Chatterton Square (British Library Women Writers) by E. H. Young

Author:E. H. Young [Young, E. H.]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Tags: pre-war, housewife, secret, Bristol, divorce law, courtship, monogamy
Publisher: British Library Publishing
Published: 2020-03-30T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter XXVIII

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Flora would have been quite pleased to be rescued. She found her visit very dull with Mrs. Fraser and Miss Spanner sewing at one end of the long room and Paul and Sandra doing their homework at the other, and though Sandra left hers and joined the little group, she did not improve matters for Flora who was not interested in Rhoda’s contemporary. She had not expected much amusement. She had seen Felix leave the house and, though she hoped for his return, she had called to prove to herself, but chiefly to show everybody else, that James had not been the only attraction there, that the family in general was what she liked. And James, in retrospect, had really been rather wearisome with his endless talk about farming, endured for the sake of the rare moments when he became conscious of her as something more than an attentive ear. She was worth more homage than that and already the little episode was like something that had happened long ago when she was young and ignorant. She had profited by it but she would forget it and though it was not very exciting to talk to two middle-aged women and a schoolgirl, she went away well pleased with herself, for Mrs. Fraser had been very nice and she was halfway across the road before Miss Spanner let out a long, low grunt which would have been a groan if there had not been a certain amount of pleasure in it.

“That means Miss Spanner doesn’t like her,” said Paul.

“And perhaps,” said Miss Spanner, “it expresses my regret that you and all the rest of you are not as charming.”

“But it doesn’t. I know all your noises by this time. That means you think she’s a fool and so do I.”

“Keep your opinions to yourself,” Miss Spanner said.

“Why should I?”

“Because at your age you haven’t any worth hearing.”

“But what,” he asked, “about the mouths of babes and sucklings?”

“I’m surprised you’ve ever heard of them. You haven’t been brought up to read your Bible as I was.”

“And whose fault’s that?”

“Ah,” said Miss Spanner, “that’s not for me to say, but times have changed. The very day I was born my father bought one for me.”

“You must have been pleased,” said Paul, but Miss Spanner was not to be ruffled. She seemed in particularly good spirits, Rosamund thought suspiciously, though she always enjoyed her arguments with Paul. “And it’s upstairs now with my name inside, in his beautiful handwriting, and the date.”

“That’s no proof he bought it the day you were born,” Rosamund said.

“No, but when I was old enough, I was told about it.”

“No doubt. So were a lot of other people, I’m sure. And how lucky the shops were still open. I can’t think why he didn’t buy the Bible beforehand, but then, what a waste it would have been if anything had gone wrong! And it wouldn’t have made such a good little story. I like this one, Agnes. It’s one of your best.

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