The Dragonfly Pool Read Online Free PDF Page A

the part he had taken notice of was the description of the beautiful Devon countryside, the healthy food . . . the safety it would provide in times of war. And of course he himself believed in freedom and self-development—who didn’t?
    Now quickly he tried to explain to his stricken daughter that Delderton was what was known as a progressive school.
    But Tally was beyond help. She would rather have gone into a lion’s den than into one of those compartments.
    â€œI don’t know how to be progressive,” she said in a small voice. “I don’t know how one does it.” Tears sprang to her eyes. “And I don’t know about self-development. I don’t know about any of these things.”
    But it was too late. As for Augusta Carrington, it was quite obvious to Tally what had happened to her. She had stayed at home with her head under her pillow and refused to leave the house.
    â€œWe’ll write to you every day,” promised Aunt May—and Dr. Hamilton, blaming himself utterly, took his daughter’s hand and led her to the train.

    People don’t die from getting into school trains and Tally, as she leaned out of the window to wave, stayed incurably alive, but as she saw her father and the aunts standing very upright on the platform she felt a sense of desolation such as she had never known.
    Doors slammed; the guard waved his flag and put his whistle to his lips and the train began to move. Her father lifted his arm for the last time and turned to lead his sisters to the exit, and Tally, following him with her eyes, saw some of the other parents hurrying away blindly, as if these odd people, too, might be sorry to see their extraordinary children go. For a short time the Foxingham train ran beside hers, and she could see the fierce-striped boys in a blur of red and yellow. Then their train accelerated and they were gone.
    She took a deep breath and opened the door to a compartment.
    There were three people inside. A thin girl with two long sandy plaits sat in one corner, turning the pages of a film magazine. She had gray eyes and a narrow face covered in freckles. People with freckles usually look cheerful, but this girl seemed listless and rather sad, hunched in her seat. Yet the smile she gave Tally was welcoming and friendly.
    â€œYou’d better sit over here,” she said. “Not under the salamander. He slops.”
    â€œHe doesn’t,” said the wild-haired boy crossly, looking up at the luggage rack. His legs were stretched out so as to leave little room, but he moved them for Tally to get past. “I got him a new tank.”
    Tally peered up at the strange pale creature, like an overgrown newt, lurking in the water weeds.
    â€œIs it an axolotl? ” she asked, remembering her father’s zoology books.
    The boy nodded. “I got him for my birthday.”
    â€œAre we allowed to keep animals then? ” asked Tally.
    â€œNot cats or dogs, but small ones that can stay in cages,” said the girl, putting down her magazine. “There’s a pet hut where they live.” And then: “My name’s Julia.” She pointed to the boy with the axolotl. “He’s Barney. And that’s Tod.”
    Tod was the boy who had carried a banner with the words DOWN WITH TYRANTS!, but the banner was now rolled up and he was reading The Dandy .
    â€œYou’d better come and sit next to me,” Julia went on—“there’s a little fat boy who was sitting where you are. He’s called Kit and he’s new like you. He’s in the lavatory. They sent him in a shirt and tie and he’s very upset. I think he’s trying to flush his tie down the loo.”
    â€œBut it won’t go down, surely?” Tally was instantly concerned. “He’ll block everything.”
    Julia shrugged, but Tally was not good at leaving well enough alone. “I’ll go and see,” she said.
    She made her way along the