Joan’s Wonderful Birthday.
“JOAN, you will soon be eleven!” Elizabeth said at breakfast the next day, as she chopped the top off her boiled egg. “Gracious! You are getting old.” Joan went red and said nothing. She hated anyone to talk about her birthday, because she knew there would be no cards or presents or cake for her. She was such a timid little mouse that she had no friends at all, except Elizabeth-and Joan was always feeling astonished that the bold Elizabeth should be her friend! “I wonder if you’ll have a cake?” went on Elizabeth, knowing perfectly well that Joan was going to, because she herself had ordered it! “I wonder what it will be like?” Joan scowled at Elizabeth. She really felt angry with her. “How silly Elizabeth is, talking about my birthday, and if I’m going to have a cake, when she knows quite well that I don’t want anything at all said about it,” thought Joan. She frowned at Elizabeth and signed to her to stop-but Elizabeth gaily went’ on talking.
“Let me see-it’s Friday that’s your birthday, isn’t it, Joan? I wonder how many cards you’ll have?” “Joan didn’t have a single one last year, and she didn’t have a cake either,” said Kenneth. “I don’t believe she’s got a father and mother.” “Well, I have, then,” said Joan, feeling quite desperate.
“Funny they never come and see you, not even at half-term, then,” said Hilda, who liked to see Joan getting red, “You be quiet,” said Elizabeth suddenly, seeing that things were going too far. “What I’m surprised at is that your parents bother to come and see a girl like you, Hilda! if I had a daughter like you, I’d go to the end of the world and stay there.” “That’s enough, Elizabeth,” said Nora, who pounced on Elizabeth very often since the little girl had refused to tell her her secret. Elizabeth said no more. She longed to say quite a lot, but she was learning to control her tongue now. Miss Scott would indeed not have known her! Nothing more was said about Joan’s birthday just then, and after breakfast, as the girls were making their beds, Joan went up to Elizabeth.
“Please, Elizabeth,” she said, “for goodness’ sake don’t say any more about my birthday. You make things much worse if you do-think how I shall feel when everyone watches to see what cards and presents come for me by the post, and I haven’t any! You are lucky-you have two Grannies, and two Granpas, and Uncles and Aunts–but I haven’t a single uncle, aunt, or granny! So it’s no wonder I don’t get many treats.” “You are unlucky, Joan,” said Elizabeth, in surprise. “Really you are. Well-I won’t say any more about your birthday to the others, if you don’t like it.” But she longed to, all the same, for she kept hugging her delicious secret-Joan would have a wonderful cake, with eleven candles on, and cards, and presents too! Nora was not kind to Elizabeth that week. She did not say any more to Elizabeth about her secret, but she had quite made up her mind to report her at the next Meeting. She thought Elizabeth was very deceitful and mean not to give up her money as everyone else did, and not to tell her what she had spent it on.
“After all, we gave her a fine chance to be as decent as possible, at the last Meeting,” said Nora to herself. “We really did-and the funny thing is, I felt sure that Elizabeth would be worth that chance, and would do her best to keep our rules, and help the school, as we all try to do. But I was wrong. I don’t feel as if I like Elizabeth a bit now.” When Thursday came Elizabeth posted the three birthday cards she had bought. She could hardly go to sleep that night for thinking of Joan’s pleasure in the morning! It really was lovely to give a surprise to someone.
Friday came. Elizabeth leapt out of bed, ran to Joan’s bed, hugged her and cried, “Many happy returns of the day, Joan! I hope you’ll have a lovely birthday! Here’s a little present for you from me!” Joan took the parcel and undid it. When she saw the red handbag inside, she was delighted-and she was even more thrilled when she found the comb, the handkerchief, and the sixpence. She flung her arms round Elizabeth and squeezed her so hard that Elizabeth almost choked! “Oh, thank you, Elizabeth!” she cried. “It’s perfectly lovely. I did so badly want a handbag. I only had that little old purse. Oh, how I shall love using it! It’s the nicest present I have ever had.” There was another surprise for Joan before she went down to breakfast. Hilda slipped into the bedroom with a lace-edged handkerchief for Joan. She had felt rather ashamed of herself for teasing Joan the day before, and had taken one of her best hankies to give for a present.
