good idea for a party into a social campaign. Amelia hoped she wouldnât want to send out suffragette propaganda with the party invitations ! But really she didnât mind turning back to Haroldâs Cross Cottages one little bit, even though her feet were tired and she was ready for her tea.
Oranges and Lemons
A melia often went with Mama to Findlater’s shop to get the groceries. The shop was large and cool and it had a special fruity, sugary smell that Amelia loved. The manager always came out from his office behind the shop, if he heard that the Pims were there, to pay his respects. He would lean over the counter, to where the biscuit tins were ranged with their glass lids slanted outwards so that the customer could see the tempting biscuits inside, nestling on their greaseproof-paper beds, and, flipping a lid, he would take out a biscuit and hold it up ceremoniously to Amelia. He was a large plump grey-haired man with old-fashioned sideburns and a large pocket watch that Amelia used to play with when she was little. Mama and Amelia both took wicker baskets, to carry home the things they needed immediately. The rest would be delivered later in the day by cart. They didn’t need to carry a purse, as they had an account at the shop, which Papa settled every month.
This day, however, Mr O’Connell didn’t make an appearance when Amelia and Mama came into the shop. He must be out, thought Amelia, or else he didn’t realise they were there. But the new young shopboy was very attentive. He lifted up the flap of the counter and opened the little half-door and came out to the customer’s side of the counter toget a chair for Mama to sit on. Then he went back to his own side of the counter and took a pencil from behind his ear, which he licked, so that he could take down Mama’s list.
Mama had a long list of requirements, and the counter was soon quite covered with food and household goods for the Pim family and servants: currants and raisins and prunes and dried apricots, sugar and salt and flour, semolina and rice and macaroni and cornflour and breadsoda, rashers of bacon and plump, damp strings of sausages, a score of eggs, washing soda and cakes of soap and a little bag of blue for whitening linen, sugar soap and borax powder for cleaning, half-a-dozen lemons, half-a-dozen oranges and a pound of bananas, cabbages, cauliflowers, onions, carrots and parsnips from the greengrocery department, and two thin white paper bags of biscuits, plain and fancy, which the shopboy weighed out carefully, adding an extra biscuit in the end, for good measure.
‘Can I tempt you to a half-pound of Barry’s tea, all the way from Cork?’ asked the shopboy helpfully, not liking actually to suggest that Mama had forgotten something.
‘Oh, I think you’ll find it’s come from much further afield than Cork,’ said Mama waggishly. ‘But no, thank you, we are Pims, the wine and tea merchants. We have our own sources of tea.’
‘I’m sorry, Ma’am.’ The shopboy blushed deeply. His blush clashed with his bright orange hair, so that he looked quite unattractive. Amelia felt sorry for him. She smiled at him, but he didn’t notice.
‘That’s all right. How could you be expected to know?’ said Mama kindly.
‘No, it’s not that, Ma’am,’ said the boy. Then he leant over the counter and said something to Mama that Amelia couldn’t hear.
‘Oh, not at all, not at all,’ said Mama brightly. ‘I’m sure it’ssome mistake. I’ll send my husband in to talk to Mr O’Connell as soon as he gets home and it’ll all be settled up in no time. Now don’t you feel bad about it at all. I quite understand .’
And Mama turned to leave the shop, taking Amelia by the elbow.
‘But, Mama,’ said Amelia, digging her heels in, ‘we haven’t taken the things we’ll be needing immediately.’
‘There’s nothing that we need immediately,’ said Mama firmly.
‘But, Mama, the biscuits. You said we could have lemon
Oranges and Lemons
A melia often went with Mama to Findlater’s shop to get the groceries. The shop was large and cool and it had a special fruity, sugary smell that Amelia loved. The manager always came out from his office behind the shop, if he heard that the Pims were there, to pay his respects. He would lean over the counter, to where the biscuit tins were ranged with their glass lids slanted outwards so that the customer could see the tempting biscuits inside, nestling on their greaseproof-paper beds, and, flipping a lid, he would take out a biscuit and hold it up ceremoniously to Amelia. He was a large plump grey-haired man with old-fashioned sideburns and a large pocket watch that Amelia used to play with when she was little. Mama and Amelia both took wicker baskets, to carry home the things they needed immediately. The rest would be delivered later in the day by cart. They didn’t need to carry a purse, as they had an account at the shop, which Papa settled every month.
This day, however, Mr O’Connell didn’t make an appearance when Amelia and Mama came into the shop. He must be out, thought Amelia, or else he didn’t realise they were there. But the new young shopboy was very attentive. He lifted up the flap of the counter and opened the little half-door and came out to the customer’s side of the counter toget a chair for Mama to sit on. Then he went back to his own side of the counter and took a pencil from behind his ear, which he licked, so that he could take down Mama’s list.
Mama had a long list of requirements, and the counter was soon quite covered with food and household goods for the Pim family and servants: currants and raisins and prunes and dried apricots, sugar and salt and flour, semolina and rice and macaroni and cornflour and breadsoda, rashers of bacon and plump, damp strings of sausages, a score of eggs, washing soda and cakes of soap and a little bag of blue for whitening linen, sugar soap and borax powder for cleaning, half-a-dozen lemons, half-a-dozen oranges and a pound of bananas, cabbages, cauliflowers, onions, carrots and parsnips from the greengrocery department, and two thin white paper bags of biscuits, plain and fancy, which the shopboy weighed out carefully, adding an extra biscuit in the end, for good measure.
‘Can I tempt you to a half-pound of Barry’s tea, all the way from Cork?’ asked the shopboy helpfully, not liking actually to suggest that Mama had forgotten something.
‘Oh, I think you’ll find it’s come from much further afield than Cork,’ said Mama waggishly. ‘But no, thank you, we are Pims, the wine and tea merchants. We have our own sources of tea.’
‘I’m sorry, Ma’am.’ The shopboy blushed deeply. His blush clashed with his bright orange hair, so that he looked quite unattractive. Amelia felt sorry for him. She smiled at him, but he didn’t notice.
‘That’s all right. How could you be expected to know?’ said Mama kindly.
‘No, it’s not that, Ma’am,’ said the boy. Then he leant over the counter and said something to Mama that Amelia couldn’t hear.
‘Oh, not at all, not at all,’ said Mama brightly. ‘I’m sure it’ssome mistake. I’ll send my husband in to talk to Mr O’Connell as soon as he gets home and it’ll all be settled up in no time. Now don’t you feel bad about it at all. I quite understand .’
And Mama turned to leave the shop, taking Amelia by the elbow.
‘But, Mama,’ said Amelia, digging her heels in, ‘we haven’t taken the things we’ll be needing immediately.’
‘There’s nothing that we need immediately,’ said Mama firmly.
‘But, Mama, the biscuits. You said we could have lemon
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