magnolia-buildings

The family looked, and realized for the first time Auntie Glad's eyes were blue.

"Thought you'd put your bit of money by," * said Dad, who, though he was glad to have a holiday, was afraid that his sister would chuck away all she had won.

"I'm tired of putting my money by," Auntie Glad suddenly said in quite a loud, clear voice. "I've been doing it all my life. Now I'm going to spend a bit."

As the days went by, Auntie Glad changed out of all recognition. Her face had always seemed grey and tired; now the colour came back into her eyes and cheeks. She stopped wearing her black cap, and her hair took some colour from the sun. She did not, however, speak much

more than usual. She would	take 2	a rug and a magazine
and go off by herself3 to	some	distant place on the

beach. Some days she took a sandwich and did not even return to dinner. She seemed glad to be alone and in the open air.

Instead of always being black, Val was now always wet. He walked about nearly all day in his bathing shorts.

Ally made great friends with Audrey and talked of

nothing but	her * and her family who lived in the centre
of London	and were very grand and glamorous.

"Mum, Audrey goes to a private school, and her Mum thinks my hair's lovely. They are going to ask me to come and see them when we get back."

It was all Audrey, Audrey, till Mum said she would

simply die if she heard the name again.
Ally and Audrey	walked		about arm in arm 5 all	day
and bathed together,	or	spent	hours drinking soft drinks 8
at the camp cafe.
If the boys tried	to	talk	to them, they giggled	and

turned their backs on them.' They did not want to waste their precious time together with boys. "They're so silly, Mum," said Ally. "Why can't they behave like the chaps in the pictures?"

One evening, Val was on the beach as usual, when Mr Truby came up. "Hello, Val! Enjoying yourself?" The little man always tried to be friendly when his sister was not about.1 The Berners could sometimes hear Miss Truby scolding her brother in a loud voice.

"Yes," said Val, who could not imagine that any boy could be unhappy by the sea. The only trouble was the thought of having to go back to London, and the days were now flying away fast.

"Don't want to go home, eh?" said Mr Truby, sitting down beside Val.

"No," said Val. "I hate it at home.2 I'd like to live here." "Why don't you like it?"

"Don't know. Nothing to do and too many people." Val threw a stone into the water. "I hate school too. The teachers are silly."

"I don't want to go back, either," said Mr Truby with a sigh. "I'm a sanitary engineer and doing quite well,3 but I like the country. But Aggie, my sister, she hates it."

"London is too big, see", said Val thoughtfully. "You can't get out of it. Now, if I had a bike, I'd get out every week..."

"Get a job in the evenings and earn your bike," said the little man. "You're a big strong boy."

"Earn my bike," Val said bitterly. "I can't get a job anywhere. I tried all round the Common. I'll never get a bike." He sighed now, thinking of that lost hope for freedom.

"I've got an old bike," said Mr Truby suddenly. "Don't see why you shouldn't have it..." 4

"You mean?" Val looked at him as though a bicycle had just fallen down from the skies. "Oh, Mr Truby, I'd

try and	pay you bit	by bit." 5
"Nonsense, boy," Mr Truby beamed. "I'll give it			you.
I never	use it. You	come along and take it. I'll tell	you

where I live. But come when my sister isn't there. She's against giving things away."

"Oh! A bike of my own!" x Val's voice trembled. "Can I come as soon as we go back?"

The holiday was over, and on the last evening, Mum was packing and Ally was helping her. All the family were sorry that they had to leave,

except Val. He was thinking of the bike. Everybody was busy, even Dad had to help. Mum after a fortnight of sun

and air		was	quite herself again,2	laughing, talking, and
friends		with	the whole camp.3 All the evening all sorts
of people came to the cottage to say good-bye to her.
	Auntie Glad was not packing. She wasn't at the cottage
at all. After she had paid for it, she didn't					take any part
in	the	life of	the family. She was	always	out of doors 4
by	herself.

"Give me a bit of cord," said Mum to Dad, "I must tie it round this suitcase." At that moment Auntie Glad came in and behind her was Mr Truby.

"Hello," said Auntie Glad in her soft voice. "Here's Mr Truby." But there was something odd in her voice as she said it and everybody looked at her in surprise.

"Marge," said Auntie Glad. "Me and Mr Truby are getting married."

"What?" cried everybody.

"Glad! You're never!" B Mum got up from the floor. "Why, I didn't even know you knew him."

Mr Truby exchanged a laughing glance with Auntie Glad, and for the first time that the Berners family remembered she suddenly laughed aloud.

"Of course I know her," said Mr Truby. "Considering 6 that we've spent every day of this fortnight together, haven't we, Glad?"

Auntie Glad nodded happily. She was smiling, she had colour,1 and she wore a pink dress that the family had never seen before. She and Mr Truby made a rather funny pair, for Auntie Glad was quite small, and he was hardly taller than she was. But they were both so happy that it was a joy to see them. There's glamour about them, thought Ally, and this seemed very odd to her.

