Free House of Strangers by Anne Forsyth Page A

stop.
    ‘Well!’ Miss Craig’s eyes were shining. ‘Wasn’t that a wonderful meeting! You will join us, won’t you?’
    Flora was silent. ‘I haven’t made up my mind yet,’ she said after a bit.
    ‘Think it over,’ said Miss Craig as they jumped on to the tram. ‘You wouldn’t regret it. You’re just the sort of person we want. I can see you as branch secretary; that’s vacant at the moment.’ She sniffed. ‘Our secretary has married and she is too busy running the home.’ She clearly felt the previous secretary had deserted the cause.
    ‘Well,’ Flora felt herself weakening. ‘I don’t know.’
    ‘Oh, you must,’ Miss Craig insisted.
    ‘Votes for women! Votes for women!’ she called out, scattering some of the leaflets around the top deck of the tramcar. One or two people looked up but most ignored her.
    Flora shrank back into a corner of her seat.
    What an extraordinary woman! she thought, she doesn’t give a rap what people think about her. She watched Miss Craig dancing up and down between the seats.
    What would Cousin Chris say? She wondered. And what would Aunt Mina say?
    She could just imagine her aunt’s horrified expression and began to laugh.
     

 
    Chapter 10
     
    ‘Miss Dunbar,’ said Will formally, ‘ I wonder if I might have your permission…’
    Cousin Chris looked up from the game of Patience she had laid out.
    ‘What is it?’ she asked.
    ‘To take Miss Flora to the Exhibition.’
    ‘Of course.’ Cousin Chris sighed. ’I would dearly like to go myself, but...’
    ‘It will be educational,’ said Will eagerly. ‘An exhibition of National History, Art and Industry. That’s how they describe it,’ said Will. ‘ Perhaps Miss Flora would be interested...’
    ‘ I certainly would be,’ said Chris, chuckling. ‘You go on, lad, and promise you will tell me all about it when you come back.’
    ‘Oh, I’d love to go,’ Flora cried when Will told her about the plan. ’I’d love to see the Highland village, and the Auld Toon, and the tartan shop, and lots of things.’
    *
    She gazed round at the crowds. It was a fine late summer day and there was an air of bustling excitement.
    ‘There!’ said Will as he paid for the tickets. ‘Now what do you want to see first?’
    ‘You choose.’
    ‘Perhaps part of the exhibition of history, and oh, I’d love to see the Auld Toon. And oh… look!’
    She gazed up. ‘The helter skelter! I’ve never been on one.’
    Will hesitated. ‘I don’t know...’
    ‘You don’t think it proper.’
    Will hesitated. ‘Well...’
    Flora gave him a mischievous sideways look. ‘It’s perfectly safe.’
    She climbed up the stairs leading to the top and gave him a wave. Helped by the man at the top of the ride, she settled on to the mat and drew her skirts around her. For a moment she wondered, ‘How could I be so foolish?’
    But there was no time to change her mind, and before she knew what was happening, the attendant had given the mat a little push and she went hurtling downwards. Round and round—oh it was exhilarating! She had no time to look out for Will as the mat came to a halt at the bottom and she was helped out. Her face was flushed and her hat was tilted sideways.
    ‘That was fun!’ she greeted Will. ‘I must look a fright!’
    ‘You look…’ Will gazed at her, her eyes shining, her face rosy, and thought what an amazing girl she was.
    ‘What now?’ he asked
    ‘Something a bit quieter,’ Flora teased him. ‘I’d like to see the Auld Toon.’
    ‘Right you are.’
    The ‘Auld Toon’ was fascinating, Flora thought - it was just like a Scottish market town, with the houses and their crow-stepped gables with the Mercat, or Market, Cross in the centre of the cobbled square.
    ‘And the Highland village—we must see that,’ Flora said. She suddenly realised that Will was still holding her hand, and blushing, tried to pull away.
    ‘I don’t want you to get lost,’ he said. ‘Come on, then - the Highland