saying, "There you are, boyo! And what are you up to, eh? What are you up to?" She lifted
her hand and tickled him under the chin, and he caught her wrist and, laughing down at her, answered, "Looking for you."
"Liar! Isn't he a liar?" She
turned to her companions, and they laughed and said,
"Yes, yes, you are, Charlie MacFell, you're
a liar."
Charlie looked from one to the other of the laughing
faces. They were flushed, their eyes were bright. He
had the desire to kiss one after the other, just in fun, that was all, just in fun. The wine that was making their faces
bloom like roses before his eyes was also making him
feel gay enough to sip the dew from them, so he told
himself. He had drunk more tonight than he had ever done in his life before; he had never known Chapman to be so generous with his cellar.
"What are you all up to in here?" The voice
brought them round to face Victoria standing with the door in her hand, and Charlie stared over the heads of the three girls towards her. She looked beautiful. He
had thought so when he had first seen her tonight, but she had grown more so as the evening wore on. Oh yes, he
had told himself already that he was seeing her through the fumes of hot rum and old brandy, in Fact only
a short while ago he had warned himself that he
wouldn't be able to see her at all if he indulged
himself further,
She was standing in front of him now, She
was wearing a green velvet dress, her flesh
appearing to pour over the low cut neck like rising
cream. Her dark hair was piled high on her head,
and two strands had come loose in the dancing and were lying one on each of her cheeks.
"Come on, come on, you're going to dance this one with rne."
"Oh, Victoria! you know I'm no dancer."
"Leave him alone, our Vic, it's my party."
Nellie's voice was a hiss now, and he looked
from one to the other; then stretching his arms wide between them, he laughed with the two young girls who were convulsed with what they took to be a comic situation.
"What's on here?" Hal Chapman had joined
them in the passage, and Victoria's voice, still
holding laughter, said, "I want Charlie to dance with me and she's trying to stop him."
"Don't be silly, Nellie. Behave yourself!"
The slap that brought Nellie's hand from Charlie's
arm was almost in the nature of a blow and she winced and sprang back, and stood against the wall and watched
her father pushing her sister and Charlie through the door and into the hall.
"Did he hurt you?" One of the girls had
remained behind, and Nellie shook her head
vigorously, saying, "No, no. Go on, go on
in; I'll be with you in a minute, I'm just going to the toilet." On this she ran down the corridor,
past the door leading into the
hall and up the back stairs and into her bedroom.
Three times during the next hour Polly
scurried across the icy yard and into the dairy, but
Charlie did not come.
"What you keep going out to the netty for, you got diarrhoea?"
"Yes, a bit." Polly nodded at Lindy.
"What's given it you, you been dra*' the
glasses?"
Polly smiled weakly as she answered, "Aye,
a few," thinking as she did so, I'd be hard put
for a drink to drain glasses, I would that.
"Well, you missed a few "cos I've had a
lick at some. Eeh! the stuff that's been swilled
in there the night, you could launch a boat on it. The
boss must be in a generous mood, It's some party."
"Aye; but it isn't like a birthday party, it's not as Miss Nellie wanted it, I'm sure of that."
"No, you're right there; 'tis more like a wake or a weddin". . . . You off again?"
"Yes." Polly pressed her hand against
her stomach and, grabbing a cape from the back of the
door, she put it over her head, and ran out into the
yard once more; and as she did so
she saw the side door open and a dark figure show
up against the snow and make its way unsteadily
towards the dairy.
"That you, Charlie?"
"Yes, Polly. S . . . sorry I
couldn't get here before. Goin' mad in there."
her hand and tickled him under the chin, and he caught her wrist and, laughing down at her, answered, "Looking for you."
"Liar! Isn't he a liar?" She
turned to her companions, and they laughed and said,
"Yes, yes, you are, Charlie MacFell, you're
a liar."
Charlie looked from one to the other of the laughing
faces. They were flushed, their eyes were bright. He
had the desire to kiss one after the other, just in fun, that was all, just in fun. The wine that was making their faces
bloom like roses before his eyes was also making him
feel gay enough to sip the dew from them, so he told
himself. He had drunk more tonight than he had ever done in his life before; he had never known Chapman to be so generous with his cellar.
"What are you all up to in here?" The voice
brought them round to face Victoria standing with the door in her hand, and Charlie stared over the heads of the three girls towards her. She looked beautiful. He
had thought so when he had first seen her tonight, but she had grown more so as the evening wore on. Oh yes, he
had told himself already that he was seeing her through the fumes of hot rum and old brandy, in Fact only
a short while ago he had warned himself that he
wouldn't be able to see her at all if he indulged
himself further,
She was standing in front of him now, She
was wearing a green velvet dress, her flesh
appearing to pour over the low cut neck like rising
cream. Her dark hair was piled high on her head,
and two strands had come loose in the dancing and were lying one on each of her cheeks.
"Come on, come on, you're going to dance this one with rne."
"Oh, Victoria! you know I'm no dancer."
"Leave him alone, our Vic, it's my party."
Nellie's voice was a hiss now, and he looked
from one to the other; then stretching his arms wide between them, he laughed with the two young girls who were convulsed with what they took to be a comic situation.
"What's on here?" Hal Chapman had joined
them in the passage, and Victoria's voice, still
holding laughter, said, "I want Charlie to dance with me and she's trying to stop him."
"Don't be silly, Nellie. Behave yourself!"
The slap that brought Nellie's hand from Charlie's
arm was almost in the nature of a blow and she winced and sprang back, and stood against the wall and watched
her father pushing her sister and Charlie through the door and into the hall.
"Did he hurt you?" One of the girls had
remained behind, and Nellie shook her head
vigorously, saying, "No, no. Go on, go on
in; I'll be with you in a minute, I'm just going to the toilet." On this she ran down the corridor,
past the door leading into the
hall and up the back stairs and into her bedroom.
Three times during the next hour Polly
scurried across the icy yard and into the dairy, but
Charlie did not come.
"What you keep going out to the netty for, you got diarrhoea?"
"Yes, a bit." Polly nodded at Lindy.
"What's given it you, you been dra*' the
glasses?"
Polly smiled weakly as she answered, "Aye,
a few," thinking as she did so, I'd be hard put
for a drink to drain glasses, I would that.
"Well, you missed a few "cos I've had a
lick at some. Eeh! the stuff that's been swilled
in there the night, you could launch a boat on it. The
boss must be in a generous mood, It's some party."
"Aye; but it isn't like a birthday party, it's not as Miss Nellie wanted it, I'm sure of that."
"No, you're right there; 'tis more like a wake or a weddin". . . . You off again?"
"Yes." Polly pressed her hand against
her stomach and, grabbing a cape from the back of the
door, she put it over her head, and ran out into the
yard once more; and as she did so
she saw the side door open and a dark figure show
up against the snow and make its way unsteadily
towards the dairy.
"That you, Charlie?"
"Yes, Polly. S . . . sorry I
couldn't get here before. Goin' mad in there."
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