hairy purse on a chain round her waist called a sporran. But all she had in it, that I ever saw, was one little glass black cat for luck and three pennies. When we met her at Euston Station, she was wearing her ordinary school clothes, so she was just like anybody else. She just looked a bit peculiar in her best, in the kilt and the sporran and all her frills, if you werenât used to it . . . and quite a lot of people in the streets werenât and once a man called out something rude about bagpipes and she stuck out her tongue. Which was pretty terrible, but no one said anything. I mean Lally didnât, because she said sheâd been âinsultedâ.
Her rather grumpy brother Alec wore a kilt too. We saw him in it once when he came to stay with us on his own. He was a bit older than me, and bigger, and we all had to go to a terrible childrenâs party in fancy dress where you had to walk hand in hand, if you were two, or just alone, in a long wobbly line with a band playing something potty like âIn a Persian Marketâ, and people gave you marks for the Most Original Fancy Dress, or the Most Beautiful or something. It was really awful, I can tell you. Except to our mother, who simply loved it. I think that the childrenâs parties at the Lodge were her very favourite thing. I suppose it was because she had once been an actress, so she could do a bit of showing off because she made all our own clothes, and designed them herself, although Lally said she didnât really know a needle from a bodkin.
Anyway, that time my sister went covered in bunches of glass grapes wearing a silly pair of string sandals with a wreath of vine leaves in her hair which prickled like anything.And she was called âBacchantiâ. And I had to wear a really quite stinky old fur rug tied round me, and the same kind of sandals, and carry a wooden sort of flute thing which was all pretend really, because our father had made it for me with some wire and a broken bit of fishing rod. I mean, it didnât play or anything, it was just for carrying. And I was told I was a Greek shepherd. It was really terrible. And what made it more sickening than anything was that boring Alec just went in his âbestâ, I mean his kilt and a velvet jacket and a lot of silver buttons. I was pretty fed up because I smelt so rotten. It was quite an old goatskin thing my mother had found in our fatherâs studio, and it tickled as well, and I was all tied up in it like a parcel, with bits of thick string. And what made it worst of all was that Alec won. Of course.
I mean, honestly! Getting first prize for wearing your
own
clothes!
But it was a bit funny later because they made him have a ride on the pantomime horse, all round the ballroom. It wasnât really a horse, you know, it was only two men in a sort of spotted suit with a huge hee-haw head and a funny tail, and Alec went red in the face, and wouldnât. Everyone laughed and pulled him, so he had to get on, but you could see he was pretty fed up and had to hold on terrifically tightly because actually what they were trying to do was to bump him off and make him look silly. And then they did a stupid sort of pantomime dance all round the room, and everyone cheered and clapped, and Alec was looking sort of white and pretty upset because he was afraid that with all the bumping he was getting his kilt would blow up and everyone would see his tartan knickers.
It did. And everyone roared with laughter and waved their arms in the air, which only goes to show that grown-ups can be pretty silly sometimes. I felt quite sorry for him, but I was very glad then that I didnât win a prize in my goatskin, and I told our mother that if we had to do it again next year I would go as something quite good and exciting. Like a deep-sea diver.
Chapter 4
The night before we had to catch the Green Line bus from Victoria, the packing began. It was all right for Flora because she was
Her rather grumpy brother Alec wore a kilt too. We saw him in it once when he came to stay with us on his own. He was a bit older than me, and bigger, and we all had to go to a terrible childrenâs party in fancy dress where you had to walk hand in hand, if you were two, or just alone, in a long wobbly line with a band playing something potty like âIn a Persian Marketâ, and people gave you marks for the Most Original Fancy Dress, or the Most Beautiful or something. It was really awful, I can tell you. Except to our mother, who simply loved it. I think that the childrenâs parties at the Lodge were her very favourite thing. I suppose it was because she had once been an actress, so she could do a bit of showing off because she made all our own clothes, and designed them herself, although Lally said she didnât really know a needle from a bodkin.
Anyway, that time my sister went covered in bunches of glass grapes wearing a silly pair of string sandals with a wreath of vine leaves in her hair which prickled like anything.And she was called âBacchantiâ. And I had to wear a really quite stinky old fur rug tied round me, and the same kind of sandals, and carry a wooden sort of flute thing which was all pretend really, because our father had made it for me with some wire and a broken bit of fishing rod. I mean, it didnât play or anything, it was just for carrying. And I was told I was a Greek shepherd. It was really terrible. And what made it more sickening than anything was that boring Alec just went in his âbestâ, I mean his kilt and a velvet jacket and a lot of silver buttons. I was pretty fed up because I smelt so rotten. It was quite an old goatskin thing my mother had found in our fatherâs studio, and it tickled as well, and I was all tied up in it like a parcel, with bits of thick string. And what made it worst of all was that Alec won. Of course.
I mean, honestly! Getting first prize for wearing your
own
clothes!
But it was a bit funny later because they made him have a ride on the pantomime horse, all round the ballroom. It wasnât really a horse, you know, it was only two men in a sort of spotted suit with a huge hee-haw head and a funny tail, and Alec went red in the face, and wouldnât. Everyone laughed and pulled him, so he had to get on, but you could see he was pretty fed up and had to hold on terrifically tightly because actually what they were trying to do was to bump him off and make him look silly. And then they did a stupid sort of pantomime dance all round the room, and everyone cheered and clapped, and Alec was looking sort of white and pretty upset because he was afraid that with all the bumping he was getting his kilt would blow up and everyone would see his tartan knickers.
It did. And everyone roared with laughter and waved their arms in the air, which only goes to show that grown-ups can be pretty silly sometimes. I felt quite sorry for him, but I was very glad then that I didnât win a prize in my goatskin, and I told our mother that if we had to do it again next year I would go as something quite good and exciting. Like a deep-sea diver.
Chapter 4
The night before we had to catch the Green Line bus from Victoria, the packing began. It was all right for Flora because she was
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