Babbacombe's by Susan Scarlett

Author:Susan Scarlett
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Dean Street Press
Published: 2022-07-04T00:00:00+00:00

“DEAR PIPER” [he wrote]

“You’ve now realised that the nasty bit of work with you is the wrong one. (I should think half an hour’s sharp work with a drill on a particularly sensitive tooth would do her good.) The right one will be with you at four o’clock on Friday, and a card to my buyer ordering me to attend there or thereabouts is the least you can do for having made a dirty muddle of today.

Yours,

D. B.”

He sealed the envelope and addressed it and propped it up in front of the nurse.

“There you are, my lovely. Goodbye.”

She looked over her shoulder at him as he went out, then she returned to her cards with a sigh. She had a more or less attached young man called Herbert, who was quite nice; but he hadn’t the way with him young Mr. Babbacombe had—not by a long chalk he hadn’t.

Dulcie, released from the dentist’s chair, walked thoughtfully back to Babbacombe’s. She had a shrewd mind which was naturally adapted for sorting facts. In this case the facts were simple. Beth certainly on Saturday, and presumably at some other time, had seen David Babbacombe. Why was he taking this trouble with Beth? Why had he cared whether Beth had a cold or not? Why had he given her that puppy for Edward? He couldn’t admire her. He couldn’t! She was so simple looking—like a schoolgirl—and not pretty—at least, not what she would call pretty. Of course, her hair curled naturally, but it wasn’t much of a colour. The more she thought about it, the more she was muddled. Nobody could suppose he was fond of Beth, but that was what it looked like. One thing was certain: if he was liking her it wouldn’t last long—she wouldn’t know the tricks to hold a man. Taking things by and large, Dulcie was not sure the afternoon had not been useful. She had at least had a talk with David and let him know who she was, and that she was differently educated and all that from the other girls in Babbacombe’s. A man of his sort was likely to get tired of a girl of Beth’s kind pretty quickly, and then he’d be looking round for someone else, and the sort of person he would look for would be one of his own sort, and that would be her. Who else?

She wondered if she should spread the news about Saturday. She thought, on the whole, no. At present the girls in the store thought David was keeping himself to himself. Pity to let them know he wasn’t. Didn’t want all those common cats barging in. Just now he might have his eye on Beth, but she was taking the long view, thinking of the future. Somehow she would find a way to be Mrs. Babbacombe. If there wasn’t a straight way, most likely there was a crooked.

She went humming down to change into her lift things, and spent a long time fixing her face and hair.

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