"The only thing is," said Mr Truby, "don't tell my sister."

"She'll have to know sooner or later, won't she?" asked Dad.

Mr Truby looked frightened. "I don't want her to make a row a here." His kind little face grew quite grave. "Still, she's got money. She can live by herself. She won't have to live with us."

"That's right," said Mum. "You just tell her that. And it'll be nice for Glad to have a place of her own.3 She's never had one, poor girl. Always lived with Grandma and then with us. I hope you'll be very happy. My,4 Glad, didn't you give us all a surprise!" And she kissed Auntie Glad, who suddenly looked very shy.5

Then everyone burst out laughing. Dad dug out some bottles of beer, the children were sent for fish and chips and the whole party had a wonderful evening. Mr Truby and Auntie Glad told all their adventures: how they first met at the ice-cream kiosk, how they went to the pictures, how they escaped from his sister, Aggie, and so on and so forth.

"Well, here's to your health and may all your troubles be little ones," 6 cried Dad, raising his glass. The children started to sing, and then came a loud knock at the door.

Ally flew to open it. "It must be Audrey," she said. But it wasn't. It was Miss Truby who looked at Ally scornfully and said, "Excuse me. Is my brother here?"

Before Ally could answer, or stop her, Miss Truby marched into the room and saw all the signs of celebration.

"So that's where you are!" she shouted. "I've found you out at last. That's why you were leaving me alone day and night! I saw you and her" (pointing at Auntie Glad) "sneaking away together. I've been watching you all this week, William Truby. You nasty little man!"

Mr Truby stood up. He was much shorter than his sister. "I — I was going to tell you, Aggie," he muttered. "I'm engaged to be married to 1 Miss Berners."

"What, her?" 2 said Miss Truby scornfully.

"And why not?" asked Mum, whose black eyes shone dangerously. "If you can't be polite, perhaps you'd better go home."

"I will not. William, you have been caught into a trap by a wicked schemer."

But this was too much for Mum. "Glad isn't a wicked schemer," she cried. "She's a decent, kind and hard-working person, and she paid for us all to come here and have a holiday out of her own pocket. Your brother's a lucky man."

"Hear, hear," 3 said Dad, banging his fist on the table. "And if you can behave decently," went on Mum, "and sit down quietly like a lady, I'll make you a cup of tea

and we'll talk this over."

But Miss Truby suddenly sank into a chair and started to sob. For the next few minutes she had hysterics. Mum flew to put on a kettle. Dad made for the door.4 Len began to cry. Mr Truby was very frightened. He had a kind heart, and when his sister had hysterics he got into a terrible state.5 Now he kept patting her on the shoulder, and she kept whining, "Oh, Willy, what shall I do without you? You can't go off with that woman."

"Well, we'll see, we'll see. We shan't get married just now, Aggie. So don't worry. There, there." 6

But Auntie Glad, who had not spoken a word during this whole scene, now saw the danger. She had suddenly guessed what always happened to Mr Truby each time he tried to get married. She stood up and cried out, "That's not true, Bill. You and me are getting married at once, next month, or not at all. Otherwise we'll never get married. She'll talk you out of it* like she did last time."

"Last time?" said Mr Truby, getting very red. "How did you know about last time?"

"I've got some sense, haven't I?" said Auntie Glad. She was so angry that her family could hardly recognize her. "A man like you, Bill, would have married years ago if it hand't been for her." 2 She pointed at Aggie who was sobbing in her chair. "But if you leave me now, Bill, I'll sue you for breach of promise, and that's that." 3

Poor William really looked like a man between two fires. He had no idea that Glad could have such sharp teeth'. In the end,4 he took the sobbing Aggie off.

"Dear me, Glad!" said Mum, who still held the kettle in her hand. "Didn't you give us a surprise again! I never heard you speak like that before."

"She's a wicked woman," said Auntie Glad, and her voice was no longer the old shy whisper. "If I don't save him now, Marge, he'll never, get away."

"That's right," said Dad. "And now, if you don't mind, I'll go up to the 'Bells' for my half pint. I need it after the battle."

Ally went to bed full of excitement. This was real drama. No heroine on the pictures could have spoken better than quiet little Auntie Glad. If that was what love did to you — well!

Val also went to bed happy. Mr Truby must give him the bike now. Why, the man would be a relation! An uncle!

"The best of it is," said Doreen to Ally as they undressed, "when Auntie Glad marries, we can each have a bed to ourselves!"

Chapter XV

"SOMETHING ABOUT GUNS"

Now it was autumn on the Common. The leaves were turning yellow and orange. Soon they would fall, and there would be a smell of bonfires rising from all the gardens. It was only on warmest days that the old men played chess and dominoes out of doors. Later came the early morning frosts, and people everywhere began to get out their winter clothes.

