Black Narcissus (VMC) by Rumer Godden

Author:Rumer Godden [Godden, Rumer]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Crime, recent
ISBN: 9781405512657
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
Published: 2013-02-07T00:00:00+00:00

18

The General Dilip Rai and Joseph Antony worked at tables side by side in the small extension beside the new Lace School. Joseph was a sop to propriety and he could not understand why his school hours had been lengthened, nor what this strange jargon was that went on over his head. He was learning to write English, the General was learning to write French.

‘Avez-vous le crayon de mon oncle? Non, mais j’ai la plume de ma tante et le papier de mon cousin,’ wrote Dilip Rai.

‘A–at–cat–chat,’ wrote Joseph.

They worked in an atmosphere of soft whispers and titters from the Lace School on the other side of the partition where Kanchi, Maili, Jokiephul and Samya sat at work. They were not allowed even to peep at the General, but it was because of him that they giggled and spoke in whispers, and because of him that the lace-making, and the arrangement of the head veil and the new blouse print had become suddenly thrilling.

Every few minutes Joseph was called away to help in the school or in the Lace School itself, though there they had learnt the meaning of ‘nice-good-bad-careless-unpick-and-do-it-again’ and could even say ‘do not hold the thread in your big toes’; Joseph had taught them that himself and it had saved him a great deal of trouble. ‘Dew not haould e’tred e’taus.’ Joseph always wanted to please Sister Honey and he dared not displease Sister Ruth; there was something about her that he did not understand.

She was as sharp as Sister Honey was sweet, but it was not that; it was the way her eyes seemed to narrow and glint as if she were going to strike you, and her teeth made her look as if she could give a sharp bite, and the frightening still way in which she talked. Sister Honey really loved him; sometimes she had to punish him and that made her miserable.

‘Joseph, I – Oh, Joseph dear. I’m afraid I have to punish you.’

‘It’s all right, Lemini. I don’t mind. Really I don’t. Don’t you think about it. You just go on and punish me.’

‘He’s the dearest little fellow,’ said Sister Honey.

‘I think he’s sly,’ said Sister Ruth.

She thought them all sly and tiresome and grating. ‘He’s sly and the children are rude and I don’t trust Kanchi at all.’

‘You’re right there,’ said Ayah. ‘Now some people, they think she’s pretty and don’t trouble to see any more. Well that’s not likely to happen to us,’ she said chuckling. ‘I’m an old woman now and no one could call you pretty with those teeth.’

That stung. Once people had called Ruth beautiful, but now she thought she had never been so ugly; how could she help it with this strain and misery? Her eyes were stretched with watching, but she had to watch. Every moment of the day, They needed watching if she was to keep herself safe. She dared not relax for an instant and she had to know what Sister Clodagh was up to.

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