The Just William Stories: William's New Year Resolution

In another great story by Richmal Crompton, William learns from the local sweetshop owner, Mr Moss, that New Year is a time when people resolve to change something about themselves. William decides that he will try to be more polite, encouraged by Mr Moss's reassurance that most people only keep their resolutions for a day at the most.

Transcript

Hello,

It's Mandy here.

Thanks for joining me this evening.

We're going to be listening to William's New Year Resolutions,

But before I begin,

Please go ahead,

Make yourself really comfortable.

Settling down into your bed or your chair,

Relaxing your hands,

Releasing your shoulders,

And relaxing any tension in your jaw.

That's great.

So if you're ready,

I'll begin.

William went whistling down the street,

His hands in his pockets.

William's whistle was more penetrating than melodious.

Sensitive people fled shuddering at the sound.

The proprietor of the sweet shop,

However,

Was not sensitive.

He nodded affably as William passed.

William was a regular customer of his,

As regular,

That is,

As a wholly inadequate allowance would permit.

Encouraged,

William paused at the doorway and ceased to whistle.

Hello,

Mr Moss,

He said.

Hello,

William,

Said Mr Moss.

Anything cheap today,

Went on William hopefully.

Mr Moss shook his head.

Tuppence an ounce cheapest,

He said.

William sighed.

That's awful dear,

He said.

What isn't dear?

Tell me that.

What isn't dear,

Said Mr Moss lugubriously.

Well,

Give me two ounces.

I'll pay you tomorrow,

Said William.

Mr Moss shook his head.

Go on,

Said William.

I get my money tomorrow.

You know I get my money tomorrow.

Cash,

Young sir,

Said Mr Moss heavily.

My terms is cash.

However,

He relented,

I'll give you a few over when the scales is down tomorrow for a New Year's gift.

Honest?

Honest.

Well,

Give me them now then,

Said William.

Mr Moss hesitated.

There wouldn't be no New Year's gift then,

Would they,

He said.

William considered.

I'll eat them today,

But I'll think about them tomorrow,

He promised.

That'll make them a New Year's gift.

Mr Moss took out a handful of assorted fruit drops and passed them to William.

William received them gratefully.

And what good resolution are you going to take tomorrow,

Went on Mr Moss.

William crunched in silence for a minute then.

Good resolution,

He questioned.

I ain't got none.

You've got to have a good resolution for New Year's Day,

Said Mr Moss firmly.

Same as giving up sugar in tea at Lent and wearing blue on Oxford and Cambridge boat race day,

Said William with interest.

Yep,

Same as that.

Well,

You've got to think of some fault you'd like to cure and start tomorrow,

William pondered.

Can't think of anything,

He said at last.

You think of something for me.

You might take one to do your schoolwork properly,

Suggested Mr Moss.

William shook his head.

Nah,

He said.

That wouldn't be much fun,

Would it?

Crumbs,

It wouldn't.

Or keep your clothes tidy,

Went on his friend.

William shuddered at that thought.

Or to give up shouting and whistling.

William crammed two more sweets into his mouth and shook his head very firmly.

Crumbs,

No.

Or to be polite.

Polite?

Yes,

Please and thank you and if you don't mind my saying so and if you excuse me contradicting of you and can I do anything for you and such like.

William was struck with this.

Yes,

I might try being that,

He said.

He straightened his collar and stood up.

Yes,

How long has it got to go on though?

Not long,

Said Mr Moss.

Only the first day generally.

Folks generally give them up after that.

What's yours,

Said William,

Putting four sweets into his mouth.

Mr Moss looked round his little shop with the air of a conspirator,

Then leant forward confidentially.

I'm gonna ask her again,

He said.

Who,

Said William,

Mystified.

Someone I've asked regular every New Year's Day for 10 year.

Asked what,

Said William,

Gazing sadly at his last sweet.

Asked to take me a course,

Said Mr Moss,

With an air of contempt for William's want of intelligence.

Take you where,

Said William.

Where do you want to go?

Why can't you go yourself?

To marry me,

I means,

Said Mr Moss,

Blushing slightly as he spoke.

Well,

Said William,

With a judicial air,

I wouldn't have asked the same one for 10 years.

