The CBB :: View topic - The School at the Chalet

#1: The School at the Chalet Author: jonty, Location: Exeter

Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 4:19 pm

In Devon, now part of the Greater German Empire, an impoverished Madge Bettany dreams up a wild scheme to ensure the survival of her frail younger sister. Hope you like it.

Madge looked down tenderly at the pale face beside her. At last the child’s breathing seemed easier, and she appeared to all intents and purposes to be sleeping a healthy, natural sleep. The crisis was over – for the time being. Wearily, Madge got to her feet, tucked the blanket more tightly round her sleeping sister, and went into the kitchen, being careful to leave the bedroom door open lest Joey should wake.

Dick was dozing by the fire, worn out, grey-faced with tiredness. How much longer could they go on like this? Madge would have given anything for a cup of tea, but the pail inside the kitchen door was empty, and the effort of going out into the yard for more water was beyond her. Not only did she lack the physical energy, but Mrs Carrington from across the corridor was out there talking to the Bakers, and the last thing Madge felt like was a conversation about the health of her beloved sister with these near-strangers. She sat, looking at the dying embers, thinking back to those long-ago days in India when life had been so pleasant and so untroubled. That was before The War.

‘Shouldn’t you go to bed, old thing?’ Dick was shaking her. Madge started up: she could only have been asleep for a few minutes. ‘I’ve been and had a look at Joey, and she seems to be sleeping peacefully, so why don’t you go in and have a lie-down?’

Madge felt guilty. If things were hard for her, they were even harder for Dick. Forced to tramp the streets looking for work he was ill-prepared to do, and turned down by foremen who, a few years ago, would have respectfully addressed him as ‘Master Dick’ or ‘Mr Bettany’ and who now treated him worse than he would have treated their pet dog. And Madge noticed now the torn trousers, and the clotted blood on Dick’s left knee. ‘Oh, Dick, what have you done to your leg?’

‘It’s nothing, really. Just some bother I got into outside the Labour Exchange.’ Dick laughed wryly. ‘Some Labour Exchange, none of those fellows has worked for a good few months. Not their fault, really, but young Carstairs was there, looking for work as an errand-boy. He’s been there every day, Madge, front of the queue. He’s only fourteen, and he has a mother and three young sisters dependent on him. I couldn’t stand by and watch those others – big fellows – jump the queue again. It’s desperation, Madge, it does dreadful thing to a man’. And Dick sighed deeply. ‘If only I knew what to do about you girls.’

‘You needn’t worry about us,’ replied Madge. ‘I’ve had an idea. You know how, since the War, they’ve been sending people, English people like us, to America? Land is cheap there since the collapse of the dollar, and they say that English people are welcome, really welcome there. There’s nothing here for us now, Dick. England is going to become an impoverished outpost of the German Empire, you know that. Don’t tell me the fellows outside the Labour Exchange don’t talk about it all the time. Well, the Germans don’t care about America. We could use the last of the money we made from Pretty Maids – thank goodness we sold it in time – to buy our passage, and I’ve heard of a house in Vermont where we could go. A big house. And, Dick, I could set up a school. Just imagine it. They say the climate there would be just the thing for Joey, it’s cold in winter, but it’s a dry cold. Oh, Dick, I don’t think I could stand another winter like this, and suppose, just suppose we couldn’t pull Joey through.’ Madge gave a strangled sob.

#2: Author: Joey, Location: Cambridge

Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 4:52 pm

Wow - good start, Jonty! I'm hooked already. Carry on, please!

#3: Author: JustJen, Location: Dorval, Quebec

Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 5:13 pm

I must say I like this just a tiny thing Pretty maids was owned the Maynard family...unless something happened to them?? please update soon.

#4: Author: Laura, Location: London (ish)

Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 7:01 pm

Also hooked! More soon, please Very Happy

#5: Author: Emily, Location: Land of White Coats and Stethoscopes.

Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 7:07 pm

*shivers* I like this!

#6: Author: jonty, Location: Exeter

Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 7:41 pm

Sorry about the Pretty Maids thing - I always come unstuck on details. Here's the next bit.

‘Now just hold on a moment, old girl.’ Dick leaned forward, interested in spite of himself, hope beginning to dawn in his eyes. ‘This sounds like quite a plan. I don’t mean to be discouraging, Madge, but, hang it, you’re only twenty-four. What can a girl like you know about running a school? And where would you get pupils from? Not to mention staff, and school furniture, and, well, I don’t know, but all the things you need for a girls’ school. I take it you do mean a girls’ school, Madge, old fruit? Not thinking of one of these new co-educational council schools that Joey has to go to when she's well enough?’

Madge smiled weakly. ‘I’ve been thinking about it a lot, Dick. And I’ve talked it over already, with that nice French lady who lives upstairs. You know, Mademoiselle Lepattre who escaped from her home near Paris after the capital fell? With her little neice, Simone? They were all that remained of that family. They would come with us. Mademoiselle Lepattre would teach French, and look after the girls, and Simone would be a pupil. She’s a lovely child, dreadfully scarred by her wartime experiences of course, and inclined to be sentimental, but that’s no surprise after all she’s been through. I’m sure the settled routine of a school in Vermont away from all this – all this – squalor – would improve her no end.’ And Madge flung a hand out, indicating the dirt of the two rooms in which the three of them now lived, and where she fought a losing battle against the rats, the dampy and the general decay.

‘But, Madge, there has to be more than that to starting a school. For one thing, you'll need other pupils, pupils who will pay.’

‘I know where I can have one for the asking. Young Grizel.’

