Will, don’t be so bloody silly. He doesn’t leave messages. He’s six years old.’
‘I’m sure I left messages when I was six and I wasn’t nearly so clever as Rupert.’
‘Will, we are talking about my baby.’ (I suppressed recall of the song of that name by the Four Tops.) ‘Look, I’m coming round straight away.’
‘OK. Or give it a minute or two. We haven’t really had a chance for a little chat yet.’ I was aware that Rupert had entered the room.
‘Are you talking to Mummy?’ he said, with a solemn look on his face. I nodded as I carried on listening to Philippa, and winked at him. I sat on the edge of the bed and he came and leant beside me and slipped his arm around my back.
‘You can have a little chat with him any time you like,’ his mother asserted. ‘It’s gone nine o’clock—it’s way past his bedtime. We were supposed to be going to the Salmons for supper—I had to ring and say there was this crisis, we couldn’t come. It’s just ruined everything.’
‘I’ll bring him over if you like,’ I offered, the problem of Arthur and visitors suddenly surfacing in my mind.
‘No, that would take far too long. I’ll come in the car.’ She put down the receiver as I was about to make another suggestion.
‘Is Mummy coming round here?’ asked Rupert, his expression an intriguing transition between petulance and relief.
‘She’ll be round in a minute,’ I confirmed. And it would not be very much more than that. I walked abstractedly towards the door. He trotted round, looking up at me.
‘Was she frightfully cross?’ he asked.
‘I’m afraid she was a bit, old chap.’ I made a plan. ‘Look, you can keep a secret, can’t you?’
‘Of course I can,’ he said, assuming a very responsible air.
‘Well, look. What time was it when you left home?’
‘About six o’clock.’
‘And what did you do then?’
‘First of all I went for a walk. A really long walk, actually, up that very steep path, you know—where the homosexuals go.’
‘Yes, indeed,’ I muttered.
‘And then down to the bottom where we went roller-skating that time. And then all the way round to the top again. And then’ (he raised his arm in the air to designate the main thrust of his campaign) ‘all the way down here. I rang the bell for quite some time, but I could see there was a light on, and
at last
that African boy came down.’
‘Did you tell him who you were?’
‘Naturally. I told him I had to come in and wait for you.’
‘Well the thing is, love, that that African chap, wants us to keep it a secret that he’s here. So what we’re going to do is hide him away when Mummy comes round, and pretend we’ve never seen him. All right?’
‘Quite all right by me,’ Rupert said. ‘Has he done something wrong, then?’
‘No, no,’ I laughed naturally. ‘But he doesn’t want his mother to know he’s here—just like you, really. So if we don’t tell anybody at all, then she’ll never find out.’
‘Good,’ said Rupert. He was clearly dissatisfied.
We went into the sitting-room. ‘I think it would be better if you stayed in the bedroom, darling,’ I said to Arthur. ‘This child’s mother is coming round. We’ve agreed to keep it all a secret.’ He left the room directly, and I heard him shut the bedroom door. ‘I expect Mummy will be here any moment,’ I said.
My nephew was determined and casual. ‘Can we go on looking at the pictures?’ he asked.
‘All right,’ I agreed. Then another thought struck me. ‘How long were you here before I arrived?’
‘I was here for about twenty minutes—before you arrived.’
‘Perhaps best to pretend to Mummy that I found you on the doorstep. Otherwise she’ll wonder how you got in—or why I didn’t ring her sooner.’
He looked at his large, rather adult watch. ‘Yes, that’s fine,’ he said. We sat down side by side, and I lifted the album on tomy knee. It was one of a set in which my grandfather had had all his
‘I’m sure I left messages when I was six and I wasn’t nearly so clever as Rupert.’
‘Will, we are talking about my baby.’ (I suppressed recall of the song of that name by the Four Tops.) ‘Look, I’m coming round straight away.’
‘OK. Or give it a minute or two. We haven’t really had a chance for a little chat yet.’ I was aware that Rupert had entered the room.
‘Are you talking to Mummy?’ he said, with a solemn look on his face. I nodded as I carried on listening to Philippa, and winked at him. I sat on the edge of the bed and he came and leant beside me and slipped his arm around my back.
‘You can have a little chat with him any time you like,’ his mother asserted. ‘It’s gone nine o’clock—it’s way past his bedtime. We were supposed to be going to the Salmons for supper—I had to ring and say there was this crisis, we couldn’t come. It’s just ruined everything.’
‘I’ll bring him over if you like,’ I offered, the problem of Arthur and visitors suddenly surfacing in my mind.
‘No, that would take far too long. I’ll come in the car.’ She put down the receiver as I was about to make another suggestion.
‘Is Mummy coming round here?’ asked Rupert, his expression an intriguing transition between petulance and relief.
‘She’ll be round in a minute,’ I confirmed. And it would not be very much more than that. I walked abstractedly towards the door. He trotted round, looking up at me.
‘Was she frightfully cross?’ he asked.
‘I’m afraid she was a bit, old chap.’ I made a plan. ‘Look, you can keep a secret, can’t you?’
‘Of course I can,’ he said, assuming a very responsible air.
‘Well, look. What time was it when you left home?’
‘About six o’clock.’
‘And what did you do then?’
‘First of all I went for a walk. A really long walk, actually, up that very steep path, you know—where the homosexuals go.’
‘Yes, indeed,’ I muttered.
‘And then down to the bottom where we went roller-skating that time. And then all the way round to the top again. And then’ (he raised his arm in the air to designate the main thrust of his campaign) ‘all the way down here. I rang the bell for quite some time, but I could see there was a light on, and
at last
that African boy came down.’
‘Did you tell him who you were?’
‘Naturally. I told him I had to come in and wait for you.’
‘Well the thing is, love, that that African chap, wants us to keep it a secret that he’s here. So what we’re going to do is hide him away when Mummy comes round, and pretend we’ve never seen him. All right?’
‘Quite all right by me,’ Rupert said. ‘Has he done something wrong, then?’
‘No, no,’ I laughed naturally. ‘But he doesn’t want his mother to know he’s here—just like you, really. So if we don’t tell anybody at all, then she’ll never find out.’
‘Good,’ said Rupert. He was clearly dissatisfied.
We went into the sitting-room. ‘I think it would be better if you stayed in the bedroom, darling,’ I said to Arthur. ‘This child’s mother is coming round. We’ve agreed to keep it all a secret.’ He left the room directly, and I heard him shut the bedroom door. ‘I expect Mummy will be here any moment,’ I said.
My nephew was determined and casual. ‘Can we go on looking at the pictures?’ he asked.
‘All right,’ I agreed. Then another thought struck me. ‘How long were you here before I arrived?’
‘I was here for about twenty minutes—before you arrived.’
‘Perhaps best to pretend to Mummy that I found you on the doorstep. Otherwise she’ll wonder how you got in—or why I didn’t ring her sooner.’
He looked at his large, rather adult watch. ‘Yes, that’s fine,’ he said. We sat down side by side, and I lifted the album on tomy knee. It was one of a set in which my grandfather had had all his
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