THE DIARIST

A bored and spiteful child in a big house thinks she knows all.

“It's here, and it's a secret,” said Sophie quietly. “You've got to promise, all of you, that you won't say a word to anyone. It's important.”

Rosamond nodded and the others took their lead from her. “We won't,” they vowed, “we promise.”

“I've written it all down,” whispered Sophie. “I've put how we all watched him go into her room and then heard all the squeals and shrieks, and when he came out again he was so furtive we knew he'd killed her.”

“Men do things like that,” nodded Rosamond. “Men kill women when they've got the drink in them, especially poor men with no brains. Everyone knows that.”

Sophie nodded. “It's a shame that they're like that, but it's how God made poor people,” she whispered, frowning. “The trouble is, how did she come back to life again? We all saw her, didn't we? We all saw her at breakfast and she was all cherry-faced and smiling as if she'd never been dead! But we heard her, didn't we? We heard the screams and the squeals and the bangings from her room after he went in.”

“My mummy sometimes makes little noises, a bit like that,” mused Emma. “It's not daddy killing her, though, because they're very much in love, like people in fairy stories. It's different with them.”

“That's contrary!” scoffed Sophie “It's poor people who get killed by men with drink in them! Everyone knows that! They haven't got the brains not to get killed!”

“Daddy says that,” agreed Rosamond. “Daddy says that's why we have to keep away from poor people, because they're not regular like you and me, with nice faces and brains!”

“Look! Here he comes!” hissed Emma.

They shrunk into a corner as the butler's boy walked past their hiding place, whistling quietly to himself. Then the kitchen maid came by too, the one whose room he'd been seen sneaking into last night.

“I love you,” he whispered at her as she paused briefly next to him.

“I love you too,” she breathed, and scuttled on.

“That's it!” hissed Sophie when they were out of sight. “I'm telling daddy! He'll know what to do and I'll bet he gets rid of the pair of them before the week's out! We can't have love in this house! It isn't right!”

“Love's disgusting,” agreed Rosamond. “At least I know that!”

“Mummy loves daddy. She says so,” said Emma doubtfully.

“But she's not poor!” snapped Sophie. “It's all right if you're not poor. It's all right if you're decent, like us. You watch! The pair of them will be gone by Friday! We can't have that kind of thing here! We can't have soppy old love in our house! I've got it all written down, every nasty thing, and I'll show daddy!”

“If you must,” sniffed Emma.

“It's what you've got to do,” said Rosamond.

OoOoo

Friday dawned, and the boy was gone exactly as Sophie predicted. Her mother said she had never read so much filth when Sophie showed her the book she'd been writing in. And as for her drawings of things she'd seen through keyholes �" they were a disgrace.

The wretched lad had a long and very troubled face as he dragged himself down the long drive from the house and Sophie had all on not spitting at him as she watched him go. She was good and accurate when it came to spitting.

Her father went to the kitchen maid's room after that, and he was an awful long time telling her she might have to leave, and before he came out Sophie heard some more extraordinary noises from behind closed doors, scufflings and squeals and panting noises the like of which she'd never understand if she lived to be a hundred.. Daddy must have been really telling that awful girl off!

It surprised her, but that noisy girl didn't leave and daddy wouldn't discuss the matter with her again. It wasn't for a child to think about, he said, not at all, even though she knew deep down she wasn't a child any more. Instead, he arranged for her to go to a boarding school three counties distant instead of wasting her time at home, spying on servants and generally doing nothing.

It was at boarding school that she learned how to be really spiteful.

Reviews

[DIVYA]

Hilarious how the Diarist was booted out at the end. She was indeed quite cheeky for her own good, peeping on things of no concern to her and creating trouble for others. The world of adults is so sinister and feels so shameful sometimes. So, I'm glad her adulterous father decided for her. He had his own compulsions for doing it but it would help her stay away from trouble in the long run. The concluding line was so chilling. I loved the story.