The Great Gilly Hopkins Read Free Page B

Trotter said.
    Of course Gilly heard. She tilted her head a little in case Trotter couldn’t see .
    â€œIf I take you down earlier,” Trotter went on, “we’ll just have to sit and wait till they can take care of us. I’d as leave sit here at my own table with a cup of coffee, wouldn’t you?” She put a bowl of steaming hot cereal down in front of Gilly.
    Gilly nodded her head vigorously Yes.
    William Ernest was staring at her, his glasses steamed up from the oatmeal. Gilly bared her teeth and shook her head violently No at him. The boy snuffled loudly and ducked his head.
    â€œNeed a tissue, William Ernest?” Trotter pulled one from her apron pocket and gently wiped his nose. “And here’s a clean one for school, honey.” Trotter leaned over and tucked a tissue into his pants pocket.
    Gilly craned her neck over the table as though she were trying to see the contents of W.E.’s pocket. Her head was within a couple of feet of Trotter’s eyes. The woman was sure to notice.
    â€œWilliam Ernest got promoted to the Orange reading group yesterday. Didn’t you, William Ernest, honey?”
    The little boy nodded his head but kept his eyes on his bowl.
    â€œYou’re gonna have to do some reading out loud and show Gilly how great you’re coming along with your reading these days.”
    W.E. looked up for one split second with terror in his eyes. Trotter missed the look, but not Gilly, who smiled widely and shook her half-bulldozed head emphatically.
    â€œIn Orange they use hardback books,” Trotter was explaining. “It’s a real big step to be Orange.” She leaned over Gilly to put some toast on the table. “We really worked for this.”
    â€œSo old W.E.’s getting a head , is he?”
    Trotter gave her a puzzled look. “Yeah, he’s doing just fine.”
    â€œBefore you know it,” Gilly heard herself saying loudly, “he’ll be blowing his own nose and combing his own hair .”
    â€œHe already does,” said Trotter quietly. “Leastways most of the time.” She sat down with a loud sigh at the table. “Pass me a piece of toast, will you, Gilly?”
    Gilly picked up the plate, raised it to the height of her hair, and passed it across to Trotter at that level.
    â€œThank you, honey.”
    At eight thirty Trotter got William Ernest off to school. Gilly had long since finished her breakfast, but she sat at the kitchen table, her head propped on her fists. From the doorway she could hear Old Mother Goose honking over her gosling. “OK, Big Orange, you show ’em down there today, hear?” Trotter said finally; and then the heavy door shut and she was heading back for the kitchen. As she got to the door, Gilly sat up straight and shook her head for all she was worth.
    â€œYou got a tic or something, honey?”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œI would’ve thought you was too young for the palsy,” the huge woman murmured, sliding into her seat with the cup of coffee she’d promised herself earlier. “I see you got sneakers. That’s good. You’re supposed to have them for gym. Can you think of anything else you’ll need for school?”
    Gilly shook her head, but halfheartedly. She was beginning to feel like an oversharpened pencil.
    â€œI think I’ll go upstairs till it’s time,” she said.
    â€œOh, while you’re up there, honey—”
    â€œYeah?” Gilly sprang to attention.
    â€œMake the beds, will you? It does look messy to leave ’em unmade all day, and I’m not much on running up and down the stairs.”
    Gilly banged the door to her room for all she was worth. She spit every obscenity she’d ever heard through her teeth, but it wasn’t enough. That ignorant hippopotamus! That walrus-faced imbecile! That—that—oh, the devil—Trotter wouldn’t even let a drop fall from her precious William