little bar with the smell of that dark English beer. The doctor was just the other side of a partition, asking somebody to hold their breath and then let it out slow. We could hear every word that was said.
Kath said, ‘That's Thad Chaplin in there now. His mother had nine girls. Just kept on going till she got Thad. Can't think why. He's always had a bad chest.’
I kept my head in my book. I figured that was my best hope of Kath falling silent.
‘What you here for, Lilian?’ she said. But Lilian didn't seem like she wanted to tell.
‘Makes no difference,’ Kath whispered to me. ‘We shall hear soon enough.’
‘Kath,’ I said, ‘I'll be right outside when you're done.’
27
She was happy, driving home with all the windows down. The doctor had given her muscle rub for where she claimed she had a stiff neck.
‘We've got the National Health now, you know,’ she said. ‘We don't have to pay. We can be poorly as ‘often as we like now.’
I said, ‘The doctor give you anything reduce the size of your ears?’
She laughed. ‘Why,’ she said, ‘that's a good morning out. Nice little drive. Get a bit of gossip. Lilian's got trouble with her waterworks. Hilda's got ulcerated veins. I tell you what, when you go back home to Yankeeland, I shall have, to walk down there.’
The door to the house was open. It usually Was.
‘This heat,’ she said. ‘I don't know about you, but I'm parched. Come on in. I've got a bottle of dandelion-and-burdock fizzy pop or Tizer.’
Something was wrong. The oilcloth was pulled halfway off the table and the teapot and a cup lay smashed on the floor. There was no sign of Lois.
‘Now what?’ she said. ‘John Pharaoh! Now what have you gone and done? Look at my teapot. That's in pieces. Look at it, Peg. That's in smithereens. I'll have his hide.’
She must have heard something outside because she turned on her heel and pushed past me. I followed her, round the other side of the house, where he kept his traps, and there they were. Lois, with that high colour she got so easy. He had her pinned up against the back wall, looked like some kinda spear he had in his hands, evil-looking prongs on the end, pressing right up against her belly.
His head was jerking around, spittle flying outta his mouth, and Lois had her eyes closed. I believe she was preparing to meet her maker.
Kath grabbed John from behind, pulled him off balance. Then she pushed him away from Lois with the shaft of the spear.
‘Drop that now, John Pharaoh,’ she said. ‘Drop it or I'll give you what for.’ She had gotten herself between him and Lois. ‘Get her out of here,’ she said to me. ‘Now leave go of this glave, John. Leave go of it. You don't behave yourself, you'll have to be took away and locked up.’
Lois ran for the car. ‘That's right,’ Kath called after her. ‘You clear off out of here. You must have done something, get him all worked up like this.’
He'd allowed her to take the spear outta his hands, but he still had a wild-eyed look about him. I didn't want to leave her there alone with him, but I sure didn't want to stay neither.
I said, ‘Kath?’
‘Just get her out of my sight,’ she said. ‘Go on. Clear off, the both of you.’
Last thing I saw as I looked back was Kath pushing John into the house. She had the eel-glave in her hand. She looked like she was in charge. His head was down and he had a kinda defeated look about him. Except for his hands. I could see them, twitching, twitching.
I drove back to Drampton. Lois didn't speak. Neither did I. I felt sick to my heart. I didn't even look at her till we were parked outside Betty's.
‘Pair of throwbacks,’ she said. ‘My God, what a pair!’ She was pretending to laugh it off, but she was shaken, I could tell.
I said, ‘You should never have gone there. You knew he might show up.’
Crystal come running out with Deana Gillis. ‘We made a Farewell for you,’ she said to Lo. ‘We made cake and
Kath said, ‘That's Thad Chaplin in there now. His mother had nine girls. Just kept on going till she got Thad. Can't think why. He's always had a bad chest.’
I kept my head in my book. I figured that was my best hope of Kath falling silent.
‘What you here for, Lilian?’ she said. But Lilian didn't seem like she wanted to tell.
‘Makes no difference,’ Kath whispered to me. ‘We shall hear soon enough.’
‘Kath,’ I said, ‘I'll be right outside when you're done.’
27
She was happy, driving home with all the windows down. The doctor had given her muscle rub for where she claimed she had a stiff neck.
‘We've got the National Health now, you know,’ she said. ‘We don't have to pay. We can be poorly as ‘often as we like now.’
I said, ‘The doctor give you anything reduce the size of your ears?’
She laughed. ‘Why,’ she said, ‘that's a good morning out. Nice little drive. Get a bit of gossip. Lilian's got trouble with her waterworks. Hilda's got ulcerated veins. I tell you what, when you go back home to Yankeeland, I shall have, to walk down there.’
The door to the house was open. It usually Was.
‘This heat,’ she said. ‘I don't know about you, but I'm parched. Come on in. I've got a bottle of dandelion-and-burdock fizzy pop or Tizer.’
Something was wrong. The oilcloth was pulled halfway off the table and the teapot and a cup lay smashed on the floor. There was no sign of Lois.
‘Now what?’ she said. ‘John Pharaoh! Now what have you gone and done? Look at my teapot. That's in pieces. Look at it, Peg. That's in smithereens. I'll have his hide.’
She must have heard something outside because she turned on her heel and pushed past me. I followed her, round the other side of the house, where he kept his traps, and there they were. Lois, with that high colour she got so easy. He had her pinned up against the back wall, looked like some kinda spear he had in his hands, evil-looking prongs on the end, pressing right up against her belly.
His head was jerking around, spittle flying outta his mouth, and Lois had her eyes closed. I believe she was preparing to meet her maker.
Kath grabbed John from behind, pulled him off balance. Then she pushed him away from Lois with the shaft of the spear.
‘Drop that now, John Pharaoh,’ she said. ‘Drop it or I'll give you what for.’ She had gotten herself between him and Lois. ‘Get her out of here,’ she said to me. ‘Now leave go of this glave, John. Leave go of it. You don't behave yourself, you'll have to be took away and locked up.’
Lois ran for the car. ‘That's right,’ Kath called after her. ‘You clear off out of here. You must have done something, get him all worked up like this.’
He'd allowed her to take the spear outta his hands, but he still had a wild-eyed look about him. I didn't want to leave her there alone with him, but I sure didn't want to stay neither.
I said, ‘Kath?’
‘Just get her out of my sight,’ she said. ‘Go on. Clear off, the both of you.’
Last thing I saw as I looked back was Kath pushing John into the house. She had the eel-glave in her hand. She looked like she was in charge. His head was down and he had a kinda defeated look about him. Except for his hands. I could see them, twitching, twitching.
I drove back to Drampton. Lois didn't speak. Neither did I. I felt sick to my heart. I didn't even look at her till we were parked outside Betty's.
‘Pair of throwbacks,’ she said. ‘My God, what a pair!’ She was pretending to laugh it off, but she was shaken, I could tell.
I said, ‘You should never have gone there. You knew he might show up.’
Crystal come running out with Deana Gillis. ‘We made a Farewell for you,’ she said to Lo. ‘We made cake and
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