Chapter 21
Lizzie never stood if she could sit. Her favourite occu pation was to settle down in an armchair with the twins and sing to them. Lizzie had a wonderful repertoire. There was not a song that Lizzie didn't know, from 'Nelly Kelly' to 'Little Mickie had a stickie' or from the soulful I'll walk beside you', to the passionate 'Black Eyes', sung to Lizzie's own words, which she maintained were vastly superior to the original version in Russian. The twins listened peacefully. It was difficult to know if they were enchanted or mesmerized which was all to the good, as it kept them quiet and allowed us to get on with our work.
To be fair, Lizzie did condescend on occasions to dust the mantelpiece or peel a few potatoes for which mercies we were duly grateful. Our mornings usually began
