HOW PEARL BUTTON WAS KIDNAPPED
Pearl Button swung on the little gate in front of the House of Boxes. It was the early afternoon of a sunshiny day with little winds playing hide-and-seek in it. They blew Pearl Buttons pinafore frill into her mouth, and they blew the street dust all over the House of Boxes. Pearl watched itlike a cloudlike when mother peppered her fish and the top of the pepper-pot came off. She swung on the little gate, all alone, and she sang a small song. Two big women came walking down the street. One was dressed in red and the other was dressed in yellow and green. They had pink handkerchiefs over their heads, and both of them carried a big flax basket of ferns. They had no shoes and stockings on, and they came walking along, slowly, because they were so fat, and talking to each other and always smiling. Pearl stopped swinging, and when they saw her they stopped walking. They looked and looked at her and then they talked to each other, waving their arms and clapping their hands together. Pearl began to laugh.
The two women came up to her, keeping close to the hedge and looking in a frightened way towards the House of Boxes.
Hallo, little girl! said one.
Pearl said, Hallo!
You all alone by yourself?
Pearl nodded.
Wheres your mother?
In the kitching, ironing-because-its-Tuesday.
The women smiled at her and Pearl smiled back. Oh, she said, havent you got very white teeth indeed! Do it again.
The dark women laughed, and again they talked to each other with funny words and wavings of the hands. Whats your name? they asked her.
Pearl Button.
You coming with us, Pearl Button? We got beautiful things to show you, whispered one of the women. So Pearl got down from the gate and she slipped out into the road. And she walked between the two dark women down the windy road, taking little running steps to keep up, and wondering what they had in their House of Boxes.
They walked a long way. You tired? asked one of the women, bending down to Pearl. Pearl shook her head. They walked much further. You not tired? asked the other woman. And Pearl shook her head again, but tears shook from her eyes at the same time and her lips trembled. One of the women gave over her flax basket of ferns and caught Pearl Button up in her arms, and walked with Pearl Buttons head against her shoulder and her dusty little legs dangling. She was softer than a bed and she had a nice smella smell that made you bury your head and breathe and breathe it
They set Pearl Button down in a log room full of other people the same colour as they wereand all these people came close to her and looked at her, nodding and laughing and throwing up their eyes. The woman who had carried Pearl took off her hair ribbon and shook her curls loose. There was a cry from the other women, and they crowded close and some of them ran a finger through Pearls yellow curls, very gently, and one of them, a young one, lifted all Pearls hair and kissed the back of her little white neck. Pearl felt shy but happy at the same time. There were some men on the floor, smoking, with rugs and feather mats round their shoulders. One of them made a funny face at her and he pulled a great big peach out of his pocket and set it on the floor, and flicked it with his finger as though it were a marble. It rolled right over to her. Pearl picked it up. Please can I eat it? she asked. At that they all laughed and clapped their hands, and the man with the funny face made another at her and pulled a pear out of his pocket and sent it bobbling over the floor. Pearl laughed. The women sat on the floor and Pearl sat down too. The floor was very dusty. She carefully pulled up her pinafore and dress and sat on her petticoat as she had been taught to sit in dusty places, and she ate the fruit, the juice running all down her front.
Oh! she said in a very frightened voice to one of the women, Ive spilt all the juice!
That doesnt matter at all, said the woman, patting her cheek. A man came into the room with a long whip in his hand. He shouted something. They all got up, shouting, laughing, wrapping themselves up in rugs and blankets and feather mats. Pearl was carried again, this time into a great cart, and she sat on the lap of one of her women with the driver beside her. It was a green cart with a red pony and a black pony. It went very fast out of the town. The driver stood up and waved the whip round his head. Pearl peered over the shoulder of her woman. Other carts were behind like a procession. She waved at them. Then the country came. First fields of short grass with sheep on them and little bushes of white flowers and pink briar rose basketsthen big trees on both sides of the roadand nothing to be seen except big trees. Pearl tried to look through them but it was quite dark. Birds were singing. She nestled closer in the big lap. The woman was warm as a cat, and she moved up and down when she breathed, just like purring. Pearl played with a green ornament round her neck, and the woman took the little hand and kissed each of her fingers and then turned it over and kissed the dimples. Pearl had never been happy like this before. On the top of a big hill they stopped. The driving man turned to Pearl and said, Look, look! and pointed with his whip.
And down at the bottom of the hill was something perfectly differenta great big piece of blue water was creeping over the land. She screamed and clutched at the big woman, What is it, what is it?
