Lord of the Far Island (3 page)

I was adventurous and this gave rise to the speculation that I had a streak of wickedness in me. I loved the markets particularly. There were none in our district, but some of the servants used to go to them and I would hear them talking. Once I prevailed on Rosie, one of the parlormaids, to take me with her. She was a flighty girl who had always had a lover and had at last found one who wanted to marry her. There was a great deal of talk about her ottom drawer,and she was always collecting its and piecesfor it. She would bring them into the kitchen. ook what Ie found in the market,she would cry, her eyes sparkling. irt cheap it was.

As I said, I persuaded her to take me to the market. She liked to act outside the law too. She was rather fond of me and used to talk to me about her lover. He was the Carringtonscoachman and she was going to live in a mews cottage with him.

I shall never forget that market with its naphtha flares and the raucous Cockney voices of men and women calling their goods. There were stalls on which mounds of apples, polished until they shone, were arranged side by side with oranges, pears and nuts. It was November when I first saw it, and already holly and mistletoe were being displayed among the goods. I admired the crockery, the ironmongery, the secondhand clothes, the stewed and jellied eels to be eaten on the spot or taken home, and I sniffed ecstatically at the cloud of appetizing steam which came from the fish-and-chip shop. Most of all I liked the people, who bargained at the stalls and jostled and laughed their way through the market. I thought it was one of the most exciting places I had ever visited. I returned with Rosie starry-eyed and wove stories around the market to impress Esmeralda.

I rashly promised that I would take her there. After that she kept asking about the market and I made up outrageous stories about it. These usually began: hen Rose and I went to the market We had the most fantastic adventures therell in my mindut they had Esmeralda breathless with excitement.

Then the day came when we actually went there and what followed brought me to the notice of the great Rollo himself. It was about a week before Christmas, I remember darkish day with the mist enveloping the trees of the Park. I loved such days. I thought the Park looked like an enchanted forest bathed in that soft bluish light, and as I looked out on it I thought to myself: l take Esmeralda to the market.

Of course this was the day. There was to be a dinner party that night. The household could think of nothing else. he got the wind in her tail, that what,said the cook, referring to Cousin Agatha. I knew what she meant. Cousin Agatha voice could be heard all over the house. iss Hamer(that was her long-suffering social secretary), ave you the place names ready? Do make sure that Lady Emily is on the master right hand; and Mr. Carrington on mine. Mr. Rollo should be in the center of the table on the master right-hand side of course. And have the flowers come?She swept through the house like a hurricane. ilton(that was the butler), ake sure the red carpet is down and the awning in place and see to it in good time.Then to the lady maid Yvonne, o not let me sleep after five olock. Then you may prepare my bath.

She was in the kitchen admonishing the cook (s if I don know my business,said Cook). She sent for Wilton three times in the morning to give him instructions to be passed on to the other servants.

It was that sort of day. I met her on the stairs and she walked past me without even seeing me. And I thought again: his is surely the time to go to the market.Nanny Grange was pressed into service with the goffering iron; our governess was to help arrange the flowers. So there we were ans governess, sans nanny, sans supervision, sans everything,as I misquoted to Esmeralda.

t the very day when we could get away and be back before they noticed.The market should be seen by the light of flares and it grows dark soon after half past four in December. he flares are like erupting volcanoes,I exaggerated to Esmeralda, nd they don light them until dark.

I told Nanny Grange that Esmeralda and I would look after ourselves, and soon after afternoon tea, taken at half past three that day to get it over quickly, we set out. I had carefully noted the number of the omnibus and the stop where we had got off and we reached the market without mishap. It was then about five olock.

I gleefully watched the wonder dawn in Esmeralda eyes. She loved it: the shops with their imitation snow on the windowsotton wool on string but most effectivehe toys in the windows. I dragged her away from them to look in the butcher with the pigscarcasses hanging up, oranges in their mouths, and the great sides of beef and lamb and the butcher in blue-striped apron sharpening long knives and crying uy, buy, buy.

