The Witches Page #3

You're mistaken, Miss.

I've had him five years.

He's my Vesper. My lovely boy.

Aren't you, love?

But he comes to my house.

D0 you Vesper'?

Bad boy. You never told me.

- Well... bye, Mrs Rigg.

- Goodbye, Miss.

Go after her.

- Finished?

- Yes, Miss Mayfield.

Right, then bring it here

and the pamphlet, too.

Did you find, it difficult?

Well, no, just a bit different

from anything I've done.

What's it for?

Well, it's a... a kind of test.

That's all I'll tell you for now.

Good night, Ronnie.

Good night, Miss Mayfield.

Oh, Miss Mayfield.

I'm so very, very grateful to you.

But surely

you knew he was clever?

Yes, but... well, I thought

maybe that was just a mother's pride.

But now you've proved

it's really in him.

Our boy's going to have

his chance.

We'd better be practical.

- Oh, yes... yes.

- Not count our chickens.

I'm afraid he's very far behind,

and he'll have to make it up.

Now, there are two possibilities.

One is the suggestion of Mr Bax

that he go to a cramming school,

a good one.

Oh, there'd be nothing to pay.

Mr Bax will see to everything.

It's a very generous offer.

He'd er...

he'd have to live away from home?

- Yes, it's a boarding school.

- Leave Heddaby?

Just because you never would?

We're talking

about the boy's whole career.

Yes, I know, but er...

Well, what do you say, Miss?

I mean, you know him.

Frankly, I think he'd be miserable.

He'd find himself so far behind

that he might lose heart.

- And if he stayed here?

- Then I'd coach him myself.

Could you?

We'd have to work hard, both of us,

but he'd be taught, not crammed,

and he wouldn't lose confidence,

I'd see to that.

He'd have to have

a lot of homework,

and you'd have to be sure

that he did it.

I mean,

it's really up to all of us.

Perhaps you'd like

to think it over?

Oh, I reckon not, Miss.

If you take him on, us'll help.

Fine.

I hope Mr Bax won't think

that we're ungrateful.

No, I'm sure he won't.

- Good night, Mr Bax.

- Good night, Sir.

- Good night, Miss Mayfield.

- Good night.

- Good night, Mr Dowsett.

- Good night, Miss.

What is it?

It would have been better

if he'd gone.

Thank you.

Ooh.

Aah.

About the essay.

I want your very best effort, mind you,

not just something

you can get away with.

All right, Miss Mayfield.

And you do understand

you're going to have to work very hard?

Intensive study, no distractions.

- You mean Linda?

- Mmh, for one.

D0 you want me

to stop going around with her?

Well, it might be better.

- For my work?

- Mm-hmm.

Oh, Alan.

Go on, say it.

'None today, thank you.'

- What's all that?

- Just some stuff for the pageant.

- The what?

- The school pageant.

- There's always one in June, isn't there?

- Yes, Sir.

Nobody told me. Am I supposed

to make costumes and things?

And write it and produce it.

Traditional duty

of the head teacher.

As they say,

"That's show business."

Well, I'll try. After all,

there's always a first time.

Good night, Ronnie.

Good night, Miss Mayfield.

Good night, Sir.

Alan, there's something

I wanted to ask you.

Why did you say

it would be better for Ronnie to leave?

I meant easier.

- Easier for whom?

- Well, for you.

Well, I was going about it too,

but rather in a gentler way,

yet it doesn't seem to be

for Ronnie's sake.

It's really to keep them both apart,

and yet it's not for Linda's sake either.

Why, Alan?

Why is it so desperately important?

- Hello there! How's it going?

- Oh, it's chaotic.

This is supposed to be

the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Does it lean enough?

It looks most dangerous.

- Want to come and watch?

- Dogs. Not to be put off.

- Well, see you later then.

- Right. Bye! Good luck.

Now then, where's erm...

Where's Galileo?

- I'm Wilbur.

- Where's Linda?

- What have you done with it?

- It disappeared.

- Don't be stupid. It can't just disappear.

- Well, it did.

- I know:
you slung it away somewhere.

- I never.

You are mad because

I didn't turn up yesterday.

- I lost it!

- But where?

If I knew where

it wouldn't be lost, stupid.

What's all this about?

- She threw away that boy doll I gave her.

- I never.

Now come along, Linda.

You're Signor Galileo, remember?

I don't want to be in it, Miss.

Please!

- Oh, nonsense. Everybody's in it.

- I don't want to be a man.

There are hardly any girl's parts because

hardly any girls invented anything.

Now get up there and try it.

I've written you a jolly good part now,

and you'll feel better

when you get your moustache on.

Here it is.

Come on, here are the props.

Now then, "l, Galileo, here am bent."

I, Galileo, here am bent.

"On a scientific experiment."

On a scientific experiment.

All men do bicker

about which falls quicker -

a pound of feathers

or a pound of lead.

Look out below there,

mind your head.

Linda, give me that moustache.

- What about your homework?

- I dodged it.

- Miss Mayfield'll be mad.

- Oh, let her.

She'd be madder still

if she knew.

- What?

- That you were here.

She don't like me.

- What's the matter?

- Shh...

Ronnie Dowsett.

Does anyone know what's the matter

with Ronnie. Linda?

No, Miss Mayfield.

- Mrs Dowsett, what is it?

- I can't talk now. I got to go with him.

What happened?

He was took bad in the night.

It didn't seem like anything.

Bit of a headache,

touch of fever, that's all.

This morning he seemed

to be sleeping peaceful enough,

but the wife would have

the doctor along, see, and...

He took one look at him and he said,

"That boy's in a coma."

- A coma?

- Sort of... unnatural sleep he meant.

Well, he didn't waste any time

after that.

I told him yesterday I'd fix this.

I didn't go along.

His mum's along,

that's enough.

- What do they think it is?

- They don't know yet.

But my wife,

she's got some funny notions.

She's a Welsh woman.

Last year she took shingles

all round here, you know - very painful,

and she got it into her head

that it was done to her.

- Done to her?

- Mmh.

That somebody had done it,

you see, on purpose.

- Just because she'd had a row with her.

- A row?

Mmh... about Ronnie that was.

- With whom?

- Old Granny Rigg.

Don't go too far ahead!

No nettles here now.

Come along, you stragglers,

or Mr Curd'll be after us.

Come along, Sue.

Oh, look there - lovely shade.

Shall we go over there?

Not too much noise now.

You'll frighten the sheep.

All right now, let's start

with first things first, shall we?

Erm... the man and the wheel

and the dinosaur.

Who's the dinosaur?

You're the din... you are.

All right. Here we go...

Now!

I know what you want.

All right again!

All my life

I've sat here in this swamp.

It's very muggy and extremely damp.

And when I get depressed

I can only roar.

What else can I do?

I'm a dinosaur.

All right. Roar!

Who's this?

What's he rolling round and round...

- Look, Miss Mayfield...

- What's the matter?

There's something up there.

- I can't reach.

- What is it?

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