Missing Person Read Online Free PDF Page B
Author: Mary Jane Staples
Freddy said they couldn’t go knocking on her door on a Sunday afternoon.
‘Course we can,’ said Cassie, ‘it’s what doors are for, to be knocked on.’ There was something in that. Well, there was as far as Walworth front doors were concerned. Walworth front doors were neighbourly, they liked being knocked on, except by rent collectors or tallymen. ‘Come on, Freddy – oh, ’ave you met the lady yet, Mrs ’Arper?’
‘I’ve seen ’er, I ain’t exactly met ’er,’ said Freddy. ‘Me mum spoke to her this mornin’, just to be neighbourly, and she said she was unexpected polite for someone from the East End, considerin’ all the tea leafs that ’ang about there. Mind, Mum didn’t mean she looked like a tea leaf ’erself.’
‘Well, then, you ought to go and say ’ello, Freddy, it’s only what you should do with new neighbours,’ said Cassie. ‘I’ll come with you, and Cecil as well. You’d best brush your hair first, before you put your cap on.’
Freddy stood his ground as far as his hair was concerned, but he did put his cap on. It wasn’t much use trying to tell Cassie he wasn’t going, it would only help to turn him grey a bit quicker. Along they went to the house in question, two doors away, with Cassie carrying the caged parrot. It was Cassie who knocked on the door. It had an old latchcord, but she thought she’d better not use it.
Mrs Harper opened the door. She was in quite a nice blouse and skirt, a woman in her late twenties with fair shingled hair. She wasn’t bad-looking, it was her rather florid complexion that was slightly spoiling.
‘Yes?’ she said, but not unkindly.
‘Oh, how’d you do, Mrs ’Arper,’ said Cassie. ‘This is me friend, Freddy Brown, ’e lives at number four, and wants to say ’ello to you. Go on, Freddy.’
‘Afternoon, Mrs ’Arper,’ said Freddy.
‘Afternoon,’ said Mrs Harper.
‘We thought we’d come and tell you I’ve got me own parrot now,’ said Cassie.
‘So you ’ave,’ said Mrs Harper, with a bit of a smile.
‘Yes, it’s Cecil,’ said Cassie. ‘He’s a talkin’ parrot, but ’e’s hardly talked at all today.’
‘Well, girlie, I don’t go much on parrots that don’t talk,’ said Mrs Harper. ‘Percy keeps me company.’
‘I told Freddy you called ’im Percy,’ said Cassie.
‘That’s ’is name all right.’
‘D’you think you could let Percy meet Cecil?’ asked Cassie. ‘That’s if you’re not terrible busy and Mr ’Arper wouldn’t mind.’
‘Me ’usband and ’is brother ’appen to be out,’ said Mrs Harper, ‘so all right, you can come in for a bit. Mind, I don’t entertain much on account of me ’eadaches, which catch me something chronic at times.’
‘Oh, ’ave yer got one now?’ asked Cassie.
‘No, I’ve been all right today, so you can come through, you don’t seem the kind to kick up a racket. What did yer say yer names was?’
‘I’m Cassie and he’s Freddy. We’re mates.’
‘All right, come in.’
They stepped in, Mrs Harper closed the door and they followed her through the passage into the kitchen. It was sparsely furnished with a table, four chairs, a dresser and a built-in larder. The range wasn’t alight, but there was a gas oven in the scullery. On the dresser stood a birdcage, in which a parrot was perched. It cocked an eye at the boy and girl.
‘What’s up, Fred, what’s up?’ it said.
‘There, that’s Percy,’ said Mrs Harper.
‘Lovaduck,’ breathed Cassie, ‘did you hear ’im talk to us, Freddy?’
‘Made me Sunday afternoon, that did,’ said Freddy, who felt he’d be a lot better off taking a ride on his bike. Cassie placed her birdcage on the table, and Mrs Harper brought Percy from the dresser to say hello to Cecil.
‘Let’s ’ope the feathers don’t fly,’ she said.
The birds, actually, seemed quite uninterested in each other. Percy, however, cocked a flirtatious eye at Cassie.