I'd have tried someone else.

I'd have gone on asking other people if I wanted to get married.

You'd be sure to find someone that wouldn't mind you,

With a sweet shop too.

She must be a softy.

Does she know you've got a sweet shop?

Mr Moss merely sighed and popped a bullseye into his mouth,

With an air of abstracted melancholy.

The next morning,

William leapt out of bed with an expression of stern resolve.

I'm going to be polite,

He remarked to his bedroom furniture.

I'm going to be polite all day.

He met his father on the stairs as he went down to breakfast.

Good morning,

Father,

He said,

With what he fondly imagined to be a courtly manner.

Can I do anything for you today?

His father looked down at him,

Suspiciously.

What do you want now?

He demanded.

William was hurt.

I'm only being polite.

It's,

You know,

One of those things you take on on New Year's Day.

Well,

I've took one to be polite.

His father apologised.

I'm sorry,

He said.

You see,

I'm not used to it.

It startled me.

At breakfast,

William's politeness shone forth in all its glory.

Can I pass you anything,

Robert,

He said sweetly.

His elder brother coldly ignored him.

Going to rain again,

He said to the world in general.

If you'll excuse me contradicting of you,

Robert,

Said William.

I heard the milkman saying it was going to be fine if you'll excuse me contradicting you.

Look here,

Said Robert angrily,

Less of your cheek.

Seems to me no one in this house understands what being polite is,

Said William bitterly.

Seems to me one might go on being polite in this house for years and no one would know what one was doing.

His mother looked at him anxiously.

You're feeling quite well,

Dear,

Aren't you,

She said.

You haven't got a headache or anything,

Have you?

No,

I'm being polite,

He said irritably.

Then pulled himself up suddenly.

I'm quite well,

Thank you,

Mother dear,

He said in a tone of cloying sweetness.

Does it hurt you much,

Inquired his brother tenderly.

No,

Thank you,

Robert,

Said William politely.

After breakfast,

He received his pocket money with courteous gratitude.

Thank you very much,

Father.

Not at all.

Pray don't mention it,

William.

It's quite all right,

Said Mr Brown,

Not to be outdone.

Then,

This is rather trying.

How long does it last?

What?

The resolution.

Oh,

Being polite?

He said they didn't often do it after the first day.

He's quite right,

Whoever he is,

Said Mr Brown.

They don't.

He's going to ask her again,

Volunteered William.

Who ask who what,

Said Mr Brown,

But William had gone.

He was already on his way to Mr Moss's shop.

Mr Moss was at the door,

Hatted and coated,

Gazing anxiously down the street.

Good morning,

Mr Moss,

Said William politely.

Mr Moss took out a large antique watch.

He's late,

He said.

I shall miss the train,

Oh dear.

It will be the first New Year's day I've missed in ten years.

William was inspecting the sweets with the air of an expert.

Them pink ones are new,

He said at last.

How much are they?

Eight pence a quarter.

Oh dear,

I shall miss the train.

They're very small ones,

Said William disparagingly.

You'd think they'd be less than that,

Small ones like that.

Will you,

Will you do something for me and I'll give you a quarter of those sweets?

William gasped.

The offer was almost too munificent to be true.

I'll do anything for that,

He said simply.

Well,

Just stay in the shop till my nephew Bill comes.

He'll be here in two shakes and I'll miss my train if I don't go now.

He's going to keep the shop for me till I'm back and he'll be here any minute now.

Just tell him I had to run to catch my train and if anyone comes into the shop before he comes,

Just tell him to wait or come back later.

You can weigh yourself a quarter of them sweets.

Mr Moss was certainly in a holiday mood.

William pinched himself just to make sure that he was still alive and had not been translated suddenly to the realms of the blessed.

Mr Moss,

With a last anxious glance at his watch,

Hurried off in the direction of the station.

William was left alone.

He spent a few moments indulging in rosy eight daydreams.

The ideal of his childhood,

Perhaps of everyone's childhood,

Was realised.

He had a sweet shop.

He walked round the shop with a conscious swagger,

Pausing to pop into his mouth a butterball composed,

As the label stated,

Of pure farm cream and best butter.