The Berners children never played with each other. They all lived such different lives that they usually met only for meals and then parted again. Yet, at the end of September, Ally noticed that something was wrong with Val. In spite of the new bicycle, Val seemed worried. He walked about looking as though * he were afraid of something "I wonder what he's up to," B thought Ally. But she did not dare ask him, as she knew he would only tell her to shut up.

It was George who had disturbed Val's peace of mind. One fine afternoon the two boys went off for a ride on their bikes. It was Val's first long ride, and he was happy.

When they stopped for a rest, George suddenly said, "Shorty and his gang are up to something."

Since the holiday, Shorty's gang had been rather quiet. Val had hoped they had left him alone at last.

"What's that?" he asked.

"I heard something last week," said George looking worried. "Nap and Shorty were talking, see, on our balcony. And they were saying something about guns.You know the way Nap laughs,3 and then he said, 'Don't you worry, Shorty, I'll get those guns. There's always the roof.'"

"What guns?" asked Val.

"Don't know. Didn't dare stay. They might have caught me listening."

"Well," said Val thoughtfully, "if that lot1 got guns, it'd be awful. Where can they get them from?"

"Don't know. But they're up to something. Why have

they left us alone? It's	kind of strange,2 isn't it?"
For the next few days, Val and George tried to		find
out what Shorty's lot	were doing, but they did not	tell

the rest of their friends about it. Billy was a big mouth and Brian did not seem interested these days.

Although Val did not find out much, he became sure that some plan was in preparation. If Shorty's lot got guns, life at Magnolia Buildings would become dangerous. He did not think that guns would soon be discovered and taken away. He already had in his mind a picture of Shorty and Nap shooting up everyone, barricading the stairs and balconies. Val had seen something like that in the pictures.

Then a new thing happened. It had to do with Ally 3 Since the summer, Ally had changed very much. She had suddenly grown up and got slim, because now she was almost fifteen. And she was getting quite clean and tidy. She combed her hair and cleaned her teeth every day, and even polished her shoes. Her stockings were always in order and her clothes looked well ironed. She was really'very pretty, and she wanted to have new clothes more than anything on earth.4 Yet, how could she have new clothes if she was not earning money, and every spare periny of the family money was spent on Doreen, who was now at the Green Coats School? Ally, like everyone in Magnolia Buildings, wanted to make money, but how? She decided to go and discuss the matter with Lou, and was on her way there one evening when she ran into Shorty.

Six months ago Shorty, if he had met her on the stairs, would have pulled her pony tail, or said something rude, but now he stood aside to let her pass.5 Ally did not want

to stop and talk because she had never liked him. His head was too big for his body, and he had short legs. She didn't like his unhea'thy pale face and his green eyes either. When he asked, "Where are you going, Ally?" she answered, "To see a friend," and went quickly past him and away down the stairs.

After that, Shorty always tried to meet her on the balcony or on the stairs saying all sorts of silly things, until Ally was quite nervous when she had to leave the flat.

That had been going on for about a fortnight, when one evening she was coming home up the stairs and by chance Val was a flight behind her. Shorty was on their landing, and as soon as he saw Ally he began to whistle in his usual nasty way. Ally pretended not to see him, but Shorty caught her by the hand. "Why do you put on airs,1 baby?"

"You leave me alone," cried Ally angrily and tried to get past him.

Shorty laughed, but she knew he was angry because she did not like him. Val, coming up the steps from below, saw this scene, and realized with horror that he ought to do something to help Ally. But though his legs were short, Shorty had strong arms and shoulders and could be very dangerous. Before Val could decide what to do, Brian Doherty appeared above and said to Shorty, "Leave her alone, or I'll show you." Ally immediately hid behind Brian's back.

"So she's your girl now, is she?" said Shorty with an unpleasant laugh. Brian had grown so much that he was now six inches taller than Shorty. He looked quite ready to fight, although he was thin and much weaker than Shorty.

"You get out of here," shouted Brian, "and don't make a nuisance of yourself." 2

There was a pause while the two boys faced each other. At that moment Val came running up, and when Shorty saw that there were two against one, he gave a forced laugh.3 "Really, I have no time to waste on you, kids,"

he said and rushed past Val down the stairs. Val was so surprised that he let him go.

"Has been bothering you, hasn't he?" Brian said to Ally.

Ally tossed her head.

"He's always hanging around.1 I told him to leave me alone."

"You leave him to me," said Brian. Ally looked at her champion with sudden admiration.

Val nodded his head thoughtfully and went up the stairs. But later that evening, he said to Ally, "You know that Shorly. He's up to something."

"You're telling me," 2 said Ally. "It's a pity they don't call him up.3 The army'd do him good. The sooner he is out of this place, the better."