The Last Girl Read Online Free PDF Page B

very little, only she grew up, didn't she, and with every year that passed
she grew more to be her mother's daughter. The saddest thing was just having to
watch it.
    The main
thing is, I managed to stop in  time, finishing by mumbling something like,
'hark at me wittering on,' and hurrying back upstairs. Funnily enough, whereas
five minutes before I'd been in a state of mortal distress, coming face to face
with Ethel had somehow put paid to that. Good thing too, at the time, only just
let's hope that between the two of them they haven't thrown me right out of
kilter for the duration. There's a lot to be said for being regular.
    Anyway, it
hardly mattered. I had enough to keep me occupied for all today, namely, to
think of a way of putting it nicely to Mandy that she would have to tidy up a
bit if she wanted to stay on here. I was hard pushed to find the time to go
out, and even that was only to check on what Harry had on his stall. As usual
it was a struggle to get away, but I'm glad I went. He had some lovely peaches
today. Luscious is the word, and suffice to say, two of them ended up on a
certain young lady's table. I noticed Ethel had cleared up the mess.
    In the end I
had it all worked out - knew exactly what I was going to say and everything.
Come half-past five, all Larry had to do was sit down and wait for her.
    I should have
guessed she would be late, though, after the start she had. That way, I could
have saved myself the bother of popping out to the top of the stairs every five
minutes just to check she hadn't arrived, and I hadn't gone and missed that
little knock of hers. Yet as it happened, that was the last thing I needed to
worry about. Not only did I hear her on the landing loud and clear, two minutes
later there came a banging on the wall down below. Definitely not what I'd
expected after that timid little tap of yesterday.
    Then
everything seemed to happen at once. There was no time to tell her to come up
because half a second later, there she was in the kitchen door. She must have
bounded up those steps three at a time. That's youth for you. Well, youth and
something else. It couldn't just have been the exercise that had got her all
flushed. Two bright spots of red on either side of her face. Peaches , I thought. She must really love
peaches .
    'Mandy,
love,' is what I said aloud. 'Come in.'
    But do you
know, she was already in.
    'Mr Mann,'
she said, 'Mr Mann.' And stopped. She seemed to be having difficulty getting
the words out. But I didn’t hurry her. I just looked forward to what she had to
say.
    Only once
again it’s not what you’d expect.
    'Mr Mann.' No mention of Larry .
'Someone's been in my rooms. Been all through my belongings. I can hardly
believe it. Nothing is where I left it. Everything has been tampered with,
moved around. My books, my clothes, you name it. I'd say I'd been robbed, yet
nothing is gone. I don't understand it. So I'm asking you - do you know
anything about it?'
    Stunned.
That's the only word to describe it. There I was expecting something on the
lines of: 'Good evening Larry. Thank you so Much for the Peaches however did
you Know they were my Favourite.' And instead, I get this. It's only a wonder I
remembered to wipe the smile off my face.
    'Well, do
you?' She was glaring at me, and if it hadn't been clear before, it was now.
She was barking mad about something.
    'I don't know
what you're talking about, Mandy love. Didn't you lock the doors to those rooms
before you went out?'
    'No of course
not. I don't even have keys. Mrs Duck offered me them, and I told her I didn't
need them. Not when there must be fifty locks on the front door anyway. How
could anyone have got in?'
    Well, you
should have seen my face then. Never mind that the old kid was shouting at the
top of her voice - and only the good Lord knows what had happened to those
lovely manners - what she had done was taken my breath away. Ethel had offered
her keys, like she does to all the girls. And unlike them,