‘Grizel? Grizel Cochrane? Madge, have you gone mad, old thing?’ And Dick contemplated their landlords, the Cochranes, one of those few families who had managed to do relatively well out of the War. When the fighting ended and the prefecture of Devon was set up, the Cochranes had co-operated with the enemy, and were now being well rewarded.

‘I mean it Dick. What kind of a future will they have here, known as collaborators and hated by everyone? Just think of that poor child, the time she must be having at school. It was Mrs Cochrane who gave me the idea of moving to America, she’s thinking of it herself, and she wants a new start for the family and for Grizel. After all, it can’t be long until the socialists bag the whole of Europe, and what future then for the Cochranes and their kind? And there’ll be others, Dick, I know there will be others.’

‘Well, it still sounds like a mad scheme to me, Madge, but if you’ve got your heart set on it, well, I’ll back you to the hilt, you know that. Look, it’ll soon be light. Why don’t I fill the water pail, stoke up the fire and you make some tea. Then I’ll see about booking passage to Vermont.’ And Dick suited the action to the word.

#7: Author: kateeee,

Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 8:00 pm

This is looking great. Couldn't the Bettanys have sold Pretty Maids to the Maynards??

#8: Author: Lyanne, Location: Ipswich, England

Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 8:03 pm

Quote:

the Cochranes had co-operated with the enemy, and were now being well rewarded.

Hiss! We always knew he was a nasty piece of work.

#9: Author: claire, Location: South Wales

Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 8:55 pm

we never hear the name of the house the Bettanies sell to the Corah Mine company - it could have been pretty maids as well

#10: Author: Carolyn P, Location: Lancaster, England

Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 9:32 pm

This is a very interesting take on events. Thanks. Look forward to seeing how you work it all out.

#11: Author: francesn, Location: away with the faeries

Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 10:02 pm

very interesting alternative "reality" looking forward to more

#12: Author: patmac, Location: Yorkshire England

Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 10:09 pm

This is so very different! I like it. Thank you Jonty. More please.

#13: Author: Ann, Location: Newcastle upon Tyne, England

Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 11:06 pm

Ooh, this is very good! I like the way you've managed to work quotes from the original into the narrative. Poor Mademoiselle and Simone Crying or Very sad

#14: Author: LadyGuinevere, Location: Leicester

Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 11:10 pm

Intriguing! Looking forward to more!

#15: Author: Susan, Location: Carlisle

Posted: Fri Feb 25, 2005 12:17 am

Thanks Jonty this is looking really good.

#16: Author: Pado, Location: Connecticut, USA

Posted: Fri Feb 25, 2005 1:11 am

This is great! What a cool twist!

#17: Author: Kathy_S, Location: midwestern US

Posted: Fri Feb 25, 2005 4:29 am

ooh, fascinating! *looking forward to next installment* *can just see the Cochranes as landlords*

#18: Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!!

Posted: Fri Feb 25, 2005 9:25 am

This is so interesting jonty, Im really looking forward to more Very Happy

#19: Author: Rebecca, Location: Kendal/Oxford

Posted: Fri Feb 25, 2005 4:15 pm

Interesting stuff indeed! Looking forward to some more...

#20: Author: Sarah_K, Location: St Albans

Posted: Fri Feb 25, 2005 5:38 pm

So we've got the same girls so far. It'll be odd without all the Austrians (unless they come to so far). Thanks Jonty!

#21: Author: jonty, Location: Exeter

Posted: Fri Feb 25, 2005 6:32 pm

Here's a bit more. We might be meeting some of the Austrian girls before long, who knows?

‘Joey-baba, it’s time!’ The little girl came tumbling down the stairs, eager to set off. Underneath the flush of excitement Joey was still pale from her recent illness, and her legs were inclined to be wobbly, but Madge and Dick had decided to take their chance and set off on their long journey. If they waited, Joey was as likely to relapse as she was to become stronger, and in any case, the sea voyage might buck her up.

Mademoiselle Lepattre and Simone were already standing by the roadside. The Cochranes had hired a horse and cart, on which the women and children were to ride to the station, while Dick and Mr Cochrane walked alongside. Their possessions, meagre as they were, were soon loaded onto the cart, and the girls clamoured for the front-facing seats.

‘I don’t see why I should have to have this blanket tucked round me. Don’t fuss so, Madge,’ complained Joey.

‘But ma chere, just think of the recent illness,’ soothed Mademoiselle Lepattre. ‘You want to be well and strong to enjoy the voyage, n’est-ce- pas?’

‘Well I don’t see why a blanket would help.’ Joey was not in a mood to be placated. Truth to tell, she was over-excited and still rather tired from her illness, and the strain was showing.

‘Cherie, think then of the dear sister and brother. You would not wish to cause them anxiety I think? So be a good child, mon enfant, and keep the blanket around you with no more complaint.’

‘Oh, Madge, I am a brute. I didn’t think about worrying you.’ Joey looked up and kissed her adored older sister. ‘I won’t complain again, honest injun’.

