Travels With My Aunt by Greene Graham & Emerson Gloria

Author:Greene, Graham & Emerson, Gloria [Greene, Graham & Emerson, Gloria]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Classics, Travel, Humour
ISBN: 9780143039006
Amazon: 0143039008
Goodreads: 48858
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Published: 1969-01-01T08:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

IT SEEMED AT FIRST another and a happier world which I had re-entered: I was back home, in the late afternoon, as the long shadows were falling; a boy whistled a Beatle tune and a motor-bicycle revved far way up Norman Lane. With what relief I dialled Chicken and ordered myself cream of spinach soup, lamb cutlets and Cheddar cheese: a better meal than I had eaten in Istanbul. Then I went into the garden. Major Charge had neglected the dahlias; it was a pleasure to give them water, which the dry soil drank like a thirsty man, and I could almost imagine that the flowers were responding with a lift of the petals. The Deuil du Roy Albert was too far gone to benefit, but the colour of the Ben Hurs took on a new sheen, as though the long dry chariot race were now a memory only. Major Charge looked over the fence and asked, 'Good journey?'

'Interesting, thank you,' I said drily, pouring the water in a thick stream on to the roots. I had removed the absurd nozzle which serves no useful purpose.

'I was very careful,' Major Charge said, 'not to give them too much water.'

'The ground certainly seems very dry.'

'I keep goldfish,' Major Charge said. 'If I go away, my damned daily always gives them too much food. When I return I find half the little buggers dead.'

'Flowers are not the same as goldfish, Major. In a dry autumn like this they can do with a great deal of water.'

'I hate excess,' Major Charge said. 'It's the same in politics. I've no use for Communist or Fascist.'

'You are a Liberal?'

'Good God, man,' he said, 'what makes you think that?' and disappeared from sight.

The afternoon post arrived punctually at five: a circular from Littlewood's, although I never gamble, a bill from the garage, a pamphlet from the British Empire Loyalists which I threw at once into the waste-paper basket, and a letter with a South African stamp. The envelope was typewritten, so that I did not at once conclude that it had been sent by Miss Keene. I was distracted too by a package of Omo propped against the scraper.

I had certainly not ordered any detergent. I looked closer and saw that it was a gift package. What a lot of money manufacturers waste by not employing the local stores to do their distribution. There they would have known that I am already a regular purchaser of Omo. I took the packet into the kitchen and noticed with pleasure that mine was almost exhausted, so I had been saved from buying another.

It was getting chilly by this time, and I turned on the electric fire before opening the letter. I saw at once that it came from Miss Keene. She had bought herself a typewriter, but it was obvious that as yet she had not had much practice. Lines were unevenly placed, and her fingers had often gone astray to the wrong keys or missed a letter altogether.

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.