco held up three fingers.
“Ninety-five pence for the shoes and two pounds and ten pence for the lessons, that’s three pounds and five pence altogether.”
“ ’Ark at you!” said Wally’s mum. “Proper adder you are, I was always shockin’ at sums and this decimal money drives me up the wall. Give me back the old ’alf crown, that’s what I say.”
Gussie was not going to allow Francesco to get all the praise.
“We can all add. Olga taught us.”
Wally’s mum examined the suitcases.
“We did ought to work for a bit over for there may be postage on the shoes and ribbons and that. Suppose I was to try for one pound twenty-five for each? It would give us a nice bit in ’and.”
“But we gotta sell ’em, Mum,” Wally reminded her. “I mean, Anna can’t wait about, that Doreen said she orter see the dancin’ teacher right away, and she can’t do that not without she’s got some shoes.”
Wally’s mum opened her purse and took out a pound note.
“Go an’ order them,” she said. “When I says I can sell somethin’ I can sell it.”
Gussie and Wally took Anna to the shoe shop to order her shoes. Francesco stayed behind to explain to Wally’s mum that Anna would not learn from Audrey de Veane if she was not as good as Jardek.
“It could be,” he said, “that this Miss de Veane is not what Anna is needing. You see, Jardek was a wonderful teacher.”
Wally’s mum was making room for the suitcases on her stall.
“Who was this Jardek?”
“The father of our mother.”
“Oh, your grandpa. Well, I never knew a grandpa in the dancing line, but I wouldn’t suppose ’e’d be better than a lady brought up to it like, would you?”
Francesco screwed up his face, trying to find a way to explain.
“Only Anna will know. So if Anna says she cannot learn from this lady you will not think she is not grateful?”
Wally’s mum put a hand on his shoulder.
“Look, son, there’s things you’ve got to understand. This Audrey de Veane is the only one that teaches here.”
“But there could be others in some other place.”
Wally’s mum turned Francesco so that he faced her.
“Not in Fyton there isn’t, so Anna, as thin’s are, has to learn in Fyton.”
“Why?”
“Because that’s where the school is. I know you ain’t livedin England and so don’t know what’s what. But you can take it from me that not you, nor Anna, nor Gussie – not even the Queen ’erself, can alter the school laws. Come the week after next you ’ave to go to school. So it’s Miss de Veane of a Saturday for Anna or no dancin’ and that’s flat.”
S IR W ILLIAM, WHEN he was a child, had been a keen stamp collector, so he decided the children probably were too, so he wrote to them on the aeroplane. It never crossed his mind there was any urgency. He thought the chances were that there was an established dancing teacher near Fyton and quite possibly Anna’s lessons were already arranged. So
Anna had put her hand into Francesco’s.
“I agree with you. Anyway, for us who have almost no friends, it is nice to have a mouse.”
Wally was on the lookout for them. He rushed to meet them.
“I thought you were never coming.” He looked admiringly at the suitcases. “Cor! They’re a bit of all right, aren’t they?”
Wally’s mum was serving a customer but she gave the children a gorgeous smile.
“Shan’t be long,” she called out. “Wally’s got something to tell you.”
“I almost forgot,” said Wally. “That Doreen, her that goes dancing of a Saturday. Well, that Miss de Veane, she charges two pounds and ten pence for a term and there’s extra whenyou take an exam. The term begins when school does and that’s the week after next, so you did orter take Anna long to see ’er right away.”
Wally’s mum was thrilled with the suitcases.
“Now, let’s see ’ow much you need and let’s see if we can get it.”
Francesco held up three fingers.
“Ninety-five pence for the shoes and two pounds and ten pence for the lessons, that’s three pounds and five pence altogether.”
“ ’Ark at you!” said Wally’s mum. “Proper adder you are, I was always shockin’ at sums and this decimal money drives me up the wall. Give me back the old ’alf crown, that’s what I say.”
Gussie was not going to allow Francesco to get all the praise.
“We can all add. Olga taught us.”
Wally’s mum examined the suitcases.
“We did ought to work for a bit over for there may be postage on the shoes and ribbons and that. Suppose I was to try for one pound twenty-five for each? It would give us a nice bit in ’and.”
“But we gotta sell ’em, Mum,” Wally reminded her. “I mean, Anna can’t wait about, that Doreen said she orter see the dancin’ teacher right away, and she can’t do that not without she’s got some shoes.”
Wally’s mum opened her purse and took out a pound note.
“Go an’ order them,” she said. “When I says I can sell somethin’ I can sell it.”
Gussie and Wally took Anna to the shoe shop to order her shoes. Francesco stayed behind to explain to Wally’s mum that Anna would not learn from Audrey de Veane if she was not as good as Jardek.
“It could be,” he said, “that this Miss de Veane is not what Anna is needing. You see, Jardek was a wonderful teacher.”
Wally’s mum was making room for the suitcases on her stall.
“Who was this Jardek?”
“The father of our mother.”
“Oh, your grandpa. Well, I never knew a grandpa in the dancing line, but I wouldn’t suppose ’e’d be better than a lady brought up to it like, would you?”
Francesco screwed up his face, trying to find a way to explain.
“Only Anna will know. So if Anna says she cannot learn from this lady you will not think she is not grateful?”
Wally’s mum put a hand on his shoulder.
“Look, son, there’s things you’ve got to understand. This Audrey de Veane is the only one that teaches here.”
“But there could be others in some other place.”
Wally’s mum turned Francesco so that he faced her.
“Not in Fyton there isn’t, so Anna, as thin’s are, has to learn in Fyton.”
“Why?”
“Because that’s where the school is. I know you ain’t livedin England and so don’t know what’s what. But you can take it from me that not you, nor Anna, nor Gussie – not even the Queen ’erself, can alter the school laws. Come the week after next you ’ave to go to school. So it’s Miss de Veane of a Saturday for Anna or no dancin’ and that’s flat.”
S IR W ILLIAM, WHEN he was a child, had been a keen stamp collector, so he decided the children probably were too, so he wrote to them on the aeroplane. It never crossed his mind there was any urgency. He thought the chances were that there was an established dancing teacher near Fyton and quite possibly Anna’s lessons were already arranged. So
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