Simone watched quietly, her eyes big with surprise, at this exchange. Brought up to instant obedience to the lightest word of father or mother, or, more lately, her aunt, she was still not used to the more casual relations between the Bettanys. They had lived in the same house for months, but living in such close quarters, the tenants had tried to protect their privacy as much as they could, and she had seen little of the youngest Bettany who had, in any case, spent so many of those months confined to her bed. When Miss Joey had been well enough to attend school, Simone had been rather in awe of her. Joey had an indefinable quality that drew other children to her, and even though she lived in desperate poverty, she maintained a queer little air of dignity. Not that she was above a few monkey-tricks, oh no. Life was always interesting when the youngest Bettany was around, and Simone was secretly thrilled at the prospect of this adventure in her company. Surely, with the older and disliked Grizel Cochrane as their only other playmate, Joey and Simone would find themselves thrown together? Things had been lonely for Simone since her parents were killed and she and her aunt had been forced to flee their beloved France. More than anything Simone longed for an amie intime, to whom she could whisper all her secrets. In her warm and sentimental little heart she was already dreaming of exchanging confidences with Jo.

Absorbed in happy dreams of the voyage and her new life in America, the little French girl barely noticed the streets flash by. At last the little cart drew up at the station, and the party descended. There was a brief delay as the Authorities checked their tickets, and then they were allowed to board the train.

Grizel looked around her and wrinkled her nose. ‘Mother, it smells in here’. Indeed, the air was rank, and the others pulled faces as they entered the carriage, though no-one was quite as forthright as Grizel.

Joey clung more tightly to Madge’s hand. ‘It’s alright, Joey-baba, it’s not for long. Just until Plymouth, and then we’ll be on the lovely ship. Just think, all that fresh air.’ Madge, once a seasoned traveller though it was some time since she had taken a long journey, felt her spirits rise, despite the shabby surroundings of the third-class carriage. Expertly, she stowed their few belongings on the racks above the seat, brought out books for herself and Dick and comics for the girls, and tucked the now unprotesting Joey into her tartan blanket. The two younger girls were soon immersed in their comics. But Grizel found it harder to settle. The window was so dirty that it was hard to look out, and she wasn’t interested in reading. Her mouth took on its accustomed pout. If Grizel had reason to be discontented with her lot, she certainly didn’t try to put a brave face on things. Spoilt from birth, she had found the change in her parents’ circumstances at the end of the War hard to cope with and her difficulties had further hardened a character already inclined to be difficult. Although she had not faced such intense hardships as many of the families around her, she had been uprooted from the school she had loved when it was closed down, and sent to a school where the children – boys as well as girls – treated her roughly and often bullied her for 'siding with the enemy'. Grizel shuddered at the memory. ‘Hun-lover!’ ‘Filthy Fritz!’ and other taunts had been flung at her constantly, and she had more than a few scars to prove the taunting went beyond name-calling. She had looked forward to this trip to America, but, she thought, if only some of her friends from before the War had been with them. It was hard to make the best of things with only that silent French child and the sickly Bettany babe for company.

Grizel sighed and looked forward to the opening of the new school. Maybe there would be some American pupils of her age who knew how to have some fun. Now that really would be worth looking forward to.

#22: Author: Lyanne, Location: Ipswich, England

Posted: Fri Feb 25, 2005 6:38 pm

Why do I get the feeling anything Grizel thinks is fun will be NOT approved of by the authorities?

#23: Author: LadyGuinevere, Location: Leicester

Posted: Fri Feb 25, 2005 6:48 pm

Love the way you're mixing the original text and themes with the alternate storyline! Smile

#24: Author: nikkie, Location: Cumbria

Posted: Fri Feb 25, 2005 7:54 pm

Love this, I'm guessing Evvy and Corney will appear (fingers crossed)

#25: Author: francesn, Location: away with the faeries

Posted: Fri Feb 25, 2005 8:38 pm

i'm guessing that a few Austrian/German girls will become the spoilt only children of millionaires and gisela et al will become american but that's just a guess! do keep going!!!

#26: Author: jonty, Location: Exeter

Posted: Sat Feb 26, 2005 3:03 pm

‘Madge, do hurry up!’ Joey was nearly dancing with impatience. After five days at sea the black-haired child was almost unrecognisable, so glowing was she with good health. The weather had been kind to the travellers, and they had been blessed with sunny days and mild nights. This morning Joey had woken early and her fidgeting had disturbed Madge in the bunk next to her. ‘Oh do let’s go on deck, Madgie Machree,’ the child wheedled. ‘They say we’ll be able to see the Statue of Liberty any time now, and I’m simply longing to catch a glimpse of it. It would be a swizz to miss it, wouldn’t it, Madge?’

Madge laughed. ‘We’re not likely to miss a thing like that, Joey-baba. And anyway, it’s not even light yet. How could we see anything?’

‘Imagine seeing the Statue of Liberty by moonlight, then,’ remarked Jo, not to be put off. ‘I can’t think of anything more topping.’

Madge looked hard at her. Sometimes she found herself forgetting that harum-scarum Jo could be dreamy and reflective, a mark of her sensitive temperament. Madge sighed for her interrupted slumber, but seeing there was no alternative, began to make a hasty toilet. After all, now that she was properly awake, she was as keen as anyone to see the Statue of Liberty, and all that it stood for. ‘Here, Joey, help me fold the bedclothes. The quicker we get everything tidy, the quicker we’ll be up on deck.’

‘All sereno, old fruit!’ And the excited Joey folded blankets and pillow-slips at top speed, while her sister made sure she was decently and warmly clad. After all, though the nights had been mild, the April dawn was apt to be chilly.

#27: Author: LadyGuinevere, Location: Leicester

Posted: Sat Feb 26, 2005 4:44 pm

Wonderful! I can just picture Joey getting excited over the Statue of Liberty, just like that! Smile

Thanks!

#28: Author: Ann, Location: Newcastle upon Tyne, England

Posted: Sat Feb 26, 2005 5:48 pm

Thanks Jonty - this continues to be excellent! More asap!

