White Boots by Noel Streatfeild Read Free Book Online

right.”
    Nana was quite unmoved by this criticism.
    â€œNor any reason why I should, never having taken up ice skating nor having had the wish.”
    â€œHarriet would never have taken up ice skating, nor had the wish either,” said Olivia, “if it hadn’t been for her legs. I believe two of my sons came here once, but that’s as near as the Johnsons have ever got to skating.”
    Lalla was staring at Olivia with round eyes.
    â€œTwo of your sons! Has Harriet got brothers?” Harriet explained about Alec, Toby and Edward. Lalla sighed with envy. “Lucky, lucky you. Three brothers! Imagine, Nana! I’d rather have three brothers than anything else in the world.”
    Nana turned her knitting round and started another row.
    â€œNo good wishing. If you were to have three brothers, you’d have to do without a lot of things you take for granted now.”
    â€œI wouldn’t mind. I wouldn’t mind anything. You know, Harriet, it’s simply awful being only one, there’s nobody to play with.”
    Olivia felt sorry for Lalla.
    â€œPerhaps, Nana, you would bring her to the house sometime to play with Harriet and the boys; it isn’t a big house, and there are a lot of us in it, but we’d love to have her and you, too, of course.”
    â€œBigness isn’t everything,” said Nana. “Some day, if the timecould be made, it would be a great treat.”
    Harriet looked with respect at Lalla. Even when she had gone to school she had always had time to do things. She could not imagine a life when you had to make time to go out to tea. Lalla saw Harriet’s expression.
    â€œIt’s awful how little time I get. I do lessons in the morning, then there is a special class for dancing or fencing, then, directly after lunch, we come here and, with my lesson and the things I have to practise, I’m always here two hours and sometimes three. By the time I get home and have had tea it’s almost bedtime.”
    Olivia thought this a very sad description of someone’s day who was not yet ten.
    â€œThere must be time for a game or something before bedtime, isn’t there? Don’t you play games with your aunt?”
    Lalla looked surprised at the question.
    â€œOh no, she doesn’t play my sort of games. She goes out and plays bridge and things like that. When I see her we talk about skating, nothing else.”
    â€œShe’s very interested in how Lalla’s getting on,” Nana explained, “but Lalla and I have a nice time before she goes to bed, don’t we, dear? Sometimes we listen to the wireless, and sometimes, when Uncle David and Aunt Claudia are out, we go downstairs and look at that television.”
    Olivia tried to think of something to say, but she couldn’t. It seemed to her a miserable description of Lalla’s evenings. Nana was a darling, but how much more fun it would be for Lalla ifshe could have somebody of her own age to play with. She was saved answering by Lalla.
    â€œAre your legs better enough now to come on the rink, Harriet?”
    Harriet stretched out first one leg and then the other to see how cotton-woolish they were. They were still a bit feeble, but she was not going to disgrace herself in front of Lalla by saying so. She tottered up on to her skates. Lalla held out her hands. “I’ll take you to the middle of the rink but this time you’ll have to lift up your feet by yourself, I’m not going to hold you. Don’t mind if you fall down, it doesn’t hurt much.”
    Olivia watched Harriet’s unsteady progress to the middle of the rink.
    â€œHow lucky for her that she met Lalla. It would have taken her weeks to have got a few inches round the edge by herself. She’s terrified, poor child, but she won’t dare show it in front of Lalla.”
    Nana went on knitting busily; her voice showed that she was not quite sure she ought to say what she was