Monday, 22nd July, 1912

Monday, 22^nd July, 1912.

Dear Frances,

Your letter came today! New York sounds so exciting, I really can’t imagine what it must be like to walk around such a modern city. And with so many motor cars! And how wonderful that you have bought a copy of Anne of Green Gables all by yourself. It just shows that we are kindred spirits (like Anne and Diana) and are drawn to the same books. I can’t wait to hear what you think of it. I bet there are lots of other books for sale that you can’t get here.

I would love to hear what American girls are wearing, too – I bet they have lots of fashions that we haven’t seen yet. And speaking of fashion, I got a jolly nice letter from Stella too, and she is alleviating her boredom by making what she says is a very impressive dressing gown with quilted lapels, which she is sure will dazzle all the other boarders when she returns.

Anyway, I am in rather a good mood and so is Nora. Nora is of course happy because Grace has gone. I called around this morning, and Nora answered the door herself.

‘Oh, thank goodness it’s you,’ she said.

‘Is everything all right?” I asked. ‘You look a bit …’

‘I’m still worried something could happen to stop her going home,’ whispered Nora. ‘Like another telegram saying someone else had come down with scarlet fever. Or mumps. Or consumption.’

‘You’re being ridiculous,’ I said, walking into the hall. ‘Where is Grace?’

‘In there.’ Nora pointed towards her drawing room, the door of which stood ajar. ‘Bidding farewell to her kindred spirit.’

I peered in and saw Grace sitting on the Cantwells’ sofa with the Menace sitting on her knee. She had her arms around him. Mrs. Sheffield was sitting opposite with Mrs. Cantwell, looking fondly at the pair of them.

‘Don’t worry, Grace,’ Mrs. Sheffield was saying. ‘You can call around and see him after every tennis practice. And when you’re back at school you can call over and walk him. We’re not far away from Eccles Street, you know.’

I withdrew silently from the doorway. Grace looked genuinely bereft at the prospect of saying goodbye to that dreadful dog, so it felt rude to pry. I gently closed the door.

‘You must feel a bit sorry for her,’ I said to Nora.

‘I suppose so.’ Nora shrugged her shoulders. ‘But I’m mostly glad she’s going. Even if she did do the right thing in the end.’

We went up to Nora’s room, where Grace’s things had already been packed away into a suitcase. The camp bed on which Nora had been sleeping for the previous few weeks was folded up and propped against the wall.

‘What’s wrong with you?’ asked Nora, when we were sitting on her bed.

‘What do you mean?’ I was genuinely confused by her question.

‘You look very … distracted, I suppose,’ said Nora.

‘I’m not really,’ I said. I hadn’t wanted to tell her about the Frank incident at all, mostly because I knew she would probably say very annoying things about it. But it really was weighing on my mind. ‘But there’s something.’

And I told her all. And to my surprise, she didn’t make any jokes, or shriek. She just looked at me with very wide eyes and said, ‘Oh dear. But I’m sure you didn’t look that bad.’

‘I looked unhinged,’ I said. ‘I saw myself in the bathroom mirror. I was bright red in the face and my hair was all over the place. I hadn’t tied it into plaits. AND I was wearing that old nightie.’

‘The short one with the worn out behind?’ Nora couldn’t conceal her horror.

I nodded miserably. ‘And it’s been so awkward between us ever since,’ I said. ‘I haven’t had much time to think about it over the last few days because we’ve been so busy. But he’s going home today and things are still so odd. And he might never want to come back to our house if things are going to be strange between himself and his friend’s sister.’

‘You must say something,’ said Nora firmly. ‘Before he goes.’

‘But what?’ I said.

‘You’ve got to grab the bull by the horns,’ said Nora. ‘Just tell him you’re sorry things are awkward and tell him you’d like to forget all about it. After all, what have you got to lose? Things are bad between you already.’

It was a jolly good point, and I was just about to tell Nora so when Grace came in. Her eyes were a little red after her farewell to the Menace. I felt sorry for her, but I had a feeling that she wouldn’t be in the mood for sympathy from me.

‘The cab’s here,’ she said, a little stiffly. She picked up her suitcase.

‘Well,’ said Nora. ‘Goodbye, Grace.’ She paused for a moment. ‘Sorry about Barnaby. Having to say goodbye to him, I mean.’

Grace nodded and blinked but didn’t say anything. For a moment I wondered if she were trying not to cry.

‘Goodbye,’ I said. ‘And, well, see you on Saturday. For the dog show.’

‘Yes,’ said Grace. And then she walked out of the room, hopefully (as far as Nora was concerned) never to stay there again, and closed the door behind her.

Nora and I looked at each other.

‘I thought,’ said Nora, ‘that I’d feel thrilled when she was gone.’

‘And don’t you?’ I said.