#29: Author: nikkie, Location: Cumbria

Posted: Sat Feb 26, 2005 8:13 pm

Very Joey!Thanks Jonty

#30: Author: Carolyn P, Location: Lancaster, England

Posted: Sat Feb 26, 2005 10:52 pm

Love the way this is going, and I too can see Joey reacting that way as a contrast to the way she reacted in Paris in the book.

#31: Author: Ellie, Location: Lincolnshire

Posted: Sun Feb 27, 2005 4:51 am

This is a very interesting alternate scenario, and so well weaved in with the original story too. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next.

#32: Author: patmac, Location: Yorkshire England

Posted: Sun Feb 27, 2005 7:50 am

This is really clever. Such a different storyline but so true to the original. Do tell us more when you can.

#33: Author: jonty, Location: Exeter

Posted: Sun Feb 27, 2005 12:29 pm

Introducing another old friend...

Up on the steerage deck, all was activity. Word had gone round the night before that the Statue of Liberty would soon come into view, and more than a few passengers had spent the night on deck, keen to get an early sighting. Madge and Jo paused for a moment to breathe in the strong sea air. Ahead of them all was in darkness, though behind them the sky had begun to lighten. The irrepressible Joey saw, with satisfaction, that they hadn't missed the first glimpse of the Statue. 'I wondered when you girls would get here,' said a familiar voice.

'Dick, oh Dick, isn't it simply splendiferous'. A bright-eyed Joey gazed up at her brother. 'Come on, let's get as far to the front as we can'.

'Excuse me,' came a voice with an unmistakeable American twang. 'You folks wouldn't have seen a little girl anywhere around, would you? She's a couple of years younger than this little lady,' and he indicated the indignant Joey. 'She never did learn to stay close, and guess I haven't been able to keep her in order on this trip'. The speaker was a well-dressed gentleman, not the kind of passenger the Bettanys had got used to seeing in steerage class.

'I'll look for her if you like,' replied Jo. 'What's her name?'

'That's mighty kind of you, I'm much obliged. She's called Cornelia. Cornelia Flower.'

Joey narrowly managed to stop herself from whistling. Privately she thought a name like that was enough to make anyone run away from their father, but out loud she merely asked: 'What does she look like?'

'Let me see now, she'd be a few inches shorter than yourself, with bobbed blonde hair. Answers to the name of 'Corney'.'

#34: Author: LadyGuinevere, Location: Leicester

Posted: Sun Feb 27, 2005 1:30 pm

Oooh, Cornelia's joining earlier! Now that could make things interesting! Smile

#35: Author: Laura, Location: London (ish)

Posted: Sun Feb 27, 2005 1:45 pm

Jonty this is such an interesting twist! Please keep going Very Happy

Anyway Corney might become the American to come in a few terms time, like Evvy was?

#36: Author: Kathy_S, Location: midwestern US

Posted: Sun Feb 27, 2005 2:34 pm

Very interesting! Will Mr. Flower help the Bettany crew through immigration? Or will they be "detained" at Ellis Island?

#37: Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!!

Posted: Sun Feb 27, 2005 4:57 pm

Oooh its so good to see Cornelia Very Happy

*wonders about other familiar friends?* Thanks jonty Very Happy

#38: Author: nikkie, Location: Cumbria

Posted: Sun Feb 27, 2005 7:33 pm

Yay ,I love Corney, Corney in America could be even more fun!

#39: Author: francesn, Location: away with the faeries

Posted: Sun Feb 27, 2005 10:59 pm

looking interesting... So will Corney be coming to the school early? And if she is, will she be the same Corney we knew and hated when she first arrived?

#40: Author: Miss Di, Location: Newcastle, NSW

Posted: Mon Feb 28, 2005 4:48 am

This is great Jonty. I really look forward to seeing of this, it's a fascinating alternate reality. (And thanks to LizB, I can so see Irene Cochrane as a quisling/collaberator/profiteer) ET avoid useless repetition of the words really and great

#41: Author: jonty, Location: Exeter

Posted: Mon Feb 28, 2005 11:21 am

francesn wrote:

will she be the same Corney we knew and hated when she first arrived?

Judge for yourself! typing

Joey couldn’t imagine herself using the shortened version of the outlandish name, but she obediently trotted off to seek the missing child. Where could she be? Jo thought she knew the answer to that. In the far corner of the steerage deck lay the lifeboats. She and Simone had been wildly curious about them in their first day or two on board, but their interest had waned. The boats had, however, become play homes to the youngest children on board, who loved to play hide-and-seek, and made their make-believe houses in them. Poor little things, some of them had been made homeless by the fighting or its terrible aftermath, and wanted nothing more than a secure home. If this Cornelia was playing at running away from her father, surely the lifeboats would make a perfect hiding place.

Joey ran over to the boats, calling Cornelia’s name as she went. But no blonde child appeared in answer to her shouts. Not one to be easily put off, Jo began a proper search, uncovering the boats one-by-one. As she pulled the tarpaulin off the third boat, she caught a movement in the corner of her eye. Looking up, she saw the flash of a yellow frock, and heard running feet. ‘Cornelia, don’t be an idiot’. Now was not the time for polite introductions, for Jo was feeling rather annoyed with the runaway and little inclined for pursuit. ‘Come back, your father’s looking for you, and anyway, you’ll miss seeing the Statue of Liberty if you don’t come now’.

‘Seen it! Lots of times! So sucks to you!’ And the child appeared from behind the end boat, rudely stuck her tongue out at Joey, and made off towards the back of the boats.

