“What on earth is going on here?” said Albina, coming in just as Olga was pretending to be a goat trying to swallow a bicycle tyre. Then she caught sight of Fleck, chewing his bone. “Oh, Hal, he’ll make a mess on the floor. Don’t bring him into the drawing room whatever you do.”
In the afternoon Hal’s parents had been invited to have tea with Sir Richard and Lady Dorothy Graham, who lived in a beautiful house in Richmond near the river, and had three children roughly Hal’s age. They were perfectly behaved children, the kind that made Hal want to be sick.
“Only there’s no question of taking the dog,” said Albina. “Lady Dorothy’s house is absolutely spotless – and anyway he’d make marks on the leather of the car.”
Albina’s Mercedes was upholstered in snow-white Moroccan leather and was the apple of Albina’s eye.
“I’m not going without Fleck. Absolutely not,” said Hal.
“Well, you can’t stay here alone,” said Albina.
But to everyone’s surprise, Olga, who always had Sunday afternoon off, said she would take Hal to the shopping mall so that he could buy a ball and some toys for Fleck.
So Hal stayed, and had a lovely afternoon. He had not spent any of the birthday money from his Australian godmother and he and Fleck studied squeaky rubber ducks and balls of various sizes and plastic bones and clockwork mice. There were other people there choosing Sunday treats for their pets, and the girl with fair hair Hal had met in the park was buying hamster food.
“We have tea!” said Olga, to Hal’s surprise, taking the girl by the arm. “You go ask mother – I have much cake.”
So the girl, whose name was Hilary, came to tea and they played with Fleck and threw the squeaky toys for him and he rushed all over the house retrieving them. But when Hilary had gone, and he settled down for a nap in Hal’s room, Fleck was not lying on the rubber duck which had been his favourite, but on Hal’s blue face flannel which had slipped from the side of the washbasin on to the floor. And later, when Hal tried to take it from him, he produced his first attempt at a growl and fastened his teeth more firmly round his treasure.
This flannel, Fleck was saying, is now mine.
6
The Trick
Hal was in bed, his father was in his study – but Albina was on her hands and knees on the stairs, searching for dog hairs. Hal had promised he would clean up after the dog wherever he went, but now she could see a hair on the half landing, and something – possibly a speck of mud – on the bottom stair.
She gave a squeak of irritation and reached for the dustpan and brush she had brought. Olga could do it properly in the morning but the wretched maid always went to bed so early.
Thank goodness this was the last day of having a messy animal in the house. Tomorrow Fleck was going back to where he came from. She really couldn’t have stood any more dirt and annoyance.
Going back into the house, Albina stored her dustpan and went to say goodnight to Hal. He was usually very quiet before she came in – but tonight there was the sound of running footsteps and shouting. He was having a game with the dog – and then came a crash as something fell to the floor.
She opened the door
“Oh Hal, not the night light! You know how expensive that was. It’s a special design and the pieces are hand-made to go with the carpet.”
She picked up the lamp. It was definitely ruined, the pieces bent. “I don’t know how I shall ever replace it.”
But Hal didn’t seem to be sorry.
“You won’t have to,” he said cheerfully. “I don’t need a night light any more. I don’t care how dark it is now that I’ve got Fleck.”
Going downstairs again, Albina went in search of her husband.
“I thought you said Hal would be bored with a dog after two days. You promised me.”
Donald was in his study. A small earpiece which connected him with head office in New York hung out of one ear. He hadn’t heard a word she said.
Albina repeated her words. “Will you listen? I’m telling you, he isn’t sick of the dog and you promised me he would be.”
Donald switched off reluctantly.
“Well, whether he’s sick of the dog or not, the animal goes back first thing. Make sure you get him there by ten o’clock, otherwise I have to pay for another day’s rental. And see that you get all the deposit back. The chap who runs the place is the worst sort of shark.”
Albina stared at him. “I’m not taking him back. You’re taking him back.”
“No, I’m not. I told you, I’m catching the six o’clock plane from Heathrow in the morning. I’m going to New York. I’ll be halfway across the Atlantic before the Easy Pets place opens.”
“Well, I think that’s a bit much. What am I going to tell Hal?”
“Tell him anything you like – but not till the dog’s safely back.”
Albina was very angry. “It’s all very well for you – having ideas and then flying off and leaving me to pick up the pieces. You do it all the time and I’m tired of it.”
“If you think I like flying all over the world, you’re mistaken. It’s very exhausting. I do it so that you can have a beautiful home and all the clothes you need. If you weren’t so extravagant …”
They began to quarrel. They were so used to quarrelling that they almost forgot what the quarrel was about. This one went on till it was time to go to bed – but by that time Albina had decided that she would get the maid, Olga, to take Hal to the dentist on the following morning – and while he was gone she would bundle the dog up and take him to Easy Pets. By the time Hal got back everything would be over. He would be upset, she could see that, so perhaps it might be an idea to take him shopping in the afternoon. Perhaps a new Scalectric set … or one of those miniature radios shaped like a piece of fruit. She had seen them in the Hamleys catalogue and they looked really cute.
The appointment with the dentist was at ten o’clock.
“Olga will take you,” said Hal’s mother on the following morning.
“Can I take Fleck? The receptionist is very nice; she’ll let me put him in the garden at the back.”
“No, Hal, definitely not. No animals are allowed in the surgery, you know that.”
“But—”
“That’s enough, Hal. Go and clean your teeth and get ready. You can give Fleck a bone to eat while you’re away.”
Hal shook his head. “We’ve only got the kind left that splinters, but I’ll stop off on the way back and get a good one. Marrow bones are best. Olga’ll help me, she said.” His eyes lit up. “And we could go and see if Fleck’s basket has come in. The man in the pet shop said it might be in today.”
He bent down to the dog and put his arm round him. “I won’t be long, Fleck – and then we’ll go into the park and go and see the tree and the drain … and maybe Hilary will be there.”
Fleck wagged his tail and tried to lick Hal’s face, but when Albina spoke sharply to him he whimpered and went to fetch his flannel. His eyes, as he watched the door close behind Hal, were dark pools of anxiety.
Something was wrong.
Hal came running in an hour later, already whistling for the dog as he opened the door. “Fleck,” he called. “Fleck, I’m back!”
He waited for the yelps of welcome, the sound of toenails skittering over the marble floor of the entrance hall.