that waterglass?'
'Ah you're a deep one you are,' Kate immediately replied.
'I'm not and I don't know what you're after,' Edith protested beating a monogrammed pillow edged with lace between the palms of her two hands. But Kate made no reply and Edith apparently did not want to leave the matter for she tried again.
'When all's said and done love it's not as if Albert was suspected. That's just Mr Raunce's way,' she said.
'What makes you give him a Mr?' Kate asked.
'Why he's got the position now surely?'
'But he's no different to what he was,' Kate objected.
'According to one way of takin' it he's not,' Edith said, 'but whichever way we regard him he sees himself the butler.'
'O.K. if that's how you look at it.'
'Now Kate what's come over you? You wouldn't wish to spite him surely?'
'Listen,' Kate said, 'it don't matter to me what he thinks we think. All he'll be to me is Charley same as he always has been.'
'All right,' said Edith, 'I'll call him Charley and drop the mister.'
'And blush right in 'is face?'
'Kate Armstrong I'm surprised.'
'You can be surprised all right. I should worry. No I'm disappointed in you Edie, I am that.'
They stood on either side of the bed looking at each other.
'Then you do think I should never have kept silent. What you say is I should have talked up at the first go off when Mrs Welch came in at teatime?' Edith spoke as though she had been running but Kate only smiled. Kate said,
'I wouldn't play the innocent if I was you, not with me. It don't come off and that's a fact.'
'Then what you're gettin' at, without you're having what it takes to tell, what you're tryin' to say is you think I'm after 'im when he's something to you? Is that right?'
'Christ 'e's nothing to me. Charley Raunce? I'd sooner be dead.'
'I'll bet you'd sooner be dead.'
'What d'you insinuate by that Edie? I don't have to tell you you can go so far and no farther where I'm concerned thank you.'
'All right then I'll learn you something,' Edith said and she panted and panted. 'I love Charley Raunce I love 'im I love 'im so there. I could open the veins of my right arm for that man,' she said, turned her back on Kate, walked out and left her.
'You needn't have told me. I knew, don't worry,' Kate said to the now empty room, but with a sort of satisfaction as it seemed in pain.
On the 18th Mrs Tennant left for England and Belchester. That same evening Captain Davenport dined at the Castle alone with Mrs Jack who had instructed Raunce that he need not wait up to see the Captain out.
There was nothing unusual in this to draw comment, and next morning Edith was rubbing her face, yawning like a child when it was time to call the lady. She gently knocked. She got no reply but then she never did. When she went in after knocking a second time the curtains which Miss Burch had already drawn back in the passage outside let sufficient light for Edith to see her way across the room. But she went soft, cautious so as not to stumble against the gold oar that stood out from the bed. Then she drew those curtains. She folded the shutters back into the wall. And Edith looked out on the morning, the soft bright morning that struck her dazzled dazzling eyes.
A movement over in the bed attracted her attention. She turned slow. She saw a quick stir beside the curls under which Mrs Jack's head lay asleep, she caught sight of someone else's hair as well, and it was retreating beneath silk sheets. A man. Her heart hammered fit to burst her veins. She gave a little gasp.
Then the dark head was altogether gone. But there were two humps of body, turf over graves under those pink bedclothes. And it was at this moment Mrs Jack jumped as if she had been pinched. Not properly awake she sat straight up. She was nude. Then no doubt remembering she said very quick, 'Oh Edith it's you it's quite all right I'll ring.' On which she must have recognized that she was naked With a sort of cry and crossing her lovely arms over that great
'Ah you're a deep one you are,' Kate immediately replied.
'I'm not and I don't know what you're after,' Edith protested beating a monogrammed pillow edged with lace between the palms of her two hands. But Kate made no reply and Edith apparently did not want to leave the matter for she tried again.
'When all's said and done love it's not as if Albert was suspected. That's just Mr Raunce's way,' she said.
'What makes you give him a Mr?' Kate asked.
'Why he's got the position now surely?'
'But he's no different to what he was,' Kate objected.
'According to one way of takin' it he's not,' Edith said, 'but whichever way we regard him he sees himself the butler.'
'O.K. if that's how you look at it.'
'Now Kate what's come over you? You wouldn't wish to spite him surely?'
'Listen,' Kate said, 'it don't matter to me what he thinks we think. All he'll be to me is Charley same as he always has been.'
'All right,' said Edith, 'I'll call him Charley and drop the mister.'
'And blush right in 'is face?'
'Kate Armstrong I'm surprised.'
'You can be surprised all right. I should worry. No I'm disappointed in you Edie, I am that.'
They stood on either side of the bed looking at each other.
'Then you do think I should never have kept silent. What you say is I should have talked up at the first go off when Mrs Welch came in at teatime?' Edith spoke as though she had been running but Kate only smiled. Kate said,
'I wouldn't play the innocent if I was you, not with me. It don't come off and that's a fact.'
'Then what you're gettin' at, without you're having what it takes to tell, what you're tryin' to say is you think I'm after 'im when he's something to you? Is that right?'
'Christ 'e's nothing to me. Charley Raunce? I'd sooner be dead.'
'I'll bet you'd sooner be dead.'
'What d'you insinuate by that Edie? I don't have to tell you you can go so far and no farther where I'm concerned thank you.'
'All right then I'll learn you something,' Edith said and she panted and panted. 'I love Charley Raunce I love 'im I love 'im so there. I could open the veins of my right arm for that man,' she said, turned her back on Kate, walked out and left her.
'You needn't have told me. I knew, don't worry,' Kate said to the now empty room, but with a sort of satisfaction as it seemed in pain.
On the 18th Mrs Tennant left for England and Belchester. That same evening Captain Davenport dined at the Castle alone with Mrs Jack who had instructed Raunce that he need not wait up to see the Captain out.
There was nothing unusual in this to draw comment, and next morning Edith was rubbing her face, yawning like a child when it was time to call the lady. She gently knocked. She got no reply but then she never did. When she went in after knocking a second time the curtains which Miss Burch had already drawn back in the passage outside let sufficient light for Edith to see her way across the room. But she went soft, cautious so as not to stumble against the gold oar that stood out from the bed. Then she drew those curtains. She folded the shutters back into the wall. And Edith looked out on the morning, the soft bright morning that struck her dazzled dazzling eyes.
A movement over in the bed attracted her attention. She turned slow. She saw a quick stir beside the curls under which Mrs Jack's head lay asleep, she caught sight of someone else's hair as well, and it was retreating beneath silk sheets. A man. Her heart hammered fit to burst her veins. She gave a little gasp.
Then the dark head was altogether gone. But there were two humps of body, turf over graves under those pink bedclothes. And it was at this moment Mrs Jack jumped as if she had been pinched. Not properly awake she sat straight up. She was nude. Then no doubt remembering she said very quick, 'Oh Edith it's you it's quite all right I'll ring.' On which she must have recognized that she was naked With a sort of cry and crossing her lovely arms over that great
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