Then there were the stalls piled with fruit and nuts and the old-clothes man and the people eating jellied eels out of blue-and-white basins. From one shop came the appetizing odor of pea soup, and we looked inside and saw people sitting on benches drinking the hot steaming stuff; there was the organ grinder with his little monkey sitting on top of the organ and the cap on the ground into which people dropped money.

I was delighted to see that Esmeralda was of the opinion that I had not for once exaggerated the charms of the market.

When the organ grinder wife began to sing in a rather shrill penetrating voice the people started to crowd round us and as we stood there listening a cart on which there was a considerable amount of rattling ironmongery came pushing its way through the crowds.

ind your backs,cried a cheerful voice. ake way for Rag and Bone rry. Stand aside please.

I leaped out of the way and was caught up in the press of people who carried me with them to the pavement. Several of them called out to Rag and Bone rry as he passed, to which he answered in a good-natured and pert manner. I watched with interest and found myself wondering about Rag and Bone rry and all the people around me when suddenly I realized that Esmeralda was not beside me.

I looked about me sharply. I fought my way through the crowd; I called her name, but there was no sign of her.

I didn panic immediately. She must be somewhere in the market, I told myself, and she couldn be far away. I had presumed that she would keep close to me; I had told her to and she was not of an adventurous nature. I scanned the crowds, but she was nowhere to be seen. After ten minutes of frantic searching I began to be really afraid. I had charge of the money, taken with a great deal of trouble from our money boxes, into which it was so easy to put coins and so hard to take them out (the operation must be performed by inserting the blade of a knife through the slit, letting the coin drop onto the knife and then drawing it out). Without money how could she get home by herself? After half an hour I began to be very frightened. I had brought Esmeralda to the market and lost her.

My imaginationo exciting at times when I was in control of itow showed itself as a ruthless enemy. I saw Esmeralda snatched up by some evil characters like Fagin from Oliver Twist teaching her to pick pockets. Of course she would never learn, I promised myself, and would be arrested immediately and brought home to her family. Perhaps Gypsies would take her. There was a fortuneteller in the market. They would darken her skin with walnut juice and make her sell baskets. Someone might kidnap her and hold her to ransom; and I had done this. The market adventure was so daring that it could only have been undertaken when it was possible to sneak into the house as we had sneaked out. Only on such a day when there was to be an important dinner party had it been possible.

And now Esmeralda was lost. What could I do? I knew. I must go back to the house. Confess what I had done and search parties would be sent out to find her.

This was distasteful to me, for I knew it was something which would never be forgotten and might even result in my being sent into an orphanage. After I had committed such a sin Cousin Agatha would in her opinion be justified in sending me away. I suspected that she only needed such justification. I therefore found it difficult to leave the market. Just one more look, I promised myself, and I wended my way through the place keeping my eyes alert for Esmeralda.

Once I thought I caught a glimpse of her and gave chase, but it was a mistake.

It must be getting late. Coming here would have taken half an hour and I must have been here an hour and now there was the journey back.

I went to the omnibus stop and waited. What a long time I waited! I was getting frantic. Silly Esmeralda! I thought, finding some comfort in blaming her. Stupid little thing! Why couldn she have stayed with me?

At last the omnibus arrived. What was I going to say? What trouble there would be! How could she have found her way home? Oh, what had happened to Esmeralda!

I descended from the omnibus and made my way to the house, intending to creep in by the servantsentrance. I saw with a shudder that the red awning was up and the red carpet down and that guests were arriving. I ran round to the back of the house. Rose was the one to find. She would be most sympathetic. She might well be in the mews, because the Carrington coachman would be there and she wouldn want to miss a moment of his company.

I went to the mews. She was not there. Oh dear, the only thing for me to do was to go to the house and confess to the first person I saw. Cook? She would be blustering in the kitchen putting the last-minute touches to the dinner. Nanny Grange perhaps, because she knew that I had what she called reckless blood in me and wouldn blame me so much for what I had done. t her blood,she would whisper knowledgeably.