Why, said the woman, its the sea.
Will it hurt usis it coming?
Ai-e, no, it doesnt come to us. Its very beautiful. You look again.
Pearl looked. Youre sure it cant come, she said.
Ai-e, no. It stays in its place, said the big woman. Waves with white tops came leaping over the blue. Pearl watched them break on a long piece of land covered with gardenpath shells. They drove round a corner.
There were some little houses down close to the sea, with wood fences round them and gardens inside. They comforted her. Pink and red and blue washing hung over the fences, and as they came near more people came out, and five yellow dogs with long thin tails. All the people were fat and laughing, with little naked babies holding on to them or rolling about in the gardens like puppies. Pearl was lifted down and taken into a tiny house with only one room and a verandah. There was a girl there with two pieces of black hair down to her feet. She was setting the dinner on the floor. It is a funny place, said Pearl, watching the pretty girl while the woman unbuttoned her little drawers for her. She was very hungry. She ate meat and vegetables and fruit and the woman gave her milk out of a green cup. And it was quite silent except for the sea outside and the laughs of the two women watching her.
Havent you got any Houses of Boxes? she said. Dont you all live in a row? Dont the men go to offices? Arent there any nasty things?
They took off her shoes and stockings, her pinafore and dress. She walked about in her petticoat and then she walked outside with the grass pushing between her toes. The two women came out with different sorts of baskets. They took her hands. Over a little paddock, through a fence, and then on warm sand with brown grass in it they went down to the sea. Pearl held back when the sand grew wet, but the women coaxed, Nothing to hurt, very beautiful. You come. They dug in the sand and found some shells which they threw into the baskets. The sand was wet as mud pies. Pearl forgot her fright and began digging too. She got hot and wet, and suddenly over her feet broke a little line of foam. Oo, oo! she shrieked, dabbling with her feet, Lovely, lovely! She paddled in the shallow water. It was warm. She made a cup of her hands and caught some of it. But it stopped being blue in her hands. She was so excited that she rushed over to her woman and flung her little thin arms round the womans neck, hugging her, kissing
Havent you got any Houses of Boxes? she said. Dont you all live in a row? Dont the men go to offices? Arent there any nasty things?
They took off her shoes and stockings, her pinafore and dress. She walked about in her petticoat and then she walked outside with the grass pushing between her toes. The two women came out with different sorts of baskets. They took her hands. Over a little paddock, through a fence, and then on warm sand with brown grass in it they went down to the sea. Pearl held back when the sand grew wet, but the women coaxed, Nothing to hurt, very beautiful. You come. They dug in the sand and found some shells which they threw into the baskets. The sand was wet as mud pies. Pearl forgot her fright and began digging too. She got hot and wet, and suddenly over her feet broke a little line of foam. Oo, oo! she shrieked, dabbling with her feet, Lovely, lovely! She paddled in the shallow water. It was warm. She made a cup of her hands and caught some of it. But it stopped being blue in her hands. She was so excited that she rushed over to her woman and flung her little thin arms round the womans neck, hugging her, kissing
Suddenly the girl gave a frightful scream. The woman raised herself and Pearl slipped down on the sand and looked towards the land. Little men in blue coatslittle blue men came running, running towards her with shouts and whistlingsa crowd of little blue men to carry her back to the House of Boxes.
FROM BLISS AND OTHER STORIES (1920)PRELUDE
I
There was not an inch of room for Lottie and Kezia in the buggy. When Pat swung them on top of the luggage they wobbled; the grandmothers lap was full and Linda Burnell could not possibly have held a lump of a child on hers for any distance. Isabel, very superior, was perched beside the new handy-man on the drivers seat. Hold-alls, bags and boxes were piled upon the floor. These are absolute necessities that I will not let out of my sight for one instant, said Linda Burnell, her voice trembling with fatigue and excitement.
Lottie and Kezia stood on the patch of lawn just inside the gate all ready for the fray in their coats with brass anchor buttons and little round caps with battleship ribbons. Hand in hand, they stared with round solemn eyes, first at the absolute necessities and then at their mother.
We shall simply have to leave them. That is all. We shall simply have to cast them off, said Linda Burnell. A strange little laugh flew from her lips; she leaned back against the buttoned leather cushions and shut her eyes, her lips trembling with laughter. Happily at that moment Mrs. Samuel Josephs, who had been watching the scene from behind her drawing-room blind, waddled down the garden path.
