Read Sleep in Peace for Free Online Page A

some of the words, or not pronounce them properly, which of course annoyed Gwen, who prompted you with a disdainful air. Vexed by her tone, you sometimes revenged yourself by slurring over her name in the request for divine blessings, and laying very great stress on Ludo’s—Gwen never seemed to notice this, butwhen you had done it you felt guilty all day. For some reason you always said your prayers in your cambric petticoat, which was rather chilly, as it was so often winter in Hudley. You had often mentioned that Queen Victoria was wearing a dressing-gown, but nobody seemed to take the hint. Having finished prayers, you put on your dress of indigo serge, whose yoke was handsomely embroidered with red braid—the cloth came from Blackshaw Mills, and Mildred made your clothes—and the white pinafore you had worn for tea the night before. On weekdays you had breakfast in the nursery, on Sundavs in the dining-room, but always with Papa.
    Breakfast was another danger-point because of Ludo. Poor Ludo was for some reason often late. No one knew why; no one could
imagine
why, as Gwen often said, for he was woken at the same time as Gwen and Laura, but poor Ludo was very often late. It grew worse and worse; at first only Mildred was cross about it, then Gwen began to take a hand. “Ludo is late
again
, Papa,” she said. (How much nicer Ludo was than Gwen, sighed Laura.) After a few mornings of this Papa himself began to grow angry. One day he even threatened to whip Ludo if he were late again: “I shall have,” he said, “to fetch my stick!” At this Laura trembled, for nobody at Blackshaw House had ever been whipped before. After a long time she stole a glance at Ludo, who sat looking pale and sullen, his long black lashes cast down, his eyes fixed on his plate. That night Laura evolved a plan, which she faithfully put into practice next morning; for the moment she awoke she bounced out of bed, began to sing and chatter in her loudest tones, banged on Ludo’s door as she was swept past it to the bathroom by Mildred, and altogether made so much noise that surely nobody could sleep through it. Mildred was about to be cross, but Papa came out of his bedroom smiling; and crying “That’s my merry little girl!” he picked Laura up and gave her a resounding kiss. (He smelled deliciously of shaving soap.) That morning Ludo was punctual, but the plan could not be carriedout every day, and there were many breakfasts when Ludo’s place stayed empty long after the bell had rung, and Laura’s heart thumped with apprehension. He was never whipped, however; Laura perceived that Papa would never really whip anybody. And then suddenly it was all right, for Ludo began to go to school, and was always in a hurry to leave the house so as to be punctual there. He scolded Ada if she were late with the porridge; and once positively grumbled at Papa, who came in late to serve the bacon because while shaving he had cut himself.
    After breakfast, then, Ludo rushed off to school, and Mildred and Laura escorted Gwen to her select private school, and then went for a walk before returning to Blackshaw House. This walk was rather dreary, because Mildred liked streets and the town, and expected Laura to walk very properly by her side and keep her gloves on all the time, and strongly disapproved of balls, skipping-ropes and hoops. These articles were all very well in the garden at home, she said, but should not be taken in the street. The tiresome part of it was that, although in one’s soul one was convinced that Mildred, and Gwen who supported her, were wrong, yet if one disobeyed their exasperating rules, disaster always followed. For example. After the morning walk Laura always had a glass of milk, which Mildred fetched from the cellar kitchen, at the top of whose stone steps Laura was forbidden to stand. One day, in a mood of reckless daring, she went and stood there—and suddenly found