More Women Than Men by Ivy Compton-Burnett

Author:Ivy Compton-Burnett
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pushkin Press
Published: 2021-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

That evening, when Josephine and Gabriel had dinner as usual alone, Josephine made no mention of what had passed, and appeared in a more than usually genial mood. When the meal was over, she set the places at the hearth, so that the grouping seemed complete.

“Josephine, may I ask Ruth to join us?” said Gabriel, springing to his feet.

“What, my dear? Yes, fetch anyone you please,” said Josephine, stooping and making a noise with the fire-irons. “We ought to make our party brighter in the evenings, and remember that you are young, and that neither of us is old. What about bringing Mrs. Giffard as well, asking her if she will kindly join us? I must not forget, in the egotism of trouble, that she is my old friend, and that it is because of her that her daughter is in my house.”

Gabriel carried the message, and presently Elizabeth came by herself.

“Why, what is this that happens, or threatens to happen, Josephine? Have the boy and girl confided in you, and not in me, when one of them is all my own? Such a jealous real mother I shall be, if the adopted mother is given the first place! Well, she is used to it, and must not be grudged her dues. But what do our little people say, that shows that they are little and ours no longer?”

“There has been some talk about their being engaged, or being unengaged or something,” said Josephine. “I never know what they mean, these dilly-dallyings between the very young. They mean that they need to be thrown together, I think, so that any spurious ebullition of feeling may wear itself out. It almost seems that they are of that mind, and disposed to apply the curative method to themselves.”

“But they want to be married, the naughty ones to want to leave us?”

“They are going to be married, if I heard aright before dinner,” said Josephine, with a little laugh. “They may not be going to by now, for all I know. Gabriel’s wanting to fetch Ruth in this public, family way, rather looks as if there was a settlement of things.”

Gabriel and Ruth returned to the room together.

“This is well thought of on your part, Josephine. As I am to be Mrs. Giffard’s son-in-law, it is meet that she should know the group that I regard as my family.”

“It is only you and I now, dear; hardly a group,” said Josephine, in a low voice.

“So sweethearting has been going on, when we none of us suspected it!” said Elizabeth, throwing a bright glance at Gabriel. “It is all settled, is it? Such a lot of being unsettled I had, when I was at this stage! Such a lot of shiftings and shilly-shallyings, naughty one that I was! But my daughter has hidden her lights under a bushel; and this is the first time—well, nearly the first time; I must not tell tales, must I?—that she has let them shine before men; as

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