Henry Green - Loving

'And what about their afternoons off?' Mr Raunce enquired.

'What I always insist is that if you can't trust your girls,' Miss Burch replied, 'you might as soon give in your notice and go find yourself another place.' She turned to Edith. 'Now you never speak to none of the natives when you get outside?'

'Oh no Miss Burch,' they both replied, mum about Patrick with his fine set of teeth.

That's right,' Raunce told them. 'You can't be too careful. There's a war on,' he said.

'Are you in a draught?' Edith asked him tenderly. 'You don't want to take risks.' And Kate looked as though she might start a giggle any minute.

'There is a draught,' Raunce answered grave. There's a draught in every corner of this room which is a danger to sit in.'

'Move over to the other side then,' Miss Burch suggested.

'Thank you,' he said, 'but it's the same whichever side you are. I don't know,' he went on, 'but with them away now I feel responsible.'

'And what about the Jerries?' Kate put in suddenly. 'What if they come over tell me that?'

'Kate Armstrong,' Edith cried, 'why I asked you that selfsame question not so long since and you said they were ordinary working folk same as us so wouldn't offer no incivilities.'

'And I'm not saying they would,' Kate answered, 'not that sort and kind. But it might go hard for a young girl in the first week perhaps.'

'Mercy on us you don't want to talk like that,' Miss Burch said. 'You think of nothing but men, there's the trouble. Though if it did happen it would naturally be the same for the older women. They're famished like a lion out in the desert them fighting men,' she announced.

'For land's sake,' Edith began but Paddy started to mouth something. It was so seldom he spoke at meals that all listened.

'What's he say?' Raunce asked when the lampman was done.

'He reckons the I. R. A. would see to the Jerries,' Kate translated.

'Holy smoke but he'll be getting me annoyed in a minute. First he says there aren't none then 'e pretends they can sort out a panzer division. What with? Bows and arrows?'

Paddy muttered a bit.

'He says,' and Kate gave a laugh, 'they got more'n pikes like those Home Guard over at home.'

'If you can snigger at that you would laugh over anything my gel,' Raunce announced with signs of temper. 'Why you've only to go down in Kinalty and see yourself. Every other house burned right out. Once they got started they'd be so occupied fightin' each other they'd never notice Jerry was in the hamlet even.'

Paddy gave a great braying laugh.

'Laugh?' Raunce shouted and sprang up. All except for Miss Burch wilted and his lad's jaw dropped. 'You would would you?' he went on but the lampman had returned to wooden silence and Raunce subsided back into his seat again. 'Well,' he went on, 'if it should ever come to it there's guns and ammo in the gunroom.'

Edith gave a cry and Kate looked serious. But Miss Burch displayed impatience.

'Whatever's come over you?' she asked. 'You're never thinking you could knock down one of the Mark something tanks as you would a rabbit with one of those shot guns they've got locked up here,' she said.

'What I had in mind was a cartridge each for you ladies,' he replied in a low voice. Utterly serious he was.

'Would you spare one for Mrs Welch?' Miss Burch enquired tart and Kate let out a yell of laughter. Edith laughed also and after a minute Raunce himself joined in shamefaced. Paddy stayed impassive.

'You want to go delicate you know,' Miss Burch went on, 'you've no game licence.'

'You mean you wouldn't hesitate…?' Edith began to ask him seriously but Charley interrupted her.

'I'd like to see 'em up in Dublin issue a permit over Mrs Welch as they do with the salmon trout,' he said to Miss Burch. At this they all laughed once more when Kate broke in with, 'Speakin' for myself I'd rather have the Jerry.'

'Under 'er bed,' Raunce made comment and even Miss Burch tee-hee'd wholehearted.

There's the telephone,' Raunce announced. Bert got up to answer it away in the pantry.

Miss Burch fixed a stern eye on Kate so much as to say a minute or so ago just now you were about to be actually coarse.

'Well I don't aim to be shot dead. On no account I don't.' the girl explained.

There's worse things than death my girl,' Miss Burch repeated. 'As anyone can tell you who remembers the last war.'

'I saw in the papers they behave themselves most correct towards the French people,' Edith said, still looking at Charley.

'What can you believe in these Irish rags?' Raunce asked.

'Well, there's one thing,' Miss Burch told him, 'they're neutral enough, they print what both sides say against one another.'

'Ah,' said Raunce, 'that's nothing but propaganda these days. It's human nature you've got to keep count of. Why it stands to reason with an invadin' army…' he was going on as Edith watched him open eyed when Albert came back.

'It was a wire for you,' he said to Raunce.

'Where is it then?' this man asked.

'Well there ain't no telegram,' was the answer he got. They read it out over the phone.'

'Ow many times have I told you never to take nothin' over that instrument without you write it down,' Raunce demanded in rising tones. 'Why I remember once at a place I was in, that very thing occasioned the death of a certain Mrs Harris. There you are. Killed her it did as if she had been blown in smithereens with a shotgun.'

'Go on,' the boy said respectful.

'Don't give me no go ons,' Raunce almost shouted at him. 'D'you know what you're about?'

'Yes Mr Raunce.'

'All right then.' The authority Raunce seemed to have acquired since Mr Eldon's death must have impressed them all. Even Kate gave him earnest attention. 'Now,' he went on, 'take your time. Don't rush it. What did the thing say?'

'Staying on for a few days Tennant, Mr Raunce.'

'Ho,' said Raunce, 'stayin' on a few days eh? That would be Mrs Tennant then. Mrs Jack she signs herself different. Staying over eh? Leavin' us to face the music that's about the long and short of it.'

'D'you consider there's something likely to occur then?' Edith asked.

'I feel responsible,' he replied.

'For two pins I'd give in my notice,' Kate told them.

'How would you do that?' Edith enquired, 'when they aren't here?'

'Why I'd send it by post or I'd put it on a post card if I was in the mood,' the girl answered and there was a pause. 'I'm game if you are Edie,' Kate added, giving Edith a look that seemed highly inquisitive. But long before she could get an answer Charley was speaking, had so to speak thrown himself into a breach to stop the rot.

'Here,' he cried, 'what's all this, tell me that, what is it? I know the name it could be given, runnin' away, that's two words for it make no mistake. We're British aren't we? Turn tail and flee?' he asked in a loud voice. He glanced in menacing fashion at the lamp-man.

'Is it running away to get back to your own country to lend a hand?' Miss Burch enquired almost with amusement.

'And block the roads getting there?' Raunce asked.

'Why certainly,' she said, 'and block the roads, why not? If it's in the path of the enemy,' she said.

'But suppose they wished to evacuate the Governor General? Or the gold in the Bank of Ireland?' Raunce objected.

Paddy murmured something.

'There 'e goes again,' Raunce said and looked at Kate. 'What is it this time?'

'He says the Governor General is an Irishman an' would never go to England.'

That's a bloody lie,' Raunce announced with finality. 'There's always been a Britisher in that job. Excuse me,' he added to Miss Burch, 'I seem to have forgot myself. Well what d'you know?' he went on. There's that telephone again.' Bert left the room. This time they kept uneasy silence till he returned.