‘Not that way!’ There was real alarm in Joey’s voice now, for all the children had been warned that the wooden deck behind the boats was rotten, and Cornelia was not looking where she was going. Before Joey could give chase, a sharp scream rang out and there came the sound of splintering wood. Joey made her way cautiously round the back of the boats, and looked down. What she saw made her gasp in terror. The wooden floor had given way, and Cornelia hung suspended, her yellow frock caught on a nail. It only needed the fabric to rip, and the little American would fall to a watery grave.

There was no time to delay. Joey kicked off her shoes and ripped off her stockings, whilst untying the girdle around her waist. Thank goodness Dick had been a Boy Scout and had taught his small sister how to tie decent knots. Tying her two stockings and girdle together, and looping one end around her own wrist, Joey lowered the makeshift rope to the trembling Cornelia.

‘Catch hold of this – I’ll hold you!’ Cornelia, who, whatever she may have lacked in the way of courtesy did not lack courage, made a lunge for the rope, catching it just as the fabric of her frock gave way. Joey felt a sickening pull on the rope, and hung on for dear life. She had not been the only person to hear Cornelia’s terrified scream, and, though it seemed like ages to the weary Joey, in only a few seconds Dick and Mr Flower were by her side, hauling the frightened American child to safety.

‘Say, that was a near thing,’ remarked the well-dressed gentleman, as Cornelia sobbed with fright and remorse in his arms. ‘Guess I nearly lost you that time, honey. We owe quite a lot to this little lady. Say, how about you folks come upstairs with me, as my guest? No, it’s the least I can do,’ as Dick began to make excuses.

Madge looked worried. Was Mr Flower suggesting they go up to first class? They were hardly dressed for it. And the white and shaken Joey looked all-in and ready for bed.

‘I insist. You wouldn’t deprive me of the chance to say thank you properly, would you?’

Somehow, with only the briefest of interludes to allow the shaken Joey to make herself decent again, the Bettanys found themselves following the two Americans up to their first class suite. ‘Let me order drinks for you folks. I always say the only way to see the Statue of Liberty is over a champagne breakfast. But maybe orange juice for the little ladies, right?’ And Mr Flower led the way to their private deck.

As they settled down and Mr Flower gave their order to the waiter, Joey, subdued by her unexpected adventure, snuggled into Madge’s arms. Dimly, she heard Madge and Dick confiding their predicament to their kind host. They weren’t in the habit of telling complete strangers their family problems, but the early hour and the proximity of the American coastline, combined with the unaccustomed alcohol and Mr Flower’s generosity, seemed to break down all their defences. Before they knew it, Madge had, to quote Mr Flower, ‘spilt the beans’. All the pain and the loneliness of the last few years, the loss of their parents, the worry over Joey’s health, the terrible consequences of the War, all this and more was poured out to their wordlessly sympathetic American host.

At last, exhausted by the dreadful stories they had told and the memories they had stirred up, Madge and Dick fell silent. Into that silence drifted a muted cheer from the steerage class. Joey looked up. Behind them, dawn was breaking. Ahead of them, torch raised proudly to the heavens, stood the Statue of Liberty, the mother of exiles, gleaming dully in the early morning sunshine.

Mr Flower stood. Holding his hands out to his guests he quoted softly: ‘ ‘Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teaming shores. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door.’ Guess things are gonna be just fine now, kids.’

#42: Author: keren, Location: Israel

Posted: Mon Feb 28, 2005 12:05 pm

Wow, that was really moving.

#43: Author: Robin, Location: London

Posted: Mon Feb 28, 2005 2:17 pm

this is really good, so realistic thanks Jonty

#44: Author: carobsa, Location: orkney

Posted: Mon Feb 28, 2005 2:43 pm

i am so close to crying Sad

#45: Author: Carolyn P, Location: Lancaster, England

Posted: Mon Feb 28, 2005 4:45 pm

Wow, that was moving. I remember Corney's father as being a good sort and he seems it, you are keeping them all well in character, even in the different circumstances. The quote from the statue of liberty was perfectly timed. Crying or Very sad

#46: Author: Vikki, Location: Sitting on an iceberg, freezing to death!!!

Posted: Mon Feb 28, 2005 5:08 pm

Thank you Jonty! That was beautiful!

#47: Author: LadyGuinevere, Location: Leicester

Posted: Mon Feb 28, 2005 6:35 pm

Fantastic! How totally Chalet! Smile

#48: Author: Susan, Location: Carlisle

Posted: Mon Feb 28, 2005 10:10 pm

Thank you Jonty this is fabulous. That last episode nearly had me in tears.

#49: Author: francesn, Location: away with the faeries

Posted: Mon Feb 28, 2005 10:37 pm

this is great - do keep going....i think i need to see a bit more of corney before i decide whether i hate her or not *hint hint*

#50: Author: Catherine_B, Location: Oxford, UK

Posted: Mon Feb 28, 2005 11:26 pm

Thanks Jonty. That poem always makes a shiver run down my spine - it's so beautiful Crying or Very sad

#51: Author: Dawn, Location: Leeds, West Yorks

Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2005 2:17 am

This is just amazing Jonty - I love the way you are managing to combine the old and the new so seamlessly

#52: Author: jonty, Location: Exeter

Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2005 3:09 pm

francesn wrote:

this is great - do keep going....i think i need to see a bit more of corney before i decide whether i hate her

Your wish... I wasn't sure how old to make Corney - the age gap between her and Jo widens over time. I think they're quite close in age when we first meet Corney, but she's still a Senior Middle in New House, so there must be about 3 years between them by then. I compromised on an age gap of two and a bit years, hope purists are OK with that Smile

It was Cornelia who broke the spell. ‘Guess if you’re done looking at that old statue we can have breakfast? I’m starving.'