It was all his,

All those rows and rows of gleaming bottles of sweets of every size and colour,

Those boxes and boxes of attractively arranged chocolates.

Deliberately,

He imagined himself as their owner.

By the time he had walked around the shop three times,

He believed that he was the owner.

At this point,

A small boy appeared in the doorway.

William scowled at him.

Well,

He said ungraciously,

What do you want?

Then,

Suddenly remembering his resolution,

Please,

What do you want?

Where's uncle?

Said the small boy,

With equal ungraciousness,

Because our Bill's ill and he can't come.

William waved him off.

That's all right,

He said.

You tell him that's all right.

That's quite all right,

See.

Now,

You go off.

The small boy stood as though rooted to the spot.

William pressed into one of his hands a stick of and into the other a packet of chocolate.

Now,

You go away.

I don't want you here,

See.

You go away.

The small boy made off,

Still staring and clutching his spoils.

William started to the door and yelled to the retreating figure,

If you don't mind me saying so.

He'd already come to look upon the resolution as a kind of God who must at all costs be pandered to.

Already,

The resolution seemed to have bestowed upon him the dream of his life,

A fully equipped sweet shop.

He wandered round again and discovered a wholly new sweetmeat called Coconut Kisses.

Its only drawback was its instability.

It melted away in the mouth at once,

So much so that almost before William was aware of it,

He was confronted by the empty box.

He returned to the more solid charms of the Pineapple Crisp.

He was interrupted by the entrance of a thin lady of uncertain age.

Good morning,

She said,

Icily.

Where's Mr Moss?

William answered as well as the presence of five sweets in his mouth would allow him.

I can't hear a word you say,

She said,

More frigidly than ever.

William removed two of his five sweets and placed them temporarily on the scale.

Gone,

He said,

Laconically.

Then murmured vaguely,

Thank you,

As the thought of the resolution loomed up in his mind.

Who's in charge?

Me,

Said William.

She looked at him with distinct disapproval.

Well,

I'll have one of those bars of chocolate.

William,

Looking around the shop,

Realised suddenly that his own depredations had been on no small scale.

But there was a chance of making good any loss that Mr Moss might otherwise have sustained.

He looked down at the Tuppany bars.

Shilling each,

He said firmly.

She gasped.

They were only Tuppence yesterday.

They've gone up since,

Said William,

Brazenly,

Adding a vague,

If you'll kindly excuse me saying so.

Gone up,

She repeated indignantly.

Have you heard from the makers that they've gone up?

Yes,

Sir,

Said William politely.

When did you hear?

This morning,

If you don't mind my saying so.

William's manner of fulsome politeness seemed to madden her.

Did you hear by post?

Yes,

Sir,

By post this morning.

She glared at him with vindictive triumph.

I happen to live opposite,

You wicked lying boy,

And I know that the postman did not call here this morning.

William met her eye calmly.

No,

They came round to see me in the night,

The makers did.

You couldn't have heard them,

It was when you were asleep,

If you'll excuse me contradicting of you.

It is a great gift to be able to lie so as to convince other people.

It is a still greater gift to be able to lie so as to convince oneself.

William was possessed of the latter gift.

I shall certainly not pay more than Tuppence,

Said his customer severely,

Taking a bar of chocolate and laying down Tuppence on the counter,

And I shall report this shop to the profiteering committee.

It's scandalous and a pack of wicked lies.

William scowled at her.

They're a shilling,

He said.

I don't want your nasty old Tuppence's.

I said there was a shilling.

He followed her to the door.

She was crossing the street to her house.

You,

You old thief,

He yelled after her,

Though true to his resolution,

He added softly with dogged determination,

If you don't mind my saying so.

I'll set the police on you,

His late customer shouted angrily back across the street,

You wicked blasphemous boy.

William put out his tongue at her,

Then returned to the shop and closed the door.

Here he discovered that the door,

When opened,

Rang a bell,

And after filling his mouth with licorice all sorts,

He spent the next five minutes vigorously opening and shutting the door until something went wrong with the mechanism of the bell.

At this,

He fortified himself with a course of nutty footballs and,

Standing on a chair,

Began ruthlessly to dismember the bell.

He was disturbed by the entry of another customer.

