Escape from the Dark Page #2

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- I will, My Lord.

My goodness, just look at

those rabbits all over the lawn,

simply ruining it.

Go away!

- Go away, you horrible dog! Go home!

- It's a girl up a tree.

- ye.

- Come on.

Go away, you horrible dog!

- What you doing up there?

- Go away!

- Can you get down?

- Yes, of course I can.

No!

- Come on.

- I want my kite.

You don't want much, do you?

You best get yourself down first.

Come on, that's the way.

Go on. Down a bit more.

Be careful!

Why did you put your kite in the tree?

I didn't do it on purpose.

I can't run fast enough to

get it up in the air properly.

Dave could.

Pull, Dave, pull! It's nearly there!

- Run faster, Dave!

- There it goes!

I can feel the wind take

it! Come on, kite, come on!

Oh, Dave, it's flying!

You've done it! Well done!

- Oh, let me have a go, please.

- Here you are.

Thank you.

- Why aren't you in school?

- Why do you think? Summer holidays.

You're lucky. I've got a

horrible governess coming,

and she'll want me to stay

indoors all day doing lessons.

- What's a governess?

- She's a sort of teacher, isn't she?

Why don't you go to school like us?

Because it's a colliey

school and she's a lady.

- I'm not a lady!

- Oh, yes, you are.

I'm not a lady, I'm not!

- I said you're a lady.

- How dare you.

- Take that back.

- Nothing wrong with that.

Oh, yes, there is, the way you said it.

Watch what you're doing.

You'll tear your dress.

I don't care! I'm not a lady!

I'll make you take it back!

- Stop it, you. That's enough!

- What?

Ladies don't fight.

I wonder what it's like down the pit.

Ain't you ever been down?

We go down all the time.

You're too young. Boys aren't allowed

to work in the mines until they're 14.

- We don't work, exactly.

- We help Bert with the ponies.

The ponies? You help

with the pit ponies?

Yes. We go to the stables near eveyday.

We help look after 'em.

You'll miss them when

they're gone then, won't you?

Gone?

- The ponies! Mum, the ponies!

- Now where have you been?

- The ponies!

- What about the ponies?

They're gonna get rid of them.

They're putting machiney in instead.

What will become of the ponies?

What will they do with them?

What can they do? Nobody's

going to pay for their keep

if they can't work.

Come on. Sit down and have your tea.

- What will happen to them?

- How should I know?

Be thanMul it's only the ponies

they're getting rid of and not the men.

Of course, you wouldn't care. You're

the one who left my father in the pit.

You got out and left him to die!

Luke!

Dave...

How could you say such a thing to him?

I don't care.

He's no right to be here in our house.

It's his house now. He

works all day down that pit

- to keep us in food and clothes...

- I don't want him here.

- Nor do I.

- What does it matter what you want?!

Go to bed, both of you!

You can go without your tea.

Perhaps that'll teach you to

remember who earns it for you.

I brought you some bread and milk.

Come on.

If he's asleep, you eat it all.

Shove over a bit.

Dave, you know Luke

didn't leave your father.

- Yes, he did.

- No, he didn't.

Luke was injured in the fall, and

your father went in to rescue him.

- Then the second explosion came.

- I know.

But Luke could've done

something to help him.

He was brought up

unconscious. What could he do?

God bless.

Well, that's the lot. The rest of

my men will be here on Saturday.

Right.

I wish I could go down and

see the ponies before they go.

- Girls aren't allowed down the pit.

- Nor are boys.

But you get down, and

I'm bigger than you are.

But not much.

Alice! No, Alice, you can't!

- Morning, Bert.

- Morning, boys.

- Hello.

- Evening, Bert.

- Got some spares?

- Aye. There you are.

Thanks.

- Sir?

- If I see those boys going down again,

you'll be dismissed.

Watch it.

And Jester and Bertie and Bluey

- And you know which one this is?

- No.

- This is Flash.

- Flash. Flash!

Watch it. He's not used to

strangers. He might lash out.

Oh, Flash, you wouldn't

hurt me, would you?

- See the machiney on top?

- Machiney?

Them big crates with the

engineers from Sheffield.

Poor beasts won't be here much longer.

- But that's wonderFul.

- WonderFul?

What do you mean, wonderFul?

If they've no more work, they'll

be brought out of the mine

and let out into the fields. We can go

and visit them evey day and feed them.

Flash and Jester and

Bluey and all of them.

They'll run about in the

sunshine and be happy and safe.

- That's what you think, is it?

Ask thee father.

Ask thee father what will

become of the pit ponies.

Father!

- Mother, do you know where...

- Alice!

Alice.

This is Miss Coutts. She has

come to be your governess.

Had you forgotten she

was arriving today?

How do you do, Alice?

Dear me! We are Miss

Grubby Paws, aren't we?

I'm afraid we have

rather let her run wild.

Never mind, Mrs. Sandman.

I'm sure we'll soon get Alice

back into ladylike ways again.

Mother, when will Father be home?

I wanted to ask him about the pit.

Where are your manners? Miss

Coutts was just going upstairs.

Would you like to go with her

and show her the school room?

Will they really put them in

the field and let them run about?

- Yes, of course, they will.

- They'll like that, won't they?

Aye, that they will.

- Good night, Tommy.

- Good night, Dave.

Here, Flash, what do you think

of that? See the sunshine?

- Look, there's grass and trees.

- Bluey.

You'll like it in the field with Lion.

They'll all like it. Come on,

Flash, Sandie, Jimmie, Jester,

Soldier, come on, Star.

Flash will show you the way.

- And no tubs to pull, neither.

- They're free, aren't they?

- They're free.

- Flash, you're a beauty...

- Morning, Clara.

- Morning, love.

Mother, I must see Father. Do you

know if he'll be home for lunch?

Alice, dear, you mustn't bother

him. He has a lot on his mind.

And, you know, little girls

should be seen and not heard.

- But I must ask him something.

- Well, Alice, perhaps I can tell you

- what you want to know.

- It's about the ponies.

- Ponies?

- The pit ponies.

Father's bringing machiney to the mine

to do the work the ponies used to do.

And I want to know what

will happen to them.

Well, I suppose if their usefulness

is finished, they'll have to go.

But go where?

Mother?

Well, I suppose...

I don't really...

I'm sure your father will

have made plans for them.

But what plans? What

will become of them?

Well, if there's no work for them

to do, I imagine they'll be sent...

Sent where?

To the slaughter house!

No!

No, Father wouldn't

do a thing like that!

Alice!

Runner! Runner!

Well, what's going on here, then?

Engineers came at him with a

bale of wire and frightened him.

That wire cable's got to be laid.

We can't work with them and

their gear all over the place.

- You'll have to go home then.

- What, and lose our money?

Alice?

Come on.

What's up, Alice?

We've had to stop work in

the lower drift heading.

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