Sister of the Housemaster by Eleanor Farnes Page A

began making frantic signs to him that he could get out of it, but he turned his back on her, and went on talking. “ Tomorrow? Not until late afternoon. I ’ m afraid ... Oh yes? ... It didn ’ t matter at all . As a matter o f fact, she sent them to me. Yes. Yes. Until tomorrow then ... Good bye. ”
    “ You see, ” said Ingrid, “ you needn ’ t have had dinner alone after all. ”
    “ I didn ’ t know that. ”
    “ It isn ’ t too late now. I don ’ t mind at all. ”
    “ I do, ” said Patrick. “ Let us go. ”
    Ingrid was sure it was Pamela who had telephoned, and that she had referred to the matter of the cuff links; but, in that case, why had Patrick been so summary? Why had he stuck to the last-minute engagement with herself? Pur e politeness, she supposed.
    They went to a quiet and beautiful restaurant, very full, which Patrick said he liked because the chairs were so comfortable, and “ when I am going to spend hours talking to somebody over dinner, I like the chair s to be good as well as the food. ” Ingrid, wondering what they could possibly talk about for hours, swept along on the current of events, interested and surprised, sat opposite him at the small table, and allowed him to choose an ambrosial meal.
    “ Now, ” he said, “ talk to me. Tell me all the news. How is Sylvia ?”
    “ Improving a little all the time. The doctor is pleased with her. Her leg is really healing now. ”
    “ And Arnold? ”
    “ The same as always. Arnold doesn ’ t change. ”
    “ And everything goes on as usual in your Cathedral backwater? ”
    “ I think everything goes on much as usual, but I certainly shouldn ’ t call it a backwater. ”
    “ No? What would you call it? ”
    “ And I think, ” said Ingrid, as if he had not spoken, “ that you ate very short-sighted to call it a backwater. ”
    “ Now tell me why. ”
    “ Because it is — the school, I mean, not the Cathedral, but you also really meant the school a place where something is being built all the time, just as your aircraft factories are. Aircraft, of course, are comparatively new, and so there is a great fuss and ballyhoo over new ones; and I daresay your factory is a great busy place, full of noise, full of bustle, and activity; and everybody is acutely aware of being part of these modern times. And you sit apart, in a sacrosanct atmosphere, giving thousands of people the ideas to work on. And when all is done, you have pr o duced a beautiful thing, but an inanimate thing, a thing of metal and wires with no independent life of its own ... Now Arnold — and Laurence —help to ru n a factory too, but quite a different kind. They are helping to build character. They take raw material, and by education and precept and example, they create something too; but because it has been going on for hundreds of years, there isn ’ t any ballyhoo about it Arnold, especially, puts all o f himself into building, and when he is done, the beautiful thing he has created h a s got an independent life of its o wn . In fact, it is Arnold ’ s creation that will probably be the person to get the most out of your creation; Arnold ’ s that will be the master of yours ... Well, you told me to talk. I certainly ha ve talked. But you see, you shouldn ’ t have called his job a backwater. ”
    “ How loyally you spring to his defence. I wish I had somebody to spring as loyally to mine .”
    “ He doesn ’ t need a defence. ”
    “ But you supplied one — and for Laurence, too, of course. All right, Ingrid, I apologize. I don ’ t want to quarrel this evening. It was stupid to ca ll the school a backwater; but what you should have realized was that it was a lazy way of appreciating the peace and serenity of all those old stone buildings, and the Cathedral. ”
    “ I believe you ’ re just wriggling out, but I won ’ t quarrel. ”
    “ That ’ s a good girl. You do love taking me down a peg or two, and I can ’ t imagine why. You look so