Josie Under Fire by Ann Turnbull Read Free Book Online

of defiance she turned back and flung at them, “If you don’t want to be reported you shouldn’t go there!”
    This caused the women to look up in surprise and disapproval. Alice ran off, and the rest of them could not pursue her without squeezing past the pram and drawing more attention to themselves.
    “I’m off home now,” said Pam.
    “Me, too.”
    “And me.”
    “Mind you don’t meet any boys,” joked Edith.
    “Boys!” exclaimed Clare. “Ugh! How dreadful!”
    “A Mary Burnet girl does not associate with boys !” said Pam. “She holds fast that which is good.”
    They all struck holding-fast attitudes.
    “Civilization!”
    “Standards!”
    “Responsibility!”
    Then, with “Bye! See you tomorrow,” they split up, Clare and Sylvia following in the direction Alice had gone, Pam heading for Sloane Square, Edith and Josie for the Embankment.
    It was understood, without saying, that they would not meet up at the bomb site today.
    When Edith and Josie reached home there were some letters lying on the mat.
    “There’s one for you,” said Edith.
    “Oh! From Mummy!”
    Josie opened it carefully so that the envelope could be reused.
    Edith hovered, peering to see.
    “Go away!”
    Biddy could be heard, miaowing outside the back door. Edith went to let her in, and Josie escaped to the hidey-hole at the top of the stairs.
    Granny was doing well, her mother said, but it would still be several weeks before she could be left on her own. They’d had some bombing last week; did Chelsea have it too? She hoped Josie was being a good girl (Josie bit her lip as she read that) and no trouble to Aunty Grace. And that she was wearing her vest and remembering to take her Virol and cod-liver oil.
    “Now here’s some good news,” her mother continued. “Ted has some leave in about ten days’ time. He says he’ll stay in Greenwich (he’ll be able to check on Russ) but come and visit us here in Dagenham; and he plans to visit you, too…”
    Ted! Coming here! Josie’s heart leaped in delight and alarm. Ted had had no leave since before Christmas, and she longed to see him. But at the same time she felt panic-stricken. Suppose someone saw her with him – someone from school? Suppose someone asked what he did? Or Edith let something slip? Edith would be full of it; she’d be sure to drop hints. If only he didn’t have to come here , Josie thought. And then she felt ashamed: how could she think she didn’t want her brother to come and see her?
    “Josie? Are you up there?”
    Josie folded the letter and put it in her pocket. She’d have to tell Edith about Ted coming – but not yet.

Chapter Eight

    The Top Flat
    The girls continued their persecution of Alice Hampton the next day. At school they had to be careful – there were teachers about and Alice took care to stay in at break. But she couldn’t escape them entirely. They hissed “Sneak!” and “Creep!” at her in passing. Pam and Edith caught her in the toilets and held her cubicle door shut so that she couldn’t get out, while Clare, in the next cubicle, flung a cup of water over her from the top of the partition.
    “We told her it was water from the toilet,” Edith told Josie.
    “But it wasn’t?”
    “Ugh! No! We wouldn’t touch that!”
    Josie saw them catch her again at the end of break. Alice was hiding among the coats in the cloakroom, and they dragged her out, pinched her and pulled her hair – all before anyone had time to notice.
    When school ended for the day they planned another ambush.
    “Come on, Josie,” Edith said – and Josie followed, reluctantly.
    They lay in wait around a turning off Sloane Street, and this time Pam and Edith were armed with handfuls of gravel.
    Josie wasn’t happy. “Edith, I’m going home.”
    “You haven’t got a key.”
    “I don’t care. We’ll get into trouble, doing this. And anyway, it’s not fair.”
    “Not fair!” Pam was indignant. “After what she did to us?”
    “We started it