Why nod leave the chudren with be for the afterdoon, Brs. Burnell? They could go on the dray with the storeban when he comes in the eveding. Those thigs on the path have to go, dodt they?
Yes, everything outside the house is supposed to go, said Linda Burnell, and she waved a white hand at the tables and chairs standing on their heads on the front lawn. How absurd they looked! Either they ought to be the other way up, or Lottie and Kezia ought to stand on their heads, too. And she longed to say: Stand on your heads, children, and wait for the store-man. It seemed to her that would be so exquisitely funny that she could not attend to Mrs. Samuel Josephs.
The fat creaking body leaned across the gate, and the big jelly of a face smiled. Dodt you worry, Brs. Burnell. Loddie and Kezia can have tea with my chudren in the dursery, and Ill see theb on the dray afterwards.
The grandmother considered. Yes, it really is quite the best plan. We are very obliged to you, Mrs. Samuel Josephs. Children, say thank you to Mrs. Samuel Josephs.
Two subdued chirrups: Thank you, Mrs. Samuel Josephs.
And be good little girls, andcome closer they advanced, dont forget to tell Mrs. Samuel Josephs when you want to
No, granma.
Dodt worry, Brs. Burnell.
At the last moment Kezia let go Lotties hand and darted towards the buggy.
I want to kiss my granma good-bye again.
But she was too late. The buggy rolled off up the road, Isabel bursting with pride, her nose turned up at all the world, Linda Burnell prostrated, and the grandmother rummaging among the very curious oddments she had had put in her black silk reticule at the last moment, for something to give her daughter. The buggy twinkled away in the sunlight and fine golden dust up the hill and over. Kezia bit her lip, but Lottie, carefully finding her handkerchief first, set up a wail.
Mother! Granma!
Mrs. Samuel Josephs, like a huge warm black silk tea cosy, enveloped her.
Its all right, by dear. Be a brave child. You come and blay in the dursery!
She put her arm round weeping Lottie and led her away. Kezia followed, making a face at Mrs. Samuel Josephs placket, which was undone as usual, with two long pink corset laces hanging out of it
Lotties weeping died down as she mounted the stairs, but the sight of her at the nursery door with swollen eyes and a blob of a nose gave great satisfaction to the S.J.s, who sat on two benches before a long table covered with American cloth and set out with immense plates of bread and dripping and two brown jugs that faintly steamed.
Hullo! Youve been crying!
Ooh! Your eyes have gone right in.
Doesnt her nose look funny.
Youre all red-and-patchy.
Lottie was quite a success. She felt it and swelled, smiling timidly.
Go and sit by Zaidee, ducky, said Mrs. Samuel Josephs, and Kezia, you sid ad the end by Boses.
Moses grinned and gave her a nip as she sat down; but she pretended not to notice. She did hate boys.
Which will you have? asked Stanley, leaning across the table very politely, and smiling at her. Which will you have to begin withstrawberries and cream or bread and dripping?
Strawberries and cream, please, said she.
Ah-h-h-h. How they all laughed and beat the table with their teaspoons. Wasnt that a take-in! Wasnt it now! Didnt he fox her! Good old Stan!
Ma! She thought it was real.
Even Mrs. Samuel Josephs, pouring out the milk and water, could not help smiling. You bustnt tease theb on their last day, she wheezed.
But Kezia bit a big piece out of her bread and dripping, and then stood the piece up on her plate. With the bite out it made a dear little sort of gate. Pooh! She didnt care! A tear rolled down her cheek, but she wasnt crying. She couldnt have cried in front of those awful Samuel Josephs. She sat with her head bent, and as the tear dripped slowly down, she caught it with a neat little whisk of her tongue and ate it before any of them had seen.
II
After tea Kezia wandered back to their own house. Slowly she walked up the back steps, and through the scullery into the kitchen. Nothing was left in it but a lump of gritty yellow soap in one corner of the kitchen window-sill and a piece of flannel stained with a blue bag in another. The fireplace was choked up with rubbish. She poked among it but found nothing except a hair-tidy with a heart painted on it that had belonged to the servant girl. Even that she left lying, and she trailed through the narrow passage into the drawing-room. The Venetian blind was pulled down but not drawn close. Long pencil rays of sunlight shone through and the wavy shadow of a bush outside danced on the gold lines. Now it was still, now it began to flutter again, and now it came almost as far as her feet. Zoom! Zoom! a blue-bottle knocked against the ceiling; the carpet-tacks had little bits of red fluff sticking to them.