‘Hello, sailor,’ he said.
‘Crikey,
‘Course we can,’ said Cassie, ‘it’s what doors are for, to be knocked on.’ There was something in that. Well, there was as far as Walworth front doors were concerned. Walworth front doors were neighbourly, they liked being knocked on, except by rent collectors or tallymen. ‘Come on, Freddy – oh, ’ave you met the lady yet, Mrs ’Arper?’
‘I’ve seen ’er, I ain’t exactly met ’er,’ said Freddy. ‘Me mum spoke to her this mornin’, just to be neighbourly, and she said she was unexpected polite for someone from the East End, considerin’ all the tea leafs that ’ang about there. Mind, Mum didn’t mean she looked like a tea leaf ’erself.’
‘Well, then, you ought to go and say ’ello, Freddy, it’s only what you should do with new neighbours,’ said Cassie. ‘I’ll come with you, and Cecil as well. You’d best brush your hair first, before you put your cap on.’
Freddy stood his ground as far as his hair was concerned, but he did put his cap on. It wasn’t much use trying to tell Cassie he wasn’t going, it would only help to turn him grey a bit quicker. Along they went to the house in question, two doors away, with Cassie carrying the caged parrot. It was Cassie who knocked on the door. It had an old latchcord, but she thought she’d better not use it.
Mrs Harper opened the door. She was in quite a nice blouse and skirt, a woman in her late twenties with fair shingled hair. She wasn’t bad-looking, it was her rather florid complexion that was slightly spoiling.
‘Yes?’ she said, but not unkindly.
‘Oh, how’d you do, Mrs ’Arper,’ said Cassie. ‘This is me friend, Freddy Brown, ’e lives at number four, and wants to say ’ello to you. Go on, Freddy.’
‘Afternoon, Mrs ’Arper,’ said Freddy.
‘Afternoon,’ said Mrs Harper.
‘We thought we’d come and tell you I’ve got me own parrot now,’ said Cassie.
‘So you ’ave,’ said Mrs Harper, with a bit of a smile.
‘Yes, it’s Cecil,’ said Cassie. ‘He’s a talkin’ parrot, but ’e’s hardly talked at all today.’
‘Well, girlie, I don’t go much on parrots that don’t talk,’ said Mrs Harper. ‘Percy keeps me company.’
‘I told Freddy you called ’im Percy,’ said Cassie.
‘That’s ’is name all right.’
‘D’you think you could let Percy meet Cecil?’ asked Cassie. ‘That’s if you’re not terrible busy and Mr ’Arper wouldn’t mind.’
‘Me ’usband and ’is brother ’appen to be out,’ said Mrs Harper, ‘so all right, you can come in for a bit. Mind, I don’t entertain much on account of me ’eadaches, which catch me something chronic at times.’
‘Oh, ’ave yer got one now?’ asked Cassie.
‘No, I’ve been all right today, so you can come through, you don’t seem the kind to kick up a racket. What did yer say yer names was?’
‘I’m Cassie and he’s Freddy. We’re mates.’
‘All right, come in.’
They stepped in, Mrs Harper closed the door and they followed her through the passage into the kitchen. It was sparsely furnished with a table, four chairs, a dresser and a built-in larder. The range wasn’t alight, but there was a gas oven in the scullery. On the dresser stood a birdcage, in which a parrot was perched. It cocked an eye at the boy and girl.
‘What’s up, Fred, what’s up?’ it said.
‘There, that’s Percy,’ said Mrs Harper.
‘Lovaduck,’ breathed Cassie, ‘did you hear ’im talk to us, Freddy?’
‘Made me Sunday afternoon, that did,’ said Freddy, who felt he’d be a lot better off taking a ride on his bike. Cassie placed her birdcage on the table, and Mrs Harper brought Percy from the dresser to say hello to Cecil.
‘Let’s ’ope the feathers don’t fly,’ she said.
The birds, actually, seemed quite uninterested in each other. Percy, however, cocked a flirtatious eye at Cassie.
‘Hello, sailor,’ he said.
‘Crikey,