National Velvet by Enid Bagnold Page A

“He’s got that chestnut we saw at the Show last year.”
    Â Â Â Â  “Don’t fiddle with the cactus,” said Edwina. “The leaves break off.”
    Â Â Â Â  Velvet folded her hands in her lap. “Sir Pericles,” said Velvet. “He was called Sir Pericles, that chestnut. Won the novice’s jumping.”
    Â Â Â Â  “I’ll go with the steak,” said Meredith. “I’d love to. I’ll go just as early as I wake, I’ll creep out and get MissAda. Mother could leave the steak on the table overnight.”
    Â Â Â Â  “Why couldn’t we take it this evening?”
    Â Â Â Â  “Then they think it’s to-day’s meat.”
    Â Â Â Â  “But it will be, anyway!”
    Â Â Â Â  “Yes, but they think it’s fresher if it comes tomorrow.”
    Â Â Â Â  “There!” Mally took her muslin dress and held it up by the puff sleeves.
    Â Â Â Â  It was stiff and fresh with ironing and almost stood by itself.
    Â Â Â Â  “It’s like a paper bag,” said Velvet. “Seems a pity to wear it. D’you want to start, Edwina, or shall I start mine?”
    Â Â Â Â  “I’m only wearing the top of mine. I’ve cut it off.”
    Â Â Â Â  “Gosh! You
have?
You’ve been an’ cut it?”
    Â Â Â Â  All the three heads were raised towards Edwina as she took this step into the future. They contemplated her for a second, then accepted her. Velvet got up and began to unroll her frock and lay it out.
    Â Â Â Â  “Ay . . . Merry. Look out! What’s that . . . it’s blood!”
    Â Â Â Â  Meredith shot one hand to her face. “It’s my nose,” she cried from under her hand.
    Â Â Â Â  “It’s dropped on the muslin. Get me a rag!”
    Â Â Â Â  “Here’s the ironing duster! Hold your head off the dresses! Lie down on the cold scullery floor. It’s brick.”
    Â Â Â Â  Donald appeared in the doorway from the street andwatched Meredith as she ran into the scullery holding the duster to her face.
    Â Â Â Â  “She hurt herself?” he asked.
    Â Â Â Â  “Her nose is bleeding,” said Velvet.
    Â Â Â Â  “I laugh when my nose bleeds,” said Donald.
    Â Â Â Â  “Your nose hasn’t ever bled,” said Velvet briefly.
    Â Â Â Â  “I would laugh if it did,” said Donald, and went.
    Â Â Â Â  “Merry marked her muslin?” said Mrs. Brown, coming in from the scullery.
    Â Â Â Â  “Great drop,” said Mally.
    Â Â Â Â  “Put it under cold water,” said Mrs. Brown. “Not a touch of soap an’ no hot. It sets it. It’s Africa’s made her nose bleed.”
    Â Â Â Â  “I’ll go with the steak to-morrow then,” said Velvet. “There’s the Fair an’ all. She better keep still.”
    Â Â Â Â  “What steak’s that?”
    Â Â Â Â  “Father said Mr. Cellini wanted a steak before breakfast.”
    Â Â Â Â  “Funny time,” said Mrs. Brown.
    Â Â Â Â  “I’d like to go anyway,” said Velvet. “I might see the chestnut.”
    Â Â Â Â  That night, before the Fair, they went to bed early.
    Â Â Â Â  “Africa!” said Meredith, wildly and suddenly in the middle of the night. And slept again.

CHAPTER V
    V ELVET’S dreams were blowing about the bed. They were made of cloud but had the shapes of horses. Sometimes she dreamt of bits as women dream of jewellery. Snaffles and straights and pelhams and twisted pelhams were hanging, jointed and still in the shadows of a stable, and above them went up the straight, damp, oiled lines of leathers and cheek straps. The weight of a shining bit and the delicacy of the leathery above it was