Nora Webster by Colm Toibin

Author:Colm Toibin [Toibin, Colm]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Literary, General
ISBN: 9780771083891
Google: RjSOAwAAQBAJ
Publisher: McClelland & Stewart
Published: 2014-10-14T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWELVE

When Nora saw Nancy Brophy walking towards the house, she moved away from the window. She could not think why Nancy would want to call on her. She imagined leaving Nancy to knock and wait and listen, and then knock again before walking down the steps, turning to check the windows for a sign of life. She could feel the sheer relief that would come over her entire spirit if she had the courage to make this happen.

At the first knock, Nora went to the door and opened it and invited Nancy in.

“Now, I hope I’m not disturbing you,” Nancy said, “and I won’t come in, but I wanted to ask you a favour.”

“Well, if there is anything I can do,” Nora said.

“Oh, there is,” Nancy said brightly. “But don’t look so frightened.”

Nora did not know how to respond. Nancy was too cheerful, almost silly as she stood in the hall and grinned at her.

“You know that I do the quiz every year with Phyllis Langdon in the parish halls. It’s sponsored by Guinness. She asks the questions and I keep the scores. She has a great voice, doesn’t need a microphone or anything, and we work well together because I don’t ever make a mistake with the scores.”

Nora could not think why Nancy was telling her all of this as though it was urgent and fascinating news.

“Well, the thing is, I can’t do tomorrow night. I have to go to Dublin on the last train today because Bridie my sister is in the Bon Secours for an operation. So I thought I’d get a replacement before I’d tell Phyllis and Betty Farrell said that she heard from someone in Gibney’s you’re a wizard at the numbers so that’s what has me here.”

Nora looked at her gravely.

“Now, don’t tell me you can’t do it!” Nancy said.

“It would be just for one night?” Nora asked.

“One night,” Nancy said. “And it would be nice for you to get out among people, to mix a bit.”

“I haven’t been out much at all.”

“I know that, Nora.”

By the time Nancy was going, it had been arranged that, unless she heard otherwise, Phyllis Langdon would collect her at seven thirty the following evening. It was only when Nancy was on the front steps that Nora asked her where the quiz was to be held and Nancy told her that it would be in Blackwater.

“I didn’t know that they were held so far out of town,” Nora said.

“This year only. It’s an experiment,” Nancy said.

As Nora stood at the door watching Nancy disappear, she was tempted to follow her and tell her that she had forgotten that she had something else to do, something more pressing than writing down the score at a quiz. She tried to think what that might be, and then decided that it was too late now. As she closed the door, she wished she had asked at the very beginning in which village the quiz would be held. She would have said then that she could not go to Blackwater.

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