Christmas Pudding and Pigeon Pie by Nancy Mitford

Author:Nancy Mitford [Mitford, Nancy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Humour
ISBN: 9780345806635
Google: EFkUXzF5FbEC
Barnesnoble:
Goodreads: 17620717
Publisher: Vintage
Published: 2013-09-24T04:00:00+00:00

As soon as Bobby got back from his shoot he went round to see Amabelle.

‘What’s all this nonsense about Paul and Delphie?’ he said accusingly.

‘Oh, so you know about it by now, do you? Who told you?’

‘Nobody told me, but I should have to be as dense as my mother seems to be if I couldn’t see with half an eye what’s happening. They sit holding hands on the drawing-room sofa all day, and Delphie keeps on throwing out dark hints about how wonderful it is to be in love and all that sort of thing. It can only be a matter of moments now before mummy tumbles to it, I should think, and then there’ll be the devil to pay.’

‘Didn’t I know those silly children would never be able to keep it quiet? And what view do you take of the whole thing, Bobby? You needn’t tell me, darling. I can guess.’

‘Well, naturally, I think it’s quite crazy. I only hope and pray that Delphie won’t ruin her chances of marrying Michael by her idiocy, that’s all. Thank heaven he’s out of the way for the present. As for Paul, I really do think it’s a bit hard he should behave like this after all the trouble I’ve taken for him.’

‘I must say I agree with you for once,’ said Amabelle. ‘They came over yesterday to confess it all and ask my advice, and I’m afraid I was rather unkind to them. I’ve seen Paul wildly in love with too many people to take that very seriously, and as for Philadelphia, why at her age one is in love every other week. I gather that Michael made a mess of everything as usual. He had only to go about it with a little ordinary sense and she’d have been crazy about him by now. Really that young man, I’ve no patience at all with him; he behaves like a very unconvincing character in a book, not like a human being at all.’

‘Yes, doesn’t he. The sort of book of which the reviewers would say “the characterization is weak; the central figure, Lord Lewes, never really coming to life at all; but there are some fine descriptive passages of Berkshire scenery.” What did you say to Delphie?’

‘I told her she was mad not to marry Michael, and then she began to cry, and I really hadn’t the heart to go on. I finally told them that if they intend to marry in spite of everything they must keep this affair a deadly secret until Paul has some satisfactory job. Of course they’ll do neither the one thing nor the other. They are evidently not capable of keeping a secret, and I can no more imagine Paul in a job than a fly.’

‘Good gracious, no; he’d never stick to it for a day.’

‘I suppose, in point of fact, that if they did marry your mother would have to give them some sort of allowance, but it’s much better that they shouldn’t

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.