Nora sighed. ‘I just feel rather flat.’

‘Oh well,’ I said. ‘If you’re missing her, you can have a happy reunion at the tennis-club fête and invite her to come back for another visit.’

‘I certainly wouldn’t go that far,’ said Nora, throwing a pillow at me (which luckily missed).

On my way home later that morning, I thought about Nora’s advice. I knew she was right. In a few hours, Frank would be gone. And I couldn’t let him go without knowing that I, at least, had tried to make things all right between us. I had to say something. So as soon as I got home, I asked Maggie where Frank and Harry were.

‘Your brother’s out in the garden with a bicycle,’ she said. ‘And his friend is up in his room, packing.’

‘With a bicycle!’ I was so surprised to hear that Harry had acquired a bicycle – which he has wanted for as long as I can remember – I didn’t even think about Frank for a moment. ‘Where did he get hold of that? It’s not his birthday for ages, and Father said he wasn’t going to get him one anyway.’

‘It belongs to some friend of his from school,’ said Maggie. ‘He’s going on holiday so he’s lent the bicycle to Harry while he’s away.’ She smiled at me. ‘Maybe he’ll let you have a go of it.’

I hoped he would, though it didn’t seem likely. I thanked Maggie, who returned to the kitchen, and then headed up the stairs to confront Frank. But just as I reached the landing, the door of Harry’s room opened, and Frank appeared.

‘Oh!’ he said. ‘I was actually just coming to look for you.’

‘Oh yes?’ I said, as nonchalantly as I could.

‘Yes.’ He pushed back a lock of hair that had fallen over his eyes. ‘Can I talk to you for a minute?’

And suddenly I was quite sure that he was going to tell me he would never be able to look me in the face again, and that he thought it was better if he never came over to our house again. And I didn’t want to have any sort of conversation at all. But it was too late to run away or make up an excuse. So I just said, ‘All right.’

‘It’s about that night last week,’ said Frank. ‘When we … bumped into each other.’

I could feel myself getting red. Frank looked a bit flushed too.

‘I want to apologise if … if I’ve been a bit unfriendly since then,’ he said. ‘I felt terrible about roaming around your house in my pyjamas.’

You can’t help needing to go to loo, I thought, but of course I couldn’t say that. It would only add to the general embarrassment. So I just said, ‘Well, you were our guest.’

‘But I just want to say …’ Frank took a deep breath. ‘I hope we can forget about it and be pals again.’

I was so relieved I couldn’t speak for a moment.

‘Mollie?’ said Frank nervously. ‘Are you all right?’

‘So do I,’ I said, trying not to remember the moment when he nearly dropped a candle in fright at the sight of me looming over him on the stairs. ‘Want to forget about it, I mean.’ I held out my hand. ‘Pals?’

‘Pals,’ said Frank. I had forgotten how nice his smile is. He’s looked so uncomfortable every time we’ve seen each other all week. ‘And now I’d better finish packing. My uncle’s coming to collect me at four.’

I was still smiling when I bounced down the stairs and into the garden, where Harry was fiddling with the chain of a rickety old bicycle that was propped up against a kitchen chair in the middle of the garden path.

‘What are you smirking about?’ he said, wiping his brow and leaving an enormous oily streak across it.

‘Am I not allowed to be cheerful?’ I demanded.

‘Not when I’m trying to fix this chain,’ said Harry.

‘Let me help,’ I said, crouching down to get a closer look.

‘You don’t know anything about bikes,’ said Harry.

‘I can see that goes there,’ I said, reaching out to the back wheel.

‘Don’t touch it!’ said Harry, pushing my hand away. But, as he pushed me, his elbow hit the bike, which must have been precariously propped against the chair because the front wheel twisted around and the front of the bicycle fell on top of Harry.

‘Now see what you’ve done!’ he roared.

‘Are you all right?’ I said.

‘No thanks to you!’ said Harry, angrily putting the bike back in place.

‘Well, you bashed into it,’ I pointed out.

‘Yes, because of you!’ Harry was not pleased. ‘Oh, the chain’s in even more of a mess now. Just clear off, will you?’

I cleared off. But nothing could really dampen my spirits for the rest of the evening. Grace had vowed to keep our secret, Frank and I were friends again, and when his uncle came to collect him I bade him farewell with a heartfelt wave.

‘See you soon, Mollie,’ he said, after shaking hands with Mother and Father.

‘Don’t waste your time talking to her,’ said Harry, who hadn’t quite managed to get all the oil off himself. He can be so petty sometimes. But I can put up with him now everything else has been settled. In fact, I feel so optimistic I’m almost looking forward to the dog show. After all, now Grace has been training Barnaby, he might actually put on an impressive show for all the other dogs.

Best love and votes for women,
Mollie