Joan was thrilled-in fact, she was so thrilled that a bright idea came into Elizabeth’s head. She flew down to the playroom to see if Harry was there. He wasn’t–‘but she could hear him practising in the music-room.
“Harry! Harry!” cried Elizabeth, rushing up to him, and startling him so much that his music fell to the floor. “Will you do something for me?” “Depends what it is,” said Harry, picking up his music.
“Harry, it’s Joan Townsend’s birthday,” said Elizabeth. “You know you said you’d give me one of your rabbits, don’t you, and I said it wasn’t any good, because I was going at half-term-well, would you please give it to Joan instead, because you can’t think how pleased she is to have presents!” “Well-” said Harry, not quite sure about it.
“Go on, Harry, do say yes-be a sport!” begged Elizabeth, her blue eyes shining like stars. It was very difficult to refuse Elizabeth anything when she looked like that. Harry nodded.
“All right,” be said. “What shall I do-bring the baby rabbit in at breakfast-time?” “Oooh!” said Elizabeth, with a squeak of delight. “Yes! Do! Say, ‘Shut your eyes, Joan, and feel what I’ve brought you!’ and then put it into her arms. What a surprise for her!” “Well, I’ll go and get it now,” said Harry, putting his music away. “But she’ll have to look after it herself, Elizabeth. It will be her rabbit.” “I’ll look after it for her,” said Elizabeth, feeling delighted at the thought of mothering a baby rabbit each day. “Hurry, Harry!” Elizabeth went back to the bedroom. The breakfast bell rang as she was tidying her chest-of-drawers. She slipped her arm through Joan’s, and they went downstairs together. They stopped at the letter-rack. There was one card for Elizabeth from Mrs. Allen-and in Joan’s place were three envelopes, in which were the cards that Elizabeth had bought! Joan took them down, going red with surprise. She opened them, She took out the first card and read it: “With love, from Mother.” She turned to Elizabeth, her eyes shining.
“She’s remembered my birthday!” she said to Elizabeth, and her voice was very happy. She was even more surprised when she found a card marked “With love, from Daddy,” and she was delighted with Elizabeth’s card.
“Fancy! Three cards!” said Joan, so happy that she didn’t notice that the writing on the envelopes was the same for all three. She went into breakfast, quite delighted.
And on her chair was an enormous cardboard box from the baker, and a small neat parcel from the book-shop; Joan gave a cry of astonishment, “More presents! Who from, I wonder?” She opened the little parcel first, and when she saw the book about birds, and read the little card, her eyes filled suddenly with tears, She turned away to hide them. “Look,” she whispered to Elizabeth, “it’s from my mother. Isn’t it lovely of her to remember my birthday! I didn’t think she would!” Joan was so happy to have the book, which she thought came from her mother, that she almost forgot to undo the box in which was the enormous birthday cake.
“Undo this box, quickly,” begged Elizabeth, Joan cut the string. She took off the lid, and every one crowded round to see what was inside. When they saw the beautiful cake, they shouted in delight.
“Joan! What a fine cake! Oooh! You are lucky!” Joan was too astonished to say a word. She lifted the cake out of the box, on its silver board, and stood it on the breakfast-table. She stared at it as if it was a dream cake. She couldn’t believe it was really true.
“I say!” said Nora. “What a cake! Look at the candles-and the sugar roses! And look at the message on it-‘A happy birthday for my darling Joan!’ Your mother has been jolly generous, Joan-it’s the biggest birthday cake I’ve seen.” Joan stared at the message on the cake. She could hardly believe it. She felt so happy that she thought she would really have to burst, It was all so unexpected and so surprising.