Swallowing a nutty football whole,

He hastened to his post behind the counter.

The newcomer was a little girl of about nine,

A very dainty little girl,

Dressed in a white fur coat and cap and long white gaiters.

Her hair fell in golden curls over her white fur shoulders.

Her eyes were blue,

Her cheeks were velvety and rosy,

Her mouth was like a baby's.

William had seen this vision on various occasions in the town,

But had never yet addressed it.

Whenever he had seen it,

His heart in the midst of his body had been even as melting wax.

He smiled,

A self-conscious sheepish smile.

His freckled face blushed to the roots of his short stubby hair.

She seemed to find nothing odd in the fact of a small boy being in charge of a sweet shop.

She came up to the counter.

Please,

I want two Tupperny bars of chocolate.

Her voice was very clear and silvery.

Ecstasy rendered William speechless.

His smile grew wider and more foolish.

Seeing his two half-sucked pineapple crisps exposed upon the scales,

He hastily put them in his mouth.

She laid four pennies on the counter.

William found his voice.

You can have lots for that,

He said.

They've gone cheap.

They've gone ever so cheap.

You can take all the boxful for that,

He went on recklessly,

Pressing the box into her reluctant hands.

And what else would you like?

You just tell me that.

Tell me what else you'd like.

Please,

I haven't any more money,

Gasped a small bewildered voice.

Money don't matter,

Said William.

Things is cheap today.

Things is awful cheap today.

You can have anything you like for that four pence.

Anything you like.

Because it's New Year's Day,

Said the vision with a gleam of understanding.

Yes,

Said William,

Because it's that.

Is it your shop?

Yes,

Said William with an air of importance.

It's all my shop.

She gazed at him in admiration and envy.

I'd love to have a sweet shop,

She said wistfully.

Well,

You take anything you like,

Said William generously.

She collected as much as she could carry and started towards the door.

Thank you.

Thank you ever so,

She said gratefully.

William stood leaning against the door in the easy attitude of the good natured,

All providing male.

It's all right,

He said with an indulgent smile.

Quite all right.

Then with an inspiration born of memories of his father earlier in the day.

Not at all.

Don't mention it.

Not at all.

Quite all right.

He stopped simply for lack of further expressions and bowed with would be gracefulness as she went through the doorway.

As she passed the window,

She was rewarded by a spreading effusive smile in a flushed face.

She stopped and kissed her hand.

William blinked with pure emotion.

He continued his smile long after its recipient had disappeared.

Then,

Absentmindedly,

He crammed his mouth with a handful of mixed dew drops and sat down behind the counter.

As he crunched mixed dew drops,

He indulged in a daydream in which he rescued the little girl in the white fur coat from robbers and pirates and a burning house.

He was just leaping nimbly from the roof of the burning house,

Holding the little girl in the white fur coat in his arms when he caught sight of two of his friends flattening their noses at the window.

He rose from his seat and went to the door.

Hello,

Ginger.

Hello,

Henry,

He said with an unsuccessful effort to appear void of self-consciousness.

They gazed at him in wonder.

I've got a shop,

He went on casually.

Come on in and look at it.

They peeped round the doorway cautiously and reassured by the sight of William,

Obviously in sole possession,

They entered open mouthed.

They gazed at the boxes and bottles of sweets.

Aladdin's cave was nothing to this.

How did you get it,

William?

Gasped Ginger.

Someone gave it me,

Said William.

I took one of them things to be polite and someone gave it me.

Go on,

He said kindly.

Just help yourselves.

Not at all.

Just help yourselves and don't mention it.

They needed no second bidding.

With the unerring instinct of childhood,

Not unsupported by experience,

That at any minute Eden might be invaded by the avenging angel in the shape of a grown-up,

They made full use of their time.

They went from box to box,

Putting handfuls of sweets and chocolates into their mouths.

They said nothing,

Simply because speech was,

In the circumstances,

A physical impossibility.

Showing a foresight for the future worthy of the noble ant itself,

So often held up as a model to childhood,

They filled pockets in the intervals of cramming their mouths.

A close observer might have noticed that William now ate little.

William himself had been conscious for some time of a curious and inexplicable feeling of coldness towards the tempting dainties around him.

