the town, and I don’t want to be away too long. My mother’s on her own.’
‘Then couldn’t we go and see your mother?’ she asked, just as eagerly. ‘I like her so much.’
‘I didn’t know you knew her. But that’s fine.’ To be able to kill two birds with one stone was David’s idea of luck. ‘WimpyBar another day,’ he said. ‘The car’s outside. Get moving. Run and change your dress.’
Cressy had no intention of appearing before Midge in Quayne clothes, shabby as her shop-bought dress was. ‘I haven’t another,’ she explained. ‘I think this will dry quite quickly, though.’
She stood before Midge’s bright, crackling fire, and held out her steaming skirt. ‘My dreams have come true,’ she said, looking round the room. She had made up pictures in her mind of such a room, full of pretty things, and nothing hand-woven in it.
‘I’m sure you’ll think it very odd,’ she told Midge, ‘but I had never seen coal burning before I went to live at the shop. At school, we only had radiators, and at home we just have wood, and it usually seems to be damp and won’t get going at all; then it suddenly flares up for a minute or two. Even in the pub, they have that electric thing with imitation coal. My father and Father Daughtry make speeches about it, but they make speeches about everything – the price of the Guinness and not having proper draught beer. And frozen food. They all go on about
that
at Quayne. Well, I don’t agree. I bought a little packet of peas, and thought they were the nicest I ever had in my life. And no trouble, and no maggots.’ Her skirt seemed to have dried, and she looked about in contentment. ‘So you just live here together? How nice that must be. I hear your husband left you,’ she said in a polite tone to Midge.
‘Yes, he upped and went.’
‘What would you like to drink?’ David asked Cressy.
‘I’d very much like a cocktail, please,’ she said airily. David looked gravely at Midge, who was bringing him some glasses. They did not smile.
Midge was enjoying her evening. The girl’s naiveté drew theolder ones close together in complicity. They shared her, and quite delighted in her. They really could hardly believe in her.
‘And you have a television set,’ she said wonderingly.
Midge thought it spoilt the room and it was half hidden in a corner behind an étagère with pots of fern and white cyclamen.
‘I’ve seen it in shop windows,’ Cressy said. ‘My grandfather was on it once. But he always said “I appear on it, but I don’t have it”.’
She seemed so happy, sipping her drink, enjoying the heat of the coal fire; but, once, she sighed sharply, looking at David with frightened eyes, suddenly remembering.
‘Don’t let it spoil your evening,’ he said. ‘I shall do all the explaining for you. I promise it will be all right.’
‘I shouldn’t
bother
to explain,’ said Midge, who had been told the story. ‘There’s no harm done. Why drag it up?’
‘But the drink I wasted,’ Cressy said. ‘It’s so terribly expensive.’
‘That won’t worry
them
. They’re all right.’
Cressy turned questioningly to David. ‘Rather my own sentiments, I must confess,’ he said.
‘Then if you two say so, I am sure it is right,’ Cressy said in a relieved voice. ‘I shall just enjoy this beautiful cocktail and forget it.’
As it was Sunday evening, Midge said that they would have supper by the fire. There was a creamy dish of braised kidneys, a cheese in a little wooden box, and a plate of figs arranged on vine-leaves. They drank claret, and she told them about the Monsignors. She told them a great deal about Quayne, chattering happily, with colour in her cheeks. Midge was deeply interested.
When it was time for David to take Cressy home, Midge went out to the door with them. ‘Oh, it is almost winter,’ she said, standing in the porch, shivering. ‘You must be frozen,child.’ She touched Cressy’s bare arm. ‘Come again,
‘Then couldn’t we go and see your mother?’ she asked, just as eagerly. ‘I like her so much.’
‘I didn’t know you knew her. But that’s fine.’ To be able to kill two birds with one stone was David’s idea of luck. ‘WimpyBar another day,’ he said. ‘The car’s outside. Get moving. Run and change your dress.’
Cressy had no intention of appearing before Midge in Quayne clothes, shabby as her shop-bought dress was. ‘I haven’t another,’ she explained. ‘I think this will dry quite quickly, though.’
She stood before Midge’s bright, crackling fire, and held out her steaming skirt. ‘My dreams have come true,’ she said, looking round the room. She had made up pictures in her mind of such a room, full of pretty things, and nothing hand-woven in it.
‘I’m sure you’ll think it very odd,’ she told Midge, ‘but I had never seen coal burning before I went to live at the shop. At school, we only had radiators, and at home we just have wood, and it usually seems to be damp and won’t get going at all; then it suddenly flares up for a minute or two. Even in the pub, they have that electric thing with imitation coal. My father and Father Daughtry make speeches about it, but they make speeches about everything – the price of the Guinness and not having proper draught beer. And frozen food. They all go on about
that
at Quayne. Well, I don’t agree. I bought a little packet of peas, and thought they were the nicest I ever had in my life. And no trouble, and no maggots.’ Her skirt seemed to have dried, and she looked about in contentment. ‘So you just live here together? How nice that must be. I hear your husband left you,’ she said in a polite tone to Midge.
‘Yes, he upped and went.’
‘What would you like to drink?’ David asked Cressy.
‘I’d very much like a cocktail, please,’ she said airily. David looked gravely at Midge, who was bringing him some glasses. They did not smile.
Midge was enjoying her evening. The girl’s naiveté drew theolder ones close together in complicity. They shared her, and quite delighted in her. They really could hardly believe in her.
‘And you have a television set,’ she said wonderingly.
Midge thought it spoilt the room and it was half hidden in a corner behind an étagère with pots of fern and white cyclamen.
‘I’ve seen it in shop windows,’ Cressy said. ‘My grandfather was on it once. But he always said “I appear on it, but I don’t have it”.’
She seemed so happy, sipping her drink, enjoying the heat of the coal fire; but, once, she sighed sharply, looking at David with frightened eyes, suddenly remembering.
‘Don’t let it spoil your evening,’ he said. ‘I shall do all the explaining for you. I promise it will be all right.’
‘I shouldn’t
bother
to explain,’ said Midge, who had been told the story. ‘There’s no harm done. Why drag it up?’
‘But the drink I wasted,’ Cressy said. ‘It’s so terribly expensive.’
‘That won’t worry
them
. They’re all right.’
Cressy turned questioningly to David. ‘Rather my own sentiments, I must confess,’ he said.
‘Then if you two say so, I am sure it is right,’ Cressy said in a relieved voice. ‘I shall just enjoy this beautiful cocktail and forget it.’
As it was Sunday evening, Midge said that they would have supper by the fire. There was a creamy dish of braised kidneys, a cheese in a little wooden box, and a plate of figs arranged on vine-leaves. They drank claret, and she told them about the Monsignors. She told them a great deal about Quayne, chattering happily, with colour in her cheeks. Midge was deeply interested.
When it was time for David to take Cressy home, Midge went out to the door with them. ‘Oh, it is almost winter,’ she said, standing in the porch, shivering. ‘You must be frozen,child.’ She touched Cressy’s bare arm. ‘Come again,
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