Henry Green - Loving

When there were guests to lunch the servants had theirs afterwards. So it was not until ten past two that Raunce sat down in Mr Eldon's chair. He carved savagely like a head-hunter. They ate what he gave them in haste, silent for a time. Then Charley thought to ask, 'That Captain Davenport? Now where would I have heard he seeks after treasure in a bog?' He got no answer.

'Do they dig for it,' he went on, 'or pry long sticks into the ground or what?' he mused aloud.

'Are you thinking you'll have a go?' Kate said.

'Now there was no cause to be pert my girl,' he said. 'Why goodness gracious me,' he remarked to Edith, 'whatever are you blushing for?'

She looked as though she was going to choke. If he had only known she was stricken by embarrassment. She knew very well that the last time the lady had been over to view the excavations Mrs Jack returned without her drawers. And it was with not a single word. They had vanished, there was not a trace. To turn it perhaps, she said to the lampman, 'What d'you know Paddy?'

'Why here we are sitting and we never thought of him,' Kate said. 'Come on now. You'd know Clancarty.'

He made no answer. But he laughed once, bent over his dish.

'Clancarty Paddy,' Kate tried again, 'Mr Raunce is asking you?'

Charley watched Edith. He said under his breath, 'it's funny the way she blushes but then she's only a kid.'

'Are they makin' a search?' Kate went on and she fixed her small eyes unwavering on Edith. The lampman made no reply. He seldom did.

Edith while she blushed hot was picturing that wet afternoon Mrs Jack had last been over to Clancarty. While Mrs T. and her daughter-in-law were on with their dinner Edith had been in the younger woman's room busily clearing up. She hung the thin coat and skirt of tweed which held the scent used, she put the folded web of shirt and stockings into drawers of rosewood. She laid the outdoor crocodile skin shoes ready to take down to Paddy. She tidied the towels then went to prepare that bed, boat-shaped black and gold with a gold oar at the foot. She moved softly gently as someone in devotion and handled the pink silk sheets like veils. The curtains were drawn. Then all that she had to do was done. Those oil lamps were lit. But she stuck a finger in her mouth, looked about as if she missed something. Then she searched, and faster. She had gone through everything that was put away faster and faster. When she was sure those drawers Mrs Jack had worn to go out were astray her great dark eyes had been hot to glowing.

'I'll wager they had everything of gold,' Raunce said, still on about the excavations.

'And wore silk on their legs,' said Edith, short of breath.

'Don't talk so silly,' Miss Burch took her up. They never put silk next to themselves in those days my girl. It wasn't discovered.'

'Did they have silk knickers then Paddy,' Kate asked giggling.

'I never heard such a thing,' Miss Burch replied. 'You'll oblige me by dropping the subject. Isn't it bad enough to have dinner late as it is,' she said. 'You just leave the poor man alone. You let him be.'

Bert spoke. The nursery never had much of theirs,' he said. 'I must've took back the better part of what I carried up."

'Oh dear,' cried Raunce in the high falsetto he put on whenever he referred to Nanny Swift.

'You should have seen 'er,' Bert added.

Both girls giggled softly while Charley still in falsetto asked whose face, holy smoke.

'Now that's quite enough of that,' Miss Burch said firm. There was a pause. 'I knew Mrs Welch had been upset,' she went on, 'and now I perceive why, not that I'm trying to excuse those potatoes she just gave us,' she said. All of them listened. She seemed almost to be in good humour. They were never cooked,' she added, 'and I do believe that's why they put salt on spuds,' looking at Paddy, 'but I'll say this, those precious peacocks of yours would have spurned 'em.'

Right to the last meal Mr Eldon had taken in this room it had been his part to speak, to wind up as it were, almost to leave the impress of a bishop on his flock. This may have been what led Charley to echo in a serious tone, 'Miss Swift is a difficult woman whilst she's up in her nursery. But she can be nice as you please outside.'

That's right,' Miss Burch said, 'and as I've often found, take someone out of their position in life and you find a different person altogether, yes.'

The two girls looked at one another, a waste of giggling behind their eyes again.

'But our potatoes this afternoon were not fit for the table,' Raunce said to Miss Burch.

Thank you Mr Raunce,' she replied. In this way for the first time she seemed to recognize his place.

'Well look sharp my lad,' he said to Bert. He appeared to ooze authority. 'Holy Moses see what time it is.'

He hastened out like a man who does not know how long his new found luck will hold. Also he had to make his first entry in the red notebook, to record the first tip. He put the date under Mrs Tancy's name, and then '3d'. 'Wonder what happened in that six months gap,' he murmured to himself about Mr Eldon's last date, 'she's been over to lunch many a time since and he'll have had the old dropsy out of her. He was losing grip not entering it, that's what,' he added aloud. Then he laid the books aside.

He first addressed an envelope. To Mrs William Raunce,' he wrote in pencil, '396 May Road Peterboro' Yorks ' and immediately afterwards traced this with a pen. Next he began on the letter, again in pencil.

'Dear Mother? he wrote without hesitating, 'I hope you are well. I am. Mr Eldon's funeral was last Tuesday. The floral tributes were grand. He will be sadly missed. At present I am doing his work and mine.1 am not getting any extra money which I have spoken of to Mrs Tennant. This war will make a big difference in every home.

'Mother I am very worried for you with the terrible bombing. Have you got a Anderson shelter yet? I ought to be over there with you Mother not here. But perhaps he will keep to London with his bombing. What will become of the old town.

'We are all in God's hands Mother dear. I am very perplexed with what is best to do whether to come over or stay. If I went away from here to be with you there would be the Labour Exchange and then the Army. They have not got to my age yet because I will be forty next June you remember. But I'm thinking they shall Mother and sooner than we look to. We must all hope for the best.

'With love Mother to my sister Bell. I do hope she looks after you all right tell her. Your loving son, Charley.'

Then he inked it in. As he licked the envelope flap after putting in the Money Order he squinted a bit wild, and this was shocking with his two different-coloured eyes. Lastly he laid his head down on his arms, went straight off to sleep.

There was often no real work went on in the Castle of an afternoon. Generally speaking this time was set aside so that Edith could sew or darn for Mrs Jack whom she looked after, and for Kate to see to the linen. But this afternoon as there had been guests they lent Bert a hand to clear away, then helped Mrs Welch's two girls Jane and Mary whose job it was to wash up everything except the tea things. The four of them chattered in Mrs Welch's scullery while this woman, seated in an armchair behind the closed door of her kitchen, stared grimly at her own black notebook.

'How is she?' Edith asked jerking her head and in a whisper.

'She's all right,' Mary whispered back, 'though we wondered a bit in the morning didn't we dear?' she said to Jane.

'I'll say we wondered.'

'But it was O. K. at the finish,' Mary went on. 'All's well that ends well as they say. There was practically nothing came back from the luncheon nor the nursery and you people do seem to've enjoyed your dinners.'

'Just old Aggie Burch as didn't like 'er spuds,' Kate said, 'but you don't want to take notice. I know I don't.'