Theatre Shoes by Noel Streatfeild Read Free Book Online Page A

that her head spun.
    â€œAre we to be trained to be actresses and an actor because of the money?”
    Alice’s expression was approving.
    â€œClear spoken and sensible. I knew it the moment I set eyes on you. Now look, you don’t like the idea? Well, maybe you won’t have to stick to it. You can’t be licensed for the stage until you are twelve, and that’s not until next April. Meanwhile, there’s something called probate to do with lawyers going on about your grandfather’s money. When that how-de-do’s settled you may all be rolling for all we know.”
    Sorrel sat on the bed by Alice, hugging her knees.
    â€œIt’s not me or Holly, it’s Mark. Daddy meant him to be a sailor and he ought to go to a school to teach him the right things.”
    Alice put an arm round Sorrel.
    â€œDon’t let’s worry about that, duckie, yet. Mark’s just about ten, isn’t he? Well, two or three months won’t make all that difference at his age.”
    â€œBut he ought to be at a proper school by the time he’s eleven anyway.”
    â€œSo he shall. Don’t you worry.” Alice gave Sorrel’s shoulders a squeeze. “I’ve spoken plain to you, ducks, because I want you to get the others to try to-morrow. This Madame Fidolia has known your Granny all her life, and, though none of you seem to appreciate it, the name of Warren counts for a lot. If you show even a scrap of talent she’ll take you for next to nothing. You see, you’ve got to be educated, that’s the law. In her school you do all the usual things and your training as well. I daresay you won’t need to go on the stage when the time comes, but it’s good to have galoshes by you, there’s no knowing when the road will be wet. Will you have a talk to the others?”
    Sorrel felt very grand and eldest of the family.
    â€œYes, if you’ll give me a promise. Holly doesn’t matter, she’ll do what she’s told anyway. It’s Mark. I’ll have to work on him. If I do will you swear that you’ll help me to see he’s sent to a proper school next term, if possible.”
    Alice raised her hand and put it on her head.
    â€œI swear by my loaf of bread.”
    Your head seemed a funny thing to swear by. Sorrel preferred “see this wet, see this dry,” or “my hand on my Bible,” which was what Hannah always said, but she could see that to Alice it was the most important swear that she could make and that she meant to keep it.
    Sorrel waited till Mark was in bed. He was sitting up with his face very clean from the bath and his hair wet and, therefore, unusually neat. The room faced west and the sun was shining in and made the bare boards and the shabby curtain over the clothes and the battered iron bed look worse than ever. It was a warm evening and Mark had thrown back the rug and the blanket and had only the sheet over him. He had stretched this flat across his knees and on it, in a circle, he had stood the bears. As there was nowhere else to sit Sorrel sat on the end of the bed and promptly eight bears fell over. Mark looked up at her reproachfully.
    â€œYou have interrupted the christening. These bears have trekked for miles into the Antarctic for the ceremony.”
    Sorrel helped stand the bears up again, and while she was doing it she was turning over in her mind the best way to bring up the subject of to-morrow.
    â€œCould you leave the christening for a moment? There’s something rather important I’ve got to explain. Did you know that when people died other people don’t get their money at once? I mean, we haven’t got Grandfather’s yet.”
    â€œDo we get it ever?” Mark asked, moving the bear that was to be christened into the centre of the ring.
    â€œI think so, or at least Daddy does, and then we can have it to educate us. Anyway, at the moment there isn’t any except what we get