the days, weren’t they?” Miss Rutherford poured tea into delicate fluted cups. “I bought the chaise longue when I first moved here, in 1914. I fell in love with it. It was in Hauptmann’s – that lovely furniture store in the King’s Road, near The Pheasantry.”
At the mention of the shop Josie’s heart had begun to race. But – “Haupt – do you mean Hampton’s?” she asked.
“Hampton’s! Yes, of course. They changed their name after the last war.”
“Changed their name? Why?”
“They were German. And Germans living in Britain suffered a good deal of harassment during the war. I believe the owner was even interned for a while as an enemy alien. Quite ridiculous. He’d lived here since his twenties.”
“So” – Josie was staring at her – “it’s the same family? They’re really Germans?”
“Yes. But the present owner was born here, and has an English name. They’re hardly foreigners now.”
But Josie was thinking: Alice Hampton is German. Her name should really be Alice Hauptmann.
“It was such fun furnishing this place,” said Miss Rutherford. “I shared it with a friend, another girl. And then the war began…”
“What did you do in the war?” It was hard to imagine that other war, long ago, and Miss Rutherford young in that green dress.
“I was a nurse,” she said. “I worked in France.” She sighed and shook her head. “And now we are in another war. I suppose your father is in the Services?”
“Yes. He’s somewhere in North Africa – in the Army.”
“You must miss him?”
“Yes.” She paused. It was on the tip of her tongue to tell Miss Rutherford about Ted, all about him; somehow she felt her new acquaintance would not be shocked. But before she could speak Miss Rutherford asked, “And what do you and Edith get up to after school?”
Josie gave a start, and must have looked guilty, for Miss Rutherford laughed and said, “Don’t worry. I’m not checking up on you. But as an ARP Warden I’ve become very aware of everyone’s comings and goings. And Mrs. Prescott says you two often come in quite late, just before Mrs. Felgate gets home.”
“Oh, we…meet friends, and play,” said Josie. She felt as if Miss Rutherford had guessed about the bomb-site games – and yet, how could she? She continued, with an air of virtue, “On Wednesdays we go to the Red Cross Cadets group, so we know what to do in an emergency.”
Miss Rutherford smiled. “I’m glad to hear that. Do have some more bread and jam. Or will you be in trouble for spoiling your dinner?”
“I probably ought to go,” Josie said. “If they’re back Aunty Grace will wonder where I am.”
“That’s true.” She got up to see Josie out. “Come again, any time, won’t you?”
“Yes. Thank you. And for the tea.”
Edith had had a tooth out and was feeling sorry for herself. She had been warned not to rush about, so they sat at the top of the stairs and played board games and stroked Biddy and talked. Josie told her cousin about her visit to Miss Rutherford. Edith was jealous of the home-made jam and the look round the attics, but seemed otherwise uninterested in their neighbour, even when Josie described the chaise longue.
Josie did not tell Edith about the Hauptmanns. That was something she needed to think about alone.
Chapter Nine
Tell-tale
Knowing that Alice was German seemed to explain a number of things. Josie, glancing at the other girl next morning as she wrote steadily and neatly in her exercise book, thought it was no wonder that Alice was strange-looking, that she’d told tales (the Huns had no honour; everyone knew that), that she was so superior and so unfriendly. She probably had divided loyalties.
She wondered if Miss Hallam knew, or Miss Gregory. Miss Gregory was old enough to remember when the shop was Hauptmann’s.
Hauptmann. Silently she practised saying the name. Alice Hauptmann.
Now she knew something about Alice that none of the others knew, not
At the mention of the shop Josie’s heart had begun to race. But – “Haupt – do you mean Hampton’s?” she asked.
“Hampton’s! Yes, of course. They changed their name after the last war.”
“Changed their name? Why?”
“They were German. And Germans living in Britain suffered a good deal of harassment during the war. I believe the owner was even interned for a while as an enemy alien. Quite ridiculous. He’d lived here since his twenties.”
“So” – Josie was staring at her – “it’s the same family? They’re really Germans?”
“Yes. But the present owner was born here, and has an English name. They’re hardly foreigners now.”
But Josie was thinking: Alice Hampton is German. Her name should really be Alice Hauptmann.
“It was such fun furnishing this place,” said Miss Rutherford. “I shared it with a friend, another girl. And then the war began…”
“What did you do in the war?” It was hard to imagine that other war, long ago, and Miss Rutherford young in that green dress.
“I was a nurse,” she said. “I worked in France.” She sighed and shook her head. “And now we are in another war. I suppose your father is in the Services?”
“Yes. He’s somewhere in North Africa – in the Army.”
“You must miss him?”
“Yes.” She paused. It was on the tip of her tongue to tell Miss Rutherford about Ted, all about him; somehow she felt her new acquaintance would not be shocked. But before she could speak Miss Rutherford asked, “And what do you and Edith get up to after school?”
Josie gave a start, and must have looked guilty, for Miss Rutherford laughed and said, “Don’t worry. I’m not checking up on you. But as an ARP Warden I’ve become very aware of everyone’s comings and goings. And Mrs. Prescott says you two often come in quite late, just before Mrs. Felgate gets home.”
“Oh, we…meet friends, and play,” said Josie. She felt as if Miss Rutherford had guessed about the bomb-site games – and yet, how could she? She continued, with an air of virtue, “On Wednesdays we go to the Red Cross Cadets group, so we know what to do in an emergency.”
Miss Rutherford smiled. “I’m glad to hear that. Do have some more bread and jam. Or will you be in trouble for spoiling your dinner?”
“I probably ought to go,” Josie said. “If they’re back Aunty Grace will wonder where I am.”
“That’s true.” She got up to see Josie out. “Come again, any time, won’t you?”
“Yes. Thank you. And for the tea.”
Edith had had a tooth out and was feeling sorry for herself. She had been warned not to rush about, so they sat at the top of the stairs and played board games and stroked Biddy and talked. Josie told her cousin about her visit to Miss Rutherford. Edith was jealous of the home-made jam and the look round the attics, but seemed otherwise uninterested in their neighbour, even when Josie described the chaise longue.
Josie did not tell Edith about the Hauptmanns. That was something she needed to think about alone.
Chapter Nine
Tell-tale
Knowing that Alice was German seemed to explain a number of things. Josie, glancing at the other girl next morning as she wrote steadily and neatly in her exercise book, thought it was no wonder that Alice was strange-looking, that she’d told tales (the Huns had no honour; everyone knew that), that she was so superior and so unfriendly. She probably had divided loyalties.
She wondered if Miss Hallam knew, or Miss Gregory. Miss Gregory was old enough to remember when the shop was Hauptmann’s.
Hauptmann. Silently she practised saying the name. Alice Hauptmann.
Now she knew something about Alice that none of the others knew, not
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