Joey was shocked. In the last few months she had seen children who really were starving, and she’d learnt just what it meant to be really hungry. She doubted that the well-dressed little girl with the ramrod chin had any real idea of what she’d said.

‘Well, what are we waiting for?’ Mr Flower was back to his genial self. ‘I bet you kids haven’t seen a decent meal in a good few weeks, so help yourselves.’ The moment the words had been said, the kindly American realised his mistake. These Bettanys may be poor, but they had their pride. ‘Of course, it gets kind of lonesome, just me and Cornelia at mealtimes, we’re real glad of the company. And I’d be mighty pleased if you and young Joey here would help clear some of these plates. Say, Miss Joey, how about some of this bacon?’ And he heaped bacon and sausages onto her plate.

Jo regarded the portion with more than a little horror, but she was too well-bred to make any remark. She smiled up at her host, and picked up her knife and fork. Still exhausted from her earlier adventure, and overawed by the sight of the Statue of Liberty, she did not have the strength to do more than obediently make the best meal she could in weary silence.

Not so Cornelia. Completely recovered from her brush with death, she chattered away, under her father’s indulgent gaze. By the end of the meal, the Bettanys were well-acquainted with the somewhat itinerant life of the Flowers. It seemed Cornelia was unable to remember her mother, who had died when the little girl was an infant.

‘That’s something you and Miss Joey have in common, sweetie. You’re bound to be friends,’ observed Mr Flower. ‘Say you kids go off and play for a bit, leave me with – may I call you Madge and Dick? You seem like friends already – to get better acquainted.’

Joey looked pleadingly at her brother and sister, but to no avail. ‘Yes, go with Cornelia, Joey-baba. We’ll see you later.’ And Joey was whisked off by little Corney.

‘Say, are you all on your own on this boat, like me and Poppa?’

‘No, we’re travelling with friends of the family,’ replied Joey with icy politeness. Cornelia may have forgotten her earlier rudeness, but Joey was not prepared to forgive and forget so easily. ‘A French girl – Simone’s just a bit younger than me – and her aunt. And the Cochranes and Grizel.’

Try as she might, Joey couldn’t stop her face from wrinkling as she spoke the names of her ex-landlords and their daughter. There was no love lost between Jo and Grizel, and the days of travelling had made matters little better. Grizel was apt to patronise the younger two, and her moods were trying. Where Joey and Simone found the journey exciting, and had gloried in the wide open vistas of the ocean, Grizel had become bored within hours. Truth to tell, she was lonely and homesick, but the older girl's misplaced pride would not let her make friends with the children who had so recently been her father's tenants - her father's training saw to that. To make matters worse, there were plenty of children in steerage, and Joey and Simone had struck up an enjoyable if rather distant camaraderie amongst their temporary companions, as well as becoming increasingly friendly with each other. But there were no girls of Grizel’s age on board, and she was apt to be openly disdainful of the pursuits of twelve-year-olds.

‘Can we go get them? Bring them up here to play? I’d sure like to see some other children,’ suggested Corney.

‘I don’t know. How old are you? Nine? Ten? Grizel might think you were a baby, you know. She’s fourteen, and she doesn’t approve of baby games.’

‘I’m ’most ten years old,’ said the American indignantly, sticking her chin out. ‘Guess if this Grizel isn’t a splay-footed rubber-necked four-flusher she’ll join in all right.’

Joey stared. What a flow of language in such a small girl. ‘We can try,’ was all she said. She led the way to steerage.

‘But where have you been, my Jo?’ The little French girl, seeing her friend, ran up and flung herself around Joey’s neck. ‘We have been looking at the Statue of Liberty, regarde! Is she not splendid?’

‘Who’s this?’ asked Grizel, with a lack of tact rivalling Cornelia’s own. The American was not looking at her best, with torn frock and fingers not quite clean from her breakfast. ‘Not another of those blessed children you two hang around with?’

‘Simone, Grizel, may I introduce Cornelia Flower?’ said Joey, with exaggerated politeness. Then her enthusiasm got the better of her. ‘She’s travelling with her father in First Class, and Madge an’ Dick an’ me just had the most splendiferous breakfast in their suite,’ she told them, calmly ignoring the fact that she had left most of the said breakfast on her plate. ‘We can all go and play on the First Class deck if we’re her guests. Come on, Simone.’ The French child was looking decidedly mournful. ‘You want to explore upstairs don’t you?’

‘Well I do.’ Grizel took the American child by the hand and, together, they set off for the First Class deck. Joey followed behind with a somewhat disconsolate Simone.

‘But Joey, you were not with me to see the so-beautiful Statue, and ma tante she did not want to rise early so I was all alone. Toute seule.’

Joey stared in dismay as Simone’s eyes filled with tears. ‘Buck up, old thing. I’m here now, aren’t I, and we’re going to have a jolly time exploring upstairs. Do dry up and stop being a sponge.’ If Joey’s words were off-hand, her tone was kind. The little French girl was mollified, for the time being at least, and she consented to follow the others upstairs.

#53: Author: Ally, Location: Jack Maynard's Dressing Room!!

Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2005 4:31 pm

I love your portrayal of the girl's relationships, thank you Very Happy

#54: Author: Cazx, Location: Swansea/Bristol

Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2005 5:10 pm

This is a really good alternative beginnig Jonty!Looking forward to more!

#55: Author: Susan, Location: Carlisle

Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2005 5:38 pm

Thank you Jonty that was wonderful! The way you keep the girl's relationships similar to the early books but make them believable for totally new surroundings is brilliant.

#56: Author: LadyGuinevere, Location: Leicester

Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2005 6:27 pm

I really do love the way that the circumstances have changed, but they'res till the same girls we know and love! Smile

#57: Author: francesn, Location: away with the faeries

Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2005 10:03 pm

so very chalet - but so very not!!!! brilliant

#58: Author: Kathy_S, Location: midwestern US

Posted: Wed Mar 02, 2005 2:06 am

Thanks, Jonty! I love the way Corney managed to get one of her classic phrases in ... and the Simone/Joey relationship is so very typical, despite the change of scene!

#59: Author: LizB, Location: Oxon, England

Posted: Wed Mar 02, 2005 5:44 pm

With one thing and another I've only just caught this - thanks Jonty it's excellent. Although they're not going to the place we know, it seems it's still the girls we know, and will be the Chalet School we know, albeit different - if that makes sense Laughing

Liz

#60: Author: nikkie, Location: Cumbria

Posted: Fri Mar 04, 2005 9:38 pm

Very Chalet School and Corney,Grizel and Joey are so like the books

#61: Author: jonty, Location: Exeter

Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2005 12:23 pm

I'll get back to this soon once RL calms down a bit. Meantime I don't know which house it should go into. Any thoughts, anyone?

#62: Author: Nell, Location: London, England

Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2005 12:45 pm

Maybe St Therese...

#63: Author: LizB, Location: Oxon, England

Posted: Fri Mar 11, 2005 3:52 pm

Hope RL isn't being too much of a pain and calms down soon Jonty

Liz

#64: Author: Guest,

Posted: Thu Mar 17, 2005 7:43 pm

This is great. People are very well potrayed. I am really enjoying it please write some more. Smile

#65: Author: jonty, Location: Exeter

Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2005 7:02 pm

Took me a bit longer than I'd intended to get round to this typing

‘That school your sister’s planning sure sounds bully,’ remarked the little American an hour later, as they sat at the stern, worn out for the moment by their exploring. ‘Guess it must be something like fun to have all those other girls to play with.’ A wistful look crossed her face. Joey, catching the look, wondered for a moment. Corney was only a very little girl, after all, and despite her don’t-care manner she must get lonely with only her father for company. An idea began to dawn.

‘Is there anything to stop you coming, Corney? I know Madgie is keen to get more pupils, and you already live in America – it’s not like you’d have to emigrate or anything, not like us. What about it? D’you think your father would let you?’

‘Oh, do let’s ask him, Corney.’ There was an ingratiating tone to Grizel’s voice. Joey looked at her sharply. Surely she couldn’t be taken with this scrap of an American kid. No, it would be just like Grizel Cochrane to notice that the Flowers were wealthy people, and to try to pal up with the youngster for what she could get out of her. There was a hardness to Grizel's character which was not lost on Miss Joey. Besides, Jo remembered all too well everything she had heard about the Cochranes. Madge and Dick had told her she mustn’t judge, that everyone had to do what they could to survive in wartime, but she knew that privately they thought the Cochranes’ conduct was dishonourable. Hard though she tried to get on with Grizel, Jo couldn’t forget the older girl’s reputation or the actions of her parents, and Grizel, for her part, did little to endear herself to the youngest Bettany.

Meanwhile, Mr Flower was making enquiries of his own.

‘So what exactly do you folks plan on doing when you get to America? You got family already out here or anything? Because I hate to tell you, but it can be a mighty tough country for newcomers. Oh sure, there’s plenty of opportunities, but you’ll see when we dock in Manhattan, there’s lots of folks who don’t make it. And it’s sure got worse since our economy collapsed. What are your plans, kids?’

Haltingly at first, then encouraged by the attention of her host, Madge described the plan for her school. ‘A few years ago, before the War, we went on holiday in Austria, and stayed in a delightful little place called Buchau on the shores of the Tiernsee, the bluest, most beautiful lake in the Alps. While we were there we met a charming family with a girl about my age. We stayed in touch during the War, though correspondence was hard. Daisy spent a good part of the War in France, teaching folk dancing to the Tommies behind the lines: everyone says the soldiers adored her and called her The Pixie because she's so tiny. When the enemy began its final advance through France, Daisy – the Pixie – fled to America with a friend of hers, a Miss Kennedy North. They arrived at just the right time. The American economy was in turmoil, and land cost next to nothing. They’ve settled on a ranch in Vermont, and they are living there on their meagre savings. Daisy spends as much time as she can travelling amongst the country people collecting folk tunes and dances: she’s still frightfully keen. She wrote to me a few months ago to tell me she knows of a big house – an Austrian-style chalet in fact – whose owners have moved west. She thought of me as soon as she saw the chalet, because it reminded her of that happy holiday. Apparently there are more and more Europeans – English and French people, and Russians and people from the Balkans – moving into the area, but no suitable schools for their children. Well, living here is cheap, much cheaper than England, and…’ Madge paused for a moment, a catch in her throat, ‘and there’s Joey. She’s always been delicate, and I don’t honestly think she’s strong enough to survive another cold, damp English winter. Certainly not in the conditions in which we’ve been obliged to live since our house was requisitioned.’

