Theatre Shoes by Noel Streatfeild

too thrilling for words. Hannah loathed the escalator. She stood at the top putting out a foot and pulling it back, afraid to get on, and she was only got on to it by Sorrel dragging her on one side and Mark on the other. Even when she reached the bottom she was still what she called “all of a shake” and she sat in the tube in a kind of heap, taking up more room even than usual, saying in an angry whisper at intervals, “It’s not a Christian way to get about. It was never meant.”
    The Academy was three large houses joined inside by passages. Across the front had been written in large gold letters “Children’s Academy of Dancing and Stage Training.” The words were divided between the three houses, but a bomb across the square had blown some of the letters away altogether, and others upside down. On the first house was written Ch and then a space, and then e upside down, and then s, and then another space and cad. On the second house was emy and then a space, and then D upside down. On the third house there was a d and then Stag, and then a space and then ing. Sorrel, Holly and Mark stood in the road puzzling what it all meant. It was Mark who worked it out and Sorrel who noticed the static water tank in the corner and guessed it had once been a house and that was how the letters had got blown away.
    Grandmother had made an appointment for the children to see Madame Fidolia at eleven o’clock. Hannah had been so afraid they would be late that it was only a quarter to eleven when they arrived, so they were shown into a waiting-room. It was a large, rather bare room with green walls. All round the walls were benches. Hannah sat down in the corner farthest from the door. The children walked round looking at the photographs, which were interesting. They were of children dressed in ballet skirts and each child was standing on its points, but best of all, each child had signed its name. There were some funny old ones which were getting faded, with names like Little Doris, and Babsy, and Baby Cora to Dear Madame, written on them. But the newer ones, and much the best photographs, had quite sensible names, like Janet and Ann. As well there were large groups of pantomimes and these the children liked much the best, because it was fun trying to work out which pantomime they were meant to be. Mark amused himself by giving imaginary prizes for handwriting to the different children. The somebody called “Little Doris” was winning. It was a very old photograph but it had got almost first prize when Sorrel called the others over to look at a picture of the prettiest girl they had ever seen. She was dressed as Alice in Wonderland, except that instead of Alice’s shoes she wore black ballet shoes and was standing on her points. Across this picture was written, “With much love to dear Madame. Pauline.”
    â€œI call that a lovely little handwriting,” said Sorrel.
    Holly climbed on to the bench to see better.
    â€œThere’s a picture of that girl over here.” She dragged at Sorrel to make her come and look, “only she’s dressed as a boy.”
    Holly, when she wanted you to look at something, kept on bothering till you did, so Sorrel and Mark came and looked. It was an enormous group, almost all of children. In the middle was the same girl who was Alice in Wonderland, only her hair was turned underneath to look like a boy’s. She was dressed in knickers and a coat that seemed to be made of satin, and holding her hand was a little dark girl dressed as Red Riding Hood.
    â€œNow I wonder what pantomime that is,” said Mark. “Look, there’s a cat! Do you think it’s ‘Puss in Boots’?”
    â€œIt couldn’t be,” Holly objected. “That cat hasn’t got no boots on.”
    â€œAnd anyway there’s a dog too,” Sorrel pointed out. “You couldn’t have a dog in ‘Puss in Boots.’”
    Mark