up for a visit indulged in either high jinks or childish games at the Club-house in the evenings; but when one is in the middle teens one is still constantly learning unexpected things about the behaviour of grownups, so I made no comment.
For a moment we remained silent, just smiling inanely at one another, then he said: ‘Lesh go into th’ sitting-room—have a drink.’
He had obviously had far more than he could carry already, but it was not my place to tell him so. Accordingly I stood aside and he lurched through the doorway. There were whisky, glasses and a syphon on a small side-table. Swaying slightly, he walked over to it and, with a deliberation that did not prevent him spilling some of the stuff, mixed himself a stiff peg.
Having gulped half of it, he muttered: ‘Tha’s better,’ then relapsed into another longish silence, during which he stared at the carpet.
At length he looked up and asked: ‘What you doin’ here thish time-o’-night? Wash game, old man?’
I had no intention of discussing the matter uppermost in my mind with Uncle Paul while he was in that condition; so I simply said: ‘I knew you and Julia were arriving this evening, so I thought I would slip over and see you. While I was waiting for you to come in I fell asleep in front of the fire.’
‘I shee,’ he nodded ponderously. ‘I shee. Well, here’s all th’ besht,’ and he swallowed the rest of his drink.
A moment later Julia came hurrying in. She had changed into a dressing-gown, and evidently done her best to put her face to rights; but I was much more shocked by her appearance than I had been by that of Uncle Paul.
Her dark eyes looked bigger than I had ever seen them, and her face was dead-white, so that the patches of fresh rouge stood out on her cheeks like the dabs of paint on those of a Dutch doll. Her full red lips were swollen excessively and broken in places, as though they had been savagely bitten, and a heavy coating of powder failed to hide an ugly scratch that ran from beneath her left ear right down across her throat.
‘Good Lord! What on earth has been happening to you?’ I exclaimed in alarm.
She did not kiss me, but bent her head and laid her icy cheek against mine for a second; then she said:
‘Toby, darling; don’t be upset. I’m quite all right, but we’ve had a frightful time tonight. Has Paul told you about it?’
‘Only that you had been hitting it up at a party,’ I muttered, ‘and that you played kiss-in-the-ring.’
‘Paul!’ she said sharply, turning to her husband. ‘Get up at once, and go to bed.’
My uncle had lowered himself into an armchair and closed his eyes; he was already half asleep. At the sound of her voice he blinked, lumbered to his feet, and with a vague wave of his hand by way of good night, walked unsteadily out of the room.
‘I’ve never seen him as tight as that before,’ I said, as he jerked the door to behind him.
‘No, thank goodness,’ Julia agreed, with a sigh. ‘He doesn’t often get really stinking. It’s a mercy, though, that he didn’t kill the two of us tonight. If I’d realised now far gone he was, I would never have let him drive the car.’
‘You had a smash, then?’
‘Of course! How else do you think I came to get my face in such a mess?’
‘I thought you had been down at the Club all this time.’
‘If Paul gave you that impression you must have misunderstood him. He is in no state to know what he is saying. We had a few drinks at the Club before we started, and by now he’s probably forgotten most of what happened after that.’
‘Oh, you poor darling!’ I cried, taking her hand. ‘Are you quite sure that you’re not badly hurt?’
She shook her head. ‘No. I’m all right. He drove us into a ditch, and when I was thrown sideways I hit my mouth against something. I’ve got a few bruises, but nothing to worry about.’ Drawing me down on to the settee beside her, she went on:
‘As we’re coming up here, Paul
For a moment we remained silent, just smiling inanely at one another, then he said: ‘Lesh go into th’ sitting-room—have a drink.’
He had obviously had far more than he could carry already, but it was not my place to tell him so. Accordingly I stood aside and he lurched through the doorway. There were whisky, glasses and a syphon on a small side-table. Swaying slightly, he walked over to it and, with a deliberation that did not prevent him spilling some of the stuff, mixed himself a stiff peg.
Having gulped half of it, he muttered: ‘Tha’s better,’ then relapsed into another longish silence, during which he stared at the carpet.
At length he looked up and asked: ‘What you doin’ here thish time-o’-night? Wash game, old man?’
I had no intention of discussing the matter uppermost in my mind with Uncle Paul while he was in that condition; so I simply said: ‘I knew you and Julia were arriving this evening, so I thought I would slip over and see you. While I was waiting for you to come in I fell asleep in front of the fire.’
‘I shee,’ he nodded ponderously. ‘I shee. Well, here’s all th’ besht,’ and he swallowed the rest of his drink.
A moment later Julia came hurrying in. She had changed into a dressing-gown, and evidently done her best to put her face to rights; but I was much more shocked by her appearance than I had been by that of Uncle Paul.
Her dark eyes looked bigger than I had ever seen them, and her face was dead-white, so that the patches of fresh rouge stood out on her cheeks like the dabs of paint on those of a Dutch doll. Her full red lips were swollen excessively and broken in places, as though they had been savagely bitten, and a heavy coating of powder failed to hide an ugly scratch that ran from beneath her left ear right down across her throat.
‘Good Lord! What on earth has been happening to you?’ I exclaimed in alarm.
She did not kiss me, but bent her head and laid her icy cheek against mine for a second; then she said:
‘Toby, darling; don’t be upset. I’m quite all right, but we’ve had a frightful time tonight. Has Paul told you about it?’
‘Only that you had been hitting it up at a party,’ I muttered, ‘and that you played kiss-in-the-ring.’
‘Paul!’ she said sharply, turning to her husband. ‘Get up at once, and go to bed.’
My uncle had lowered himself into an armchair and closed his eyes; he was already half asleep. At the sound of her voice he blinked, lumbered to his feet, and with a vague wave of his hand by way of good night, walked unsteadily out of the room.
‘I’ve never seen him as tight as that before,’ I said, as he jerked the door to behind him.
‘No, thank goodness,’ Julia agreed, with a sigh. ‘He doesn’t often get really stinking. It’s a mercy, though, that he didn’t kill the two of us tonight. If I’d realised now far gone he was, I would never have let him drive the car.’
‘You had a smash, then?’
‘Of course! How else do you think I came to get my face in such a mess?’
‘I thought you had been down at the Club all this time.’
‘If Paul gave you that impression you must have misunderstood him. He is in no state to know what he is saying. We had a few drinks at the Club before we started, and by now he’s probably forgotten most of what happened after that.’
‘Oh, you poor darling!’ I cried, taking her hand. ‘Are you quite sure that you’re not badly hurt?’
She shook her head. ‘No. I’m all right. He drove us into a ditch, and when I was thrown sideways I hit my mouth against something. I’ve got a few bruises, but nothing to worry about.’ Drawing me down on to the settee beside her, she went on:
‘As we’re coming up here, Paul
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