Loving - Henry Green [3]
always makes my eyes run.' 'And when may daffodils have had a perfume,' she asked, tart through tears. 'I seem to recollect they had a smell once,' he said. 'You're referring to musk, oh dear,' she answered making off, tearful. But apparently he could not leave it alone. 'Then what about hay fever?' he almost shouted. That never comes with hay, or does it? There was a lady once at a place where I worked,' and then he stopped. Miss Burch had moved out of earshot. 'Well if you won't pay heed I can't force you,' he said out loud. He shut Mr Eldon's door