Well I am still working well on my WIP Hilda. I have moved on a few years to 1914 and the beginning of
World War One. This work is quite different to anything I have written before.
I am really enjoying it, but some of the research is proving problematic from
down in Oz. The internet is an amazing boon but it has its limits.
However, I have found some recordings of people speaking
Warwickshire English which has helped me remember the speech. I picked
Warwickshire deliberately because I remember long conversations with some of my
Mum’s cousins who lived in that part of the world (a couple still do). Mum went
to Grammar School so she lost her accent and all the local idiom. Her cousins
didn’t, so when I met them they still used the local speech of the generation
after Hilda’s.
All in all that gives a flying start to this boy from Oz.
This week’s scene follows straight on from last week. Hilda
and the other children arrive at the school gates. Little Wilf has a hard
start, while Dolly gets a treat.
1910
They came
up to the boys’ school gate all too soon for little Wilfred.
At the
sight of his tearful eyes Hilda felt her heart breaking, but there was nothing
much she could do to help. She was not allowed to enter the boys’ half of the
school unless her teacher sent her with a message. She bent down by his ear at
the gate, ‘Do you remember what you need to tell the master?’
Wilf
nodded, ‘Good, but just to help you remember you tell me where we live.’
He
swallowed, ‘Wharf Cottage on Shipston Road.’
‘That’s
right Wharf Cottage, Shipston Road, in Tenton. And what is Dad’s name?’
‘Mister
Attewell.’
‘Good and
your date of birth?’
‘The
second of April 1905.’
‘Well
done! Now Dolly and I will watch you go in, and remember wait by the gate for
us this afternoon.’
He looked
very small going up to the door, he paused on the top step. Hilda waved, Wilf’s
lip quivered but he stepped inside.
‘He’ll be
alright.’ said Maggie.
‘I hope
so.’
‘He
will,’ confirmed Dolly, ‘goin’ in is the hard part.’
A sense
of homecoming came to Hilda walking up the stair and into the girls’ classroom.
‘Good
morning girls.’ The cheery greeting came from Miss Wilson, sat at her desk at
the front of the room.
‘Good
morning Miss Wilson,’ chimed Hilda and Dolly.
‘Good
morning Miss,’ added Maggie.
‘I see we
have a new girl. Come here girls.’
Hilda
retrieved the algebra book from her satchel as she approached the desk, ‘I’s
finished your book Miss Wilson.’
‘Did you
complete all the problems?’
‘Yes
Miss.’
‘Well
done,’ Miss Wilson took the book from Hilda’s outstretched hand, ‘did you find
answers to all the problems?’
‘They was
hard at first. But soon I understood how they worked.’
Dolly had
to add,‘Her got in trouble from our mum for spending too much time on it.’
‘She,
Dolly, she was in trouble.’ Miss Wilson smiled, ‘Dolly would you like to put
the chalks out on the desks?’
Dolly’s
eyes shone, the honor was usually reserved for the oldest girls. ‘Yes please
miss!’
As Dolly
hurried to the corner desk where the box of new chalk was kept, Miss Wilson
turned to the older girls. ‘Hilda, I would like you to be one of my monitors
this year.’
A warm
glow of pride suffused Hilda’s being, ‘Thank you Miss.’
Miss
Wilson’s smiling brown eyes shared her pleasure, ‘I think you will do a good
job, the hardest trick for you will be to understand that the other girls will
not grasp things as quickly as you. Especially mathematics.’ She turned to
Maggie, ‘Welcome to my class, now first things first, I will need to enter you
in our roll.’
‘Yes
Miss.’
The roll
book was a large green bound book, already on the desk, Miss Wilson was no
doubt expecting new children at the start of the new term. Hilda had a
momentary pang at the thought of Wilf trying to get through his day next door.
‘Now, what is your name?’
‘Margaret
Prosser, Miss, people mostly call me Maggie.’
‘Very
well Maggie it is, I imagine you are coming into grade six Maggie?’
‘Yes
Miss.’
‘And are
you a diligent student?’
‘Yes Miss.’
‘Good, I
will need to chose a few more monitors from the older girls. Do you think you
could start straight away, or would you like to get to know the school for a
week or two first?’
Maggie
looked around the room, ‘I think I should like to begin now Miss.’
‘Excellent,’
Miss Wilson turned to Hilda, ‘would you please get Dolly a new box of chalk
from the storeroom.’
As she hurried to her appointed task she heard Miss Wilson continue with
enrolling Maggie, ‘Now Maggie, where do you live?’ The Grand Hall, National Gallery of Victoria |
5 comments:
I'm just loving this story.
and sorry I havne't been around for Wed. anymore. Monday's are really the only day I have to "play" on the blogs. I miss those piccies.
How fun to read a scene from your story! It's also super interesting that your mom lost her accent in school while her cousins didn't. It makes sense.
My husband was back in Australia (his second trip) last week. He likes it there! :)
You've really captured the atmosphere in this, and the accent! The internet is fabulous for research. I don't know what I'd do without it!
I'm back! First, I'd like to echo what Kathleen said. I'd been thinking the same thing about how well you captured the atmosphere! Secondly, thank you for your expert input on the Coriolis effect. ;) I was going to mention it when I came the first time, but after your lovely scene... well, it seemed like an odd thing to do.
Have fun!
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