Theatre Shoes by Noel Streatfeild Read Free Book Online

you’ll never get into the Navy from there; at least it doesn’t sound right. Sailors don’t learn dancing and diction.”
    Mark stood the biggest bear on its hindlegs.
    â€œI never did mean to go. Not because of the Navy, there’s heaps of time to mug for that, but because I won’t be turned into a Warren when I’m all Forbes.”
    Hannah opened the door.
    â€œCome on, Holly dear. The water’s not too hot, but you must have a bath. You make a start too, Mark.”
    Holly looked pleadingly at Sorrel.
    â€œCould I, oh, could I take this cat to bed?”
    Sorrel did not at all want her mother’s things to leave her room, but the old nursery was so dreary and her own room so perfect she could not be so mean as to say no. She was rewarded by Holly’s ecstatic hug and seeing her skip out of the room.
    Mark hung about. Now that he was actually faced with sleeping in it his room seemed worse than ever. Sorrel, watching his face, felt swollen with being sorry for him. She nodded at the bears.
    â€œWould you like to take those along with you? You’ve got a mantelpiece.”
    Mark smiled properly for the first time since they had come to the house. He collected the bears quickly in case she should change her mind.
    â€œThanks awfully. I think their name is Tomkins. This is Mr. Tomkins and that’s Mrs. Tomkins. I’ll christen all the others later on; you don’t mind, do you?”
    Sorrel did mind. She minded the mantelpiece not having her mother’s bears on it, but she was glad she had let Mark have them because his room really was horrible, and now that he had the bears he whistled as he went up the passage, which showed he must be minding less.
    Alice came in. She closed the door behind her in a purposeful way.
    â€œSorrel dear, I’ve been having a talk with Hannah. She says that I had better speak right out to you.”
    Sorrel felt as if somebody had taken hold of her in front and was squeezing hard. It was so certain that Alice was not going to say anything nice.
    â€œYes?”
    â€œYour Granny won’t tell you, so I must. There’s no bees and honey in this house.”
    Sorrel screwed up her eyes, she was thinking so hard.
    â€œYou mean Grandmother hasn’t any money? But we have. There’s some that comes from the Admiralty because of Daddy.”
    â€œRight enough.”
    â€œBut most came from our grandfather, and as he’s dead and doesn’t need it I expect we can have it. He used to pay for our schools.”
    Alice sat on the bed.
    â€œWe’ve earned a packet of bees and honey in our time, but stage people are all the same, easy come, easy go.”
    â€œYou mean it’s been spent. Can’t Grandmother earn some more?”
    â€œChance is a good thing. She’ll tell you we’ve had heaps of plays offered us and we didn’t fancy them. That’s not true. Your grandfather, John Warren, wasn’t much of an actor, but he was the cat’s whiskers at producing. While he was alive he hardly had a failure and he picked plays to star your grandmother. Since he’s been gone we’ve hardly had a success. Difficult to cast, and we’re a bit of a madam too. Must be the only fish in the pond.”
    Sorrel did not understand all this but enough to grasp what Alice meant.
    â€œIf she hasn’t any money why does she live in this big house?”
    â€œFirst, it’s our own, and secondly, have you had a good look at the house? Old Mother Hubbard’s cupboard was crowded out compared to most of the rooms here.”
    â€œWhere’s it gone?”
    â€œSold. Things fetch good prices to-day. But don’t you tell your Granny.”
    â€œBut she must know if she’s sold things.”
    Alice laughed.
    â€œShe didn’t. I did. Tradespeople must be paid, so must the gas bill and the electric light and the telephone.”
    Sorrel was taking in so many things at once