The Girls of Slender Means by Muriel Spark

Author:Muriel Spark [Spark, Muriel]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2011-07-15T18:05:23+00:00

6

‘Dear Dylan Thomas,’ wrote Jane.

Downstairs, Nancy Riddle, who had finished her elocution lesson, was attempting to discuss with Joanna Childe the common eventualities arising from being a clergyman’s daughter.

‘My father’s always in a filthy temper on Sundays. Is yours?’

‘No, he’s rather too occupied.’

‘Father goes on about the Prayer Book. I must say, I agree with him there. It’s out of date.’

‘Oh, I think the Prayer Book’s wonderful,’ said Joanna. She had the Book of Common Prayer practically by heart, including the Psalms — especially the Psalms — which her father repeated daily at Matins and Evensong in the frequently empty church. In former years at the rectory Joanna had attended these services every day, and had made the responses from her pew, as it might be on ‘Day 13’, when her father would stand in his lofty meekness, robed in white over black, to read:

Let God arise, and let his enemies be scattered:

whereupon without waiting for pause Joanna would respond:

let them also that hate him flee before him.

The father continued:

Like as the smoke vanisheth, so shalt thou drive them away:

And Joanna came in swiftly:

and like as wax melteth at the fire, so let the ungodly perish at the presence of God.

And so on had circled the Psalms, from Day 1 to Day 31 of the months, morning and evening, in peace and war; and often the first curate, and then the second curate, took over the office, uttering as it seemed to the empty pews, but by faith to the congregations of the angels, the Englishly rendered intentions of the sweet singer of Israel.

Joanna lit the gas-ring in her room in the May of Teck Club and put on the kettle. She said to Nancy Riddle:

‘The Prayer Book is wonderful. There was a new version got up in 1928, but Parliament put it out. Just as well, as it happened.’

‘What’s the Prayer Book got to do with them?’

‘It’s within their jurisdiction funnily enough.’

‘I believe in divorce,’ Nancy said.

‘What’s that got to do with the Prayer Book?’

‘Well, it’s all connected with the C. of E. and all the arguing.’

Joanna mixed some powdered milk carefully with water from the tap and poured the mixture upon two cups of tea. She passed a cup to Nancy and offered saccharine tablets from a small tin box.

Nancy took one tablet, dropped it in her tea, and stirred it. She had recently got involved with a married man who talked of leaving his wife.

Joanna said, ‘My father had to buy a new cloak to wear over his cassock at funerals, he always catches cold at funerals. That means no spare coupons for me this year.’

Nancy said, ‘Does he wear a cloak? He must be High. My father wears an overcoat; he’s Low to Middle, of course.’

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