Madge ran down, unable to go on, and Dick, flushed with shame that an Englishman should be forced into exile from his own beloved country, took up the tale. ‘I always intended to work in the dominions, Sir. We were born in India, and it was my great wish to return there. But now that the Colonies have been annexed to the Greater German Empire I’ve had to think again. Oh how I loathe the Kaiser and all his works. But I’m strong, Sir, and I can work hard. It’s my intention to do the physical work that would be too much for the girls, and study at night school, if I can, for something better someday.’

Mr Flower looked thoughtfully at his guests. As an American citizen, he admired pluck and enterprise, and these two youngsters seemed to have those attributes in plenty. Could this be the solution to the problems he was having with Cornelia? There was no doubt that the child was beginning to run wild, and in need of a mother’s care. Or at least a woman’s. Could he entrust her to these Bettanys? Maybe he could ease their way in setting up this venture. After all, money still talked, even in these impoverished times. Mr Flower was a man of action and decision. Squaring his chin, in much the way his little daughter did, he made up his mind and spoke out.

‘Say, I’ve got a proposal for you folks. How about I see you through immigration. There are so many people trying to get in now, if you’re alone and friendless you could be cooped up on Ellis Island for weeks if not months, and I don’t think the kids would enjoy that. Let me help you. And then we’ll see what I can do to get you to Vermont. What you may not have realised is the scale of this great country. It’s not like taking a train from London to Manchester, you know, it’s a long and tiresome journey. But if I help you, would you do something for me in return? Would you enrol my little Corney in that school of yours? I know she’s not even ten, and rather young for boarding school, but I’m at the end of my rope with her. It’s not good for her, growing up alone, and I’m so busy with the business, and making good, I can’t give her what she needs. It’d be the answer to my prayers. You can’t imagine how worried I’ve been about her. Of course, I’d pay whatever fee you cared to charge. I’m not as wealthy as I was, but I guess I can scrape a few dollars together assuming the Reds don’t take us all over. Madge, Dick, what do you say? Do we have a deal?’

But Madge was speechless. It was left to Dick to accept the offers – of help, and of the school-to-be’s first paying pupil – with the best grace he could muster.

#66: Author: Joey, Location: Cambridge

Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2005 7:07 pm

Great to see this back, Jonty! Thank you. Hope RL has clamed down a bit.

#67: Author: LizB, Location: Oxon, England

Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2005 7:13 pm

Thanks Jonty - hope RL is behaving nicely now

I'm glad Corney is going to join them

Liz

#68: Author: Lyanne, Location: Ipswich, England

Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2005 8:24 pm

The Pixie! In America! (Umm, it is the Pixie, isn't it? i never knew her name.)

#69: Author: jonty, Location: Exeter

Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2005 8:33 pm

Lyanne wrote:

The Pixie! In America! (Umm, it is the Pixie, isn't it? i never knew her name.)

I wondered if anyone would spot her!! I couldn't resist it - but does this mean it's now a crossover and should be in St Clare's? Tough call.

#70: Author: francesn, Location: away with the faeries

Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2005 8:36 pm

glad to see more of this!

*Doesn't like your version of Grizel at the moment*

#71: Author: Pat, Location: Doncaster

Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2005 10:57 pm

I don't think we're supposed to like Grizel! I love the drabble though.

#72: Author: Helen C, Location: Sheffield/Luton

Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2005 10:52 am

This is great glad to see it back Very Happy

#73: Author: Katie, Location: A Yorkshire lass in London

Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2005 1:13 pm

Who's the Pixie? (sorry if it's something I should know!)

I'm really enjoying this, Jonty - it's such a clever, yet simple, idea!

#74: Author: Guest,

Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2005 3:02 pm

Katie wrote:

Who's the Pixie? (sorry if it's something I should know!)

She's a character from the Abbey Books, based on a country-dance teacher friend of EJO's.

#75: Author: Katie, Location: A Yorkshire lass in London

Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2005 4:00 pm

Anonymous wrote:

Katie wrote:

Who's the Pixie? (sorry if it's something I should know!)

She's a character from the Abbey Books, based on a country-dance teacher friend of EJO's.

Ahh, that'll be why I don't recognise her. That's OK then. Smile

#76: Author: Susan, Location: Carlisle

Posted: Sat Mar 26, 2005 11:25 pm

Thank you Jonty it is nice to see this back again. Nice to see the Pixie in America, looking forwrd to seeing her at the school.

#77: Author: Carolyn P, Location: Lancaster, England

Posted: Sun Mar 27, 2005 7:30 pm

Lovely to see the Pixie, and is it...oh....Madame (?) as well with her.

I'm so glad to see more of this. I think where it belongs is difficult, it reads right here and the Pixie is a rl character as well as an Abbey one isn't she? I suppose in the end it depends how much of a crossover you make it.

Loving it. Razz

#78: Author: Sophoife, Location: down under Down Under

Posted: Mon Mar 28, 2005 5:41 pm

If Madam was double-barrelled, that explains a lot!! Very Happy

The Pixie is possibly the best person in the whole world to be Madge's friend, and all the girls will luuurve her in seconds!

#79: Author: Pat, Location: Doncaster

Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2005 11:31 am

It's a month since the last post!!! Shocked

Please may we have some more?

#80: Author: Mollio, Location: Ireland

Posted: Sat Apr 30, 2005 12:09 am

Jonty, I've just read this and I really like it. I hope Grizel gets her comeuppance. She deserves it. She was stony and manipulative in the EBD CS as well.
Keep it coming, fast!

The CBB -> Ste Therese's House

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