In Pursuit of the English - Doris Lessing [82]
‘No, I can’t,’ said Flo eagerly, clutching at Dan’s arm. ‘I don’t understand them Courts. I thought I was to tell the truth, because of what the laywer said, I got mixed up, that’s all, next time it’ll be different.’
‘It’d better be different.’ Dan looked at Rose and said: ‘You’re coming into Court or not?’
Rose hesitated. Dan said: ‘If you want that kid brother here for a time you can.’
Rose struggled with herself, and finally said, with a sigh: ‘But I’m not telling no lies, Dan.’
‘Flo’s stupid. Who said lies? The lawyer told me, you just say the things you know, that’s all.’
‘Yes?’ said Rose. ‘All of them?’
He ground his teeth again. ‘No. The lawyer knows. Will you see the lawyer? The case is the day after tomorrow.’
‘My Lord, so soon?’ wailed Flo.
‘Yes, so soon. And Mrs Skeffington’s flat on her back and she’ll be there a week yet. Will you see the lawyer?’ he said to me.
‘Very well.’
‘Don’t listen to Flo. She’s …’ And he tapped his forehead angrily, glaring at her.
‘No, sweetheart, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to say what was wrong.’
‘And now you’ll come downstairs and get my supper and keep your mouth shut.’
Dan and Flo went out.
‘Those lawyers,’ said Rose. ‘You wait till you see their lawyer. Enough to make God laugh. Well, it looks as if I’ll get my Len here for a bit. I’m a good influence on him if no one else is. You won’t think bad of me? You’ll see him and be a friend?’
‘Of course. Why not?’
‘Of course, and why not. Well, it’s easy for some people. Make me a cup of tea. Thinking about going into that Court scares me, but I suppose I’ve got to.’
Flo crept back.
‘Don’t say it,’ said Rose. ‘Don’t.’
‘But we’ve made it up.’
‘Let’s be thankful for small mercies.’
Flo said to me, ‘I know Dan would be pleased at the idea if he’d thought of it, because he did it himself. Just stamp up and down this floor before you go to bed at night so as to get into their dreams a little.’
Rose groaned. ‘Flo, it would count against you in Court, don’t you ever think of anything?’
‘But Dan used to do it every night regular. He’d come up and me too, and he’d stamp around the floor, he looked ever so funny, going stamp stamp In his shirt, with everything on view going flop-flop.’
‘Oh, my God,’ said Rose.
‘You don’t know nothing yet,’ said Flo. ‘Getting dressed up to go courting is one thing. Men in their underpants is another. One is ro-mance. The other is what we get for cleaning the floors and washing up to keep us quiet. And don’t you forget it.’
‘Do us a favour and leave us in peace one evening.’
‘Yes, well you make the most of Dickie in his courting mood because it won’t be like that afterwards.’
‘I wasn’t born yesterday.’
‘You’re not cross with your Flo?’
‘We’re sick and tired. Both of us. Just sick and tired.’
‘We could subpoena you, dear, you know that?’
‘Yes?’
‘All right, dear, I’ll go, I’ll go.’
The day of the case it was hot, a sunny June day. Flo wore a black astrakhan coat and a muff. Around her black felt hat she had pinned another strip of astrakhan. Both Jack and Dan wore thick striped suits. For the first time, the three seemed commonplace and ugly. As for Aurora, she had on a white rabbitskin coat and hat, and was crying from the heat, but Flo slapped her into silence. As the family walked quietly towards a bus-stop it was the essence of respectability; and I tried to put myself into the position of a Judge, looking down into these lives from his height, and wondered how he would see them. The only sign that this was not in every respect that unit which is the foundation of a sound society was their complete indifference to the sufferings of Aurora. But even this was soon put right by Rose, who was showing her respect for the occasion by wearing her best grey suit, and her independence of it by fixing a look of weary scepticism on her face. She exclaimed: ‘Have you all gone nuts today?’ and grabbed the child, stripped off the thick fur and set her free. Flo saw Aurora’s paper-white face, with the sweat streaming off it, and was suddenly overcome by pity