Family Of Four: 11 - Bobby's Predicament
...One morning, some time after this, I walked into the house, and the housemaid told me I had better go upstairs and see if I could help Master Bobby to get out of the nursery. He had locked himself in and could not turn the key to release himself. Apparently Robin had been exasperated with Bobby over some offence, and was approaching to spank him when Bobby evaded her, and ran off through the kitchen and the back door, right round the two houses, up the road, and in again at the front door, with Robin pounding after him....
Mrs Vivien Hirst continues her account of her childhood in a large house called The Hollies in a Yorkshire mill town.
Mrs Hirst's nephew, Raymond Prior, was often amused and entertained when she told him stories of her early years. When she eventually wrote down her memories he gathered them into a book, Family of Four.
One morning, some time after this, I walked into the house, and the housemaid told me I had better go upstairs and see if I could help Master Bobby to get out of the nursery. He had locked himself in and could not turn the key to release himself. Apparently Robin had been exasperated with Bobby over some offence, and was approaching to spank him when Bobby evaded her, and ran off through the kitchen and the back door, right round the two houses, up the road, and in again at the front door, with Robin pounding after him.
Bobby rushed up the stairs into the nursery and hastily locked the door. To all Robin's entreaties to open it he refused. She went away, and when Bobby concluded he was safe and might venture out he could not turn the key. He tried and tried, grew frightened, rattled the knob, then being really terrified he banged, and called, and sobbed. Robin advanced and told him not to be so silly and what to do, but it was of no avail. By now Robin was upset, and when I arrived on the scene I passed her sitting helpless on the landing window-seat.
I began all over again telling Bobby what to do. He had brightened on hearing my voice and was hopefully attentive to my instructions. "Turn the key to the right, Bobby," I said. It was no good, it would not work "Try turning it to the left," I suggested.
Bobby struggled and struggled and in despair cried out "I can't, it won't move."
"Can you find a pencil, or something long and hard, to push into the key handle to give you more strength?" I asked. All to no purpose.
Mummy had by now returned from her morning's shopping. Wasting no more time she told me to run up to Marsh to the joiner's and ask him to bring a ladder. I turned away hearing Bobby's loud wails. Hissing some angry words at Robin as I passed I tore out of the house. I could not bear Bobby to be in this predicament, it must be hateful to be locked in in this manner.
The joiners were all out and the boss at home having his dinner, so panting and worried, I ran to his home. He greeted me with a smile, and drawled that there was no hurry, the boy could come to no harm, and after his dinner he would come along! Luckily the catch was off the window but when Bobby was rescued he had been locked in for about three hours.
This did not make the relationship between us and Robin any sweeter, and she left soon afterwards.
I remember that Robin had an instinctive fear which communicated itself to us. She had once been standing at the window of a house when a thunderbolt dropped right in front of her, momentarily blinding her, and frightening her to death. Hours before a thunderstorm was on the way she would predict it, have a sickening headache, and be restless and difficult. This naturally had its effect upon us, and we would grow restless and uneasy, wondering if a great ball of fire were coming to burn us up!
Storms seemed to be more violent and more frequent in those days, and when they occurred in the night Doreen, who was always fascinated by the lightning, would climb out of bed and draw back the curtains to watch, with delighted exclamations, while I huddled miserably under the bed-clothes. Doreen never had any fears at any time while I had many.
We liked Miss Walker who followed Robin, and everything returned to normal and it was certainly more peaceful.
The only incident I remember between Miss Walker and myself was one evening after tea when I must have done something of which she highly disapproved. She commanded me to stay in the nursery when the other three trooped off to spend the precious hour downstairs. I could not believe my ears. That I should not go down to Mummy and Daddy; such a thing had never happened.
With a gulp, I begged to be allowed to go, not thinking for a minute she could be serious. It dawned upon me that she really meant this, and there followed such a storm of desperate sobbing and such a frantic pleading to give me any other punishment that, in the end, her soft heart relented, and I capered off. What the other punishment was I do not know, there would have been one I am sure, and I am equally sure that I would have accepted it happily.
Miss Walker left our house to be married, and we thoroughly approved of this, for she was plump and motherly, and we thought it would be just right for her to have children of her own.
