Going towards the sea they were going away from the town that slid down
at the bush-covered foot of the dark tor. The sun was just sinking to
this great hill face, amid a curdle of grey-white clouds. The faintest
gold reflected in the more open eastern sky, in front. Strange and
forlorn, the wide sandy-rutted road with the broad grass margin and just
one or two bungalows. “Verdun” was the first, a wooden house painted
dark red. But some had quite wide grass round them, inside their fences,
like real lawns.
Victoria had to dart to the house-agent for the key. The other three
turned to the left, up another wide road cut in the almost nothingness,
past two straying bungalows perched on brick supports--then across a
piece of grassland as yet unoccupied, where small boys were kicking a
football--then round the corner of another new road, where water lay in
a great puddle so that they had to climb on to the grass beside the
fence of a big red-painted bungalow. Across the road was a big bungalow
built with imitation timbered walls and a red corrugated roof and red
huge water-tanks. The sea roared loudly, but was not in sight. Next
along the forlorn little road nestled a real bright red-tiled roof among
a high bushy hedge, and with a white gate.
“I do hope it’s that,” said Harriet to herself. She was so yearning to
find another home.
Jack stood waiting at the corner on the tall bit of grassy land above
the muddy, cut-out road. There came Victoria running in her eager way
across the open space up the slight incline. Evening was beginning to
fall.
“Got ’em?” called Jack.
“Yes. Mrs Wynne was just washing herself, so I had to wait a minute.”
Victoria came panting up.
“Is that it? “ said Harriet timidly at last, pointing to the bright red
roof.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account