I went in through the servantsentrance. No one seemed to be about. I made my way up the stairs to the hall and then I heard voices.

A policeman stood there, respectful, competent and reassuring, and beside him, looking very small in comparison, was a pale-faced Esmeralda.

ound wandering,the policeman was saying. ost. We brought her home as soon as she told us where, Mam.

It was like a tableau and one I believed I should never forget.

Cousin Agatha, aglitter in a low-cut gown twinkling with emeralds and diamonds, and Cousin William Loring, immaculate in his evening clothes, had been brought down to the hall from the top of the staircase where they had been receiving their guests to receive instead their truant daughter brought home by a policeman.

Several guests stood on the stairs. The Carringtons were just arrivingr. Carrington, Lady Emily and the great Rollo.

I noticed the intense mortification in every line of Cousin Agatha statuesque form; her emerald earrings quivered with passionate indignation. Esmeralda began to cry.

t all right now, Missy,said the policeman.

y dear,said Lady Emily, hat on earth has happened?

Cousin William began: ur daughter was lost But he was immediately silenced by Cousin Agatha.

here is Nanny? What has she been doing? Esmeralda, go to your room.

Esmeralda saw me suddenly through her tears and cried: llen.

Cousin Agatha turned and her basilisk gaze was directed straight at me.

llen!she said in a voice full of evil omen.

I came forward. e only went to the market,I began.

ilton!There he was, urbane, discreet in all his butlerian dignity.

es, Madam,he said. will have the young ladies taken to the nursery.And to the policeman: f you would care to follow me you will be refreshed and our appreciation shown to you. Ah, Madam, here is Nanny.

Nanny Grange appeared; she took me by one hand and Esmeralda by the other. Her anger was apparent in the grip of her fingers. I would have some explaining to do, I was sure, but at the moment I could only be relieved that Esmeralda was safe. There was one other thing that impressed itself on me. And that was the interested blue stare of the Great Rollo. His eyes were fixed temporarily on me. I wondered what he was thinking as Nanny hustled us up the stairs. Guests looked at us curiously. Some of them smiled. Then we were mounting the second stairs on up to the nursery.

e only thought we like to see the market,I explained. his could well cost me my job,muttered Nanny Grange venomously. nd I know who was at the bottom of this, Miss Ellen, and don you go trying to put it on Miss Esmeralda. She was led.Esmeralda murmured: wanted to go, Nanny.ou were led,said Nanny. on I know Miss Ellen?ell, it was my idea,I said. nd you shouldn blame Esmeralda.

hat Madam is going to say to you, Miss, I don know. But I wouldn like to be in your shoes.

We were sent to bed without supperot that we cared about thatnd I lay in bed wondering what life was like in orphanages.

Rosie came in late that night just as the guests were leaving. She was bright-eyedhe way she looked when she had been enjoying the company of her coachman. She sat on the edge of the bed and giggled.

ou are a one. You didn ought to have took Miss Esmeralda. She was sure to get lost or something.

ow was I to know she be so silly!

nd to go off on your own like that. My word, youe in for trouble.

know,I said.

ell, cheer up. Worse troubles at sea, as my first intended used to say. He was a sailor.

hat an orphanage like?

Rosie face softened suddenly. y cousin Alice was brought up in one. Quite the lady. Went governessing. No common housemaiding for her. Lots of company. There are a good many orphans in the world.She stooped down and kissed me. I knew she was trying to comfort me. She had been happy with her coachman and wanted all the world to be as happy as she was.

I supposed I be all right at the orphanage.

Cousin Agatha sent for me next morning. She looked as though she had had a sleepless night.

uch conduct,she was saying. o you know I despair of you? I know that these inclinations come to you. It in the blood, but as I said to Mr. Loring, what can we do with the child? Most people would send you away. After all we have our own daughter to consider. But blood is thicker than water and you are of our family. You try our patience sorely, Ellenine and Mr. Loring. I must warn you that you will have to mend your ways if you wish to stay under our roof.

I said I hadn known Esmeralda would get lost and if she hadn no one would have known we had been to the market.