Saplings by Noel Streatfeild

Author:Noel Streatfeild [Streatfeild, Noel]
Language: deu
Format: azw3
ISBN: 9781906462161
Publisher: Persephone Books Ltd
Published: 2011-12-14T05:00:00+00:00

XXXII

Lena decided that on the whole the Christmas holidays had been a success. The children had been noisier than she cared for, and rather elusive, but they did seem to have enjoyed themselves. Even Christmas day, which she had so dreaded, had passed off nicely. Except for universal habits, such as hanging up stockings and Christmas dinner, she had meant to avoid those Christmas customs which were part of their family life and would, therefore, stress the absence of Alex. The children, however, would have none of that. They insisted on every smallest custom being remembered. It had made the day hideous for Lena but apparently in no way affected the children. Queer and insensitive of them, Lena thought, but she supposed children were like that. She racked her memory to try and recall how she had felt at their ages, but she had not a vivid memory and she had been a doted-on only child and had scarcely known momentary unhappiness, let alone tragedy. She had hoped during the holidays to get back her old relationship with the children. This she had not achieved.

She could not find the words to explain to herself what change there was. They used to come to me, she thought, as if a mother was something rather precious. She could not discover how they regarded her now. She was the planner and provider. She had arranged, as there was no enemy action at the moment, the day visits to London for a pantomime and a children’s play. She had got to know those neighbours within reach and, no matter how difficult the rationing, she allowed the children to bring in friends to any meal. It worried her, and in fact she never quite admitted as a truth, that she was glad when the holidays were over. In retrospect it seemed as though the whole house had been put down somewhere like Waterloo station, and when the children left it settled back into its quiet woodland. Sometimes in the early morning, before she had taken any brandy, she had caught the frightening notion that she was behaving rather as if she were governing a savage tribe by the weak method of giving in to any demand to gain peace and some sort of order, but a nip of brandy dispelled such silly thoughts, and with a glow of pride she would get up, saying, ‘They’re having a good time and why shouldn’t they, bless them.’

Laurel and Tuesday’s holidays finished two days later than the boys. Seeing the children off made two exhausting days for Lena as they had to be taken to London, the boys to Paddington and the girls to Waterloo, where they were handed over to some member of their school’s staffs. It was after the second trip that Lena, suffering from lowness of heart caused partly by a brandy hangover and partly by fatigue, felt the need for hearing somebody tell her that the holidays had been a success. She found Nannie in the kitchen.

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