Darkest Before Dawn by Katie Flynn Page B

run.’ She shot out of the back door and thundered down the rickety iron staircase, then turned to hurry along the pavement towards the court, where Annie lived. As she had expected, her friend was already waiting for her, accompanied by her older brother, Gareth, and his friend Percy Baldwin. Gareth and Percy had acquired a bundle of rags tied together with string, which they were kicking from one to the other, and took no notice of Evie, so she and Annie fell into step as they made their way along the pavement. Presently, the two small girls were joined by others and they turned into the schoolyard, making their way towards the hopscotch squares and discussing who would have first go.
    The game proved to be an exciting one and when the bell went there was a concerted moan from the players. Evie, however, did not repine. She was quick and neat at all games and usually won, and anyway the match would continue in their dinner break. She linked arms with Annie and the two strolled across the playground to where the children were lining up into classes. Evie and Annie took their places, Evie reflecting how strange it seemed to have all girls in her class, for in the small village schools in which she had formerly been a pupil there had been too few children to segregate the sexes, so boys and girls had been taught together. Indeed, many of those schools had had only two classrooms, one occupied by the five- to nine-year-olds and the other by the ten to fourteens.
    The bell rang again and the children began to file into their classrooms. Annie and Evie sat at a double desk at the back, alongside another desk at which sat Millie and Sandra. The four girls often played together and now Millie leaned over as the teacher began to take the register and whispered into Evie’s ear. ‘I heared something about your dad the other day . . . well, I heared something if he’s the feller what Bister had took on at Payton and Bister’s biggest warehouse.’
    â€˜Oh?’ Evie said, only vaguely interested. Her father spoke very little about his work but she had taken his carry-out down to the warehouse one morning and had envied him working amongst all the lovely smells, especially when he had explained how he had to plot to fill every inch of available space. Evie liked doing jigsaws and her father had made her several quite difficult ones. Evie, looking at the warehouse, had remarked that it was like a gigantic jigsaw and she thought her father had a most exciting job which must be fun as well. Now, however, she remembered belatedly that Millie had asked her a question. ‘Sorry, what did you say?’
    â€˜I asked if your dad were the head warehouseman at Payton and Bister,’ Millie said patiently. ‘If he is, two of the fellers were talking about him. I heared them, so I did.’
    â€˜Oh,’ Evie said again. ‘Yes, me dad does work for Payton and Bister. What did you hear, then?’
    â€˜Well, the lads were saying that their dads were going to play a trick on him, like. I dunno why, but some of ’em miss the feller what were there before your dad took over.’
    â€˜What sort of trick?’ Evie enquired, immediately alert. She knew that the men had played at least one trick on her father already because it had made him laugh when he had told the story to his family.
    They had filled a sandwich with Lux soap flakes, as well as cheese, and offered it to him, hoping to see him foaming at the mouth. ‘Beware of the Greeks when they coming bearing gifts,’ her father had remarked, sagely, and had then explained the quotation to his small daughter. He had guessed, of course, that the sandwich had been doctored and had pretended to accept it, turning his back on the giver for a moment whilst rooting in his own sandwich box. ‘I’m very fond of a cheese sarnie,’ he had said jovially, ‘but you must have one of mine in exchange. No, no, I insist.’