THE DOLL'S HOUSE

New Zealand Listener, Volume 5, Issue 118, 26 September 1941, Page 47

THE DOLL'S HOUSE

(Continued) HE Burnell children could hardly walk to school fast enough the next morning. They burned to tell everybody, to describe-well-to boast about their doll’s house before the school bell rang. "T’m to tell," said Isabel, " because I’m the eldest. And you two can join in after. But I’m to tell first, Mother said I might." At school Isabel was surrounded. The girls nearly fought to put their arms round her, to be her — friend.

Nudging and giggling together they pressed up close. All except Else and Lil Kelvey. They knew better than to come near the Burnell children. They were and their clothes were raggedpoor little Else and Lil Kelvey. They just hovered at the edge listening. And Isabel’s voice went on telling. The carpet made a great sensation, but so did the beds with real bed clothes, and the stove with an oven door. When Isabel had finished, Kezia broke in "You've forgotten the lamp, Isabel." "Oh, yes," said Isabel, "there’s a teeny little lamp, all made of yellow glass, with a white globe that stands on the dining room table, you couldn’t tell it from a real one." "The lamp’s best of all," cried Kezia. But nobody paid any attention to her, Isabel was choosing the two who were to come home with them that afternoon to see it. She chose Emmie Cole and Lena Logan. "Jsabel’s my friend," they said. And the little Kelveys moved away forgotten — they, of course, would never be allowed to see the doll’s house. Days passed and as more and more children saw the doll’s house its fame spread. It became the rage. At last everyone had seen it but the Kelveys. One afternoon Kezia was swinging on the big white gates of the courtyard. Nobody was about. Presently looking along the road she saw two little dots. They grew bigger, they were coming towards her. Now she could see they were the Kelveys. Kezia stopped swinging. "Hullo," she said to the passing Kelveys, " You can come and see our doll’e house if you want to." Lil Kelvey

shook her head. " Your ma told our ma you Wasn’t to speak to us," she said. "Oh, well," said Kezia, " You can come and see our doll’s house all the same." So Kezia led the way. "There it is," she said. "I’ll open it for you-there’s the drawing room and the kitchen and the little a > Kezial" It was Aunt Beryl’s voice. "How dare you ask the little Kelveys into the courtyard! Off you go immediately," she called. They did not need telling twice. Somehow they crossed the courtyard and squeezed through the gate. When they were out of sight of the house they sat down to rest on a big red drain pipe. Dreamily they looked over the hay paddocks to the group of wattles where Logan’s cows stood waiting to be milked. Presently Else nudged up close to her sister. But now she had forgotten the cross lady. She smiled her rare smile. *"T seen the little lamp," she said softly. é (Adapted trom Katherine Mansfield’s " Doll’s House."}