He was,

However,

Loath to give in to that weakness and every now and then he nonchalantly put into his mouth a toasted square or a fruity bit.

It happened that a loutish boy of about 14 was passing the shop.

At the sight of three small boys rapidly consuming the contents,

He became interested.

What you doing of?

He said indignantly,

Standing in the doorway.

You get out of my shop,

Said William valiantly.

Your shop,

Said the boy,

You're blooming well pinching things out of someone else's shop.

I can see.

Here,

Give me some of them.

You get out,

Said William.

Get out yourself,

Said the other.

If I'd not took one to be polite,

Said William,

I'd knock you down.

Oh,

You would,

Would you,

Said the other,

Beginning to roll up his sleeves.

Yes,

And I would too.

So you get out.

Seizing the nearest bottle,

Which happened to contain acid drops,

He began to fire them at his opponent's head.

One hit him in the eye.

He retired into the street.

William,

Now a fire for battle,

Followed him,

Still hurling acid drops with all his might.

A crowd of boys collected together.

Some gathered acid drops from the gutter.

Others joined the scrimmage.

William,

Henry and Ginger carried on a noble fight against heavy odds.

It was only the sight of the proprietor of the shop coming briskly down the sidewalk that put an end to the battle.

The street boys made off with what spoils they could gather in one direction and Ginger and Henry in another.

William,

Clasping an empty acid drop bottle to his bosom,

Was left to face Mr.

Moss.

Mr.

Moss entered and looked round with an air of bewilderment.

Where's Bill,

He said.

He's ill,

Said William.

He couldn't come.

I've been keeping shop for you.

I've done the best I could.

He looked around the rifled shop and hastened to propitiate the owner as far as possible.

I've got some money for you,

He said soothingly,

Pointing to the four pennies that represented his morning's takings.

It's not much,

He went on with some truth,

Looking again at the rows of empty boxes and half-emptied bottles and the debris that is always and everywhere the inevitable result of a battle.

But Mr.

Moss hardly seemed to notice it.

Thanks,

William,

He said almost humbly.

William,

She's took me.

She's going to marry me.

Isn't it grand after all these years?

I'm afraid there's a bit of a mess,

Said William,

Returning to the more important matter.

Mr.

Moss waved aside his apologies.

It doesn't matter,

William,

He said.

Nothing matters today.

She's took me at last.

I'm going to shut shop this afternoon and go over to her again.

Thanks for staying,

William.

Not at all.

Don't mention it,

Said William politely.

Then I think I've had enough of that being polite.

Will one morning do for this year,

Do you think?

Uh,

Yeah,

Well,

I'll shut up.

Don't you stay,

William.

You'll be wanting to get home for lunch.

Lunch?

Quite definitely,

William decided he did not want any lunch.

The very thought of lunch brought with it a feeling of active physical discomfort,

Which was much more than mere absence of hunger.

He decided to go home as quickly as possible,

Though not to lunch.

Goodbye,

He said.

Goodbye,

Said Mr.

Moss.

I'm afraid you'll find some things gone,

Said William faintly.

Some boys was in.

That's all right,

William,

Said Mr.

Moss,

Roused again from his rosy dreams.

That's quite all right.

But it was not quite all right with William.

Reader,

If you had been left in charge at the age of 11 of a sweet shop for a whole morning,

Would it have been all right with you?

I think not.

But we will not follow William through the humiliating hours of the afternoon.

We will leave him as pale and unsteady,

But as yet master of the situation,

He wends his homeward way.

Reviews

As usual loveable William can do no wrong, even through a tummy ache. Thanks Mandy 🙏🏻

Oh William. Was it worth it? Unbelievable, and yet, it’s not. 😂Spectacular reading, Mandy, I enjoyed this chapter so much! 🥰

William is so naughty in this story! Delightful! Thanks again for sharing these stories.

I love your reading Mandy and Just William is a fun story. Thank you!

The best!!! Fell asleep, so I’ll keep giving a listen until I get through it. Gotta love William! Thank you, Mandy!

Lucky shop owner! That could have been an epic battle🤪 thank you, Mandy!🥰❤️🙏🏼