Читать книгу Lost Voices of the Edwardians: 1901–1910 in Their Own Words - Max Arthur, Max Arthur - Страница 84

There was a lot of poverty. We had a girl in my class called Nelly – she was a Christian girl and I liked her very much. She used to come to school without shoes on her feet. I couldn't understand it – no shoes and stockings, and it was the middle of winter and raining. She used to sit next to me, and I said, ‘ Aren't you cold?’ Her feet were so cold. I used to go home to her house for tea very often, and I could smell a very nice, welcoming smell – it was bacon. Although her mother offered it to me, I had an idea I mustn't eat it. I told my mother what had happened, and asked her, ‘Why mustn't I eat it?’ I couldn't have been more than nine at the time. And mother said, ‘Because it's not very healthy.’ And I said, ‘But Nelly Conlan walks about with bare feet, and she's never had a cold in her life!’