Free The Blue Horse by Marita Conlon-Mckenna

knocked on the doors.
    ‘Would you have a bit of help, Missus? I’ve just moved in with the family to a new house. Any spare sheets or towels or household goods would be very welcome.’
    Some banged their doors shut, and otherschatted and were quite friendly. After two hours there was barely enough space for Davey to sit in the buggy, and both Hannah and Katie held an assortment of plastic bags. Mam held her head high walking back down to the main road. ‘No harm in getting what others don’t want,’ she declared. Later that night she was all excited, sorting out the odds and ends to see what they could use. She draped a huge white sheet over the living-room window and hung curtains on two of the upstairs windows. The begging had certainly been worthwhile.
    ‘Wait till Brigid sees the place. I’m right proud of it,’ beamed Mam.
    ‘When will Da see it?’ asked Hannah before Katie could stop her.
    ‘Soon, pet. Any day now, that’s what I’m hoping.’
    A week later Katie was thrilled to see Maggie and Bridey and her aunt arrive for a visit.
    ‘We left the wild ones back home,’ joked Auntie Brigid.
    Home – it had changed again. They were living in a different field now, practically on the side of the road.
    ‘Not as nice at all,’ whispered Maggie. ‘I wish we had a place like this, we’d be rightly set up then.’
    Hannah was delighted to have Bridey for company and took her out to sit on the wall to show off that she had a friend too.
    Mam was busy trying to get information about Da and his whereabouts.
    ‘You must have seen him, Brigid? Is he all right? Was he asking after us? Do you know where he is?’
    ‘He’s in Cork, Kathleen.’
    ‘You mean to tell me he’s down at the other end of the country!’
    They tried to chat and laugh, and pass it off, but Katie knew that as far as Mam was concerned, all the good was gone from the visit.

Chapter 13
SCHOOL
    ‘Summer’s coming to an end,’ announced Mam next morning. ‘We must sort out about school.’ She ordered them all to have a bath, wash their hair and dress in the best clean clothes they had.
    ‘We’ll go down to the schools and see what’s what, so hurry up the lot of you.’
    Tom lay splayed out on his bed and would not budge. ‘I’m not going, Mam. I’m finished with schooling.’ At almost fifteen, he had his mind made up.
    ‘There might be some kind of course or centre for you to go to.’
    ‘Mam, let me be. All last year I worked with Da. I can’t go back to desks and books now. I’m done with it.’
    ‘But what’ll you do then, son? Please, just come with us,’ she pleaded.
    ‘No, you go on. I’ll stay home. I’ve things to think about.’
    He was adamant and would not move.
    The rest of them pulled the hall door closed behind them and set off down the road.
    Saint John’s National School was only about ten minutes’ walk away. It was a low grey building with green-painted iron railings all around. It served most of Ashfield and the other big estates nearby.
    The caretaker opened the door and showed them all into a large waiting area with wooden benches. The boys and Hannah began to play a form of hopscotch on the tiled floor. It was so weird and spooky being in a school during holidays; it felt hollow and any noise echoed around the empty corridors and rooms.
    Mr Searson, the headmaster, came out to meet them and brought Mam into his office. Katie was left to mind the others. It took about twenty minutes for Mam to reappear, then Paddy and Brian and Hannah had to go into the office and the headmaster talked to each of them and gave them a sheet of paper to fill in which took another half-hour. Katie pushed Davey up and down the corridors to pass the time. They all seemed very quiet when they came back and Paddy whispered that it was ‘real hard’. The caretaker made a cup of tea for Mam. She was very nervous. The clock ticked on and on.
    Finally Mr Searson brought them all into his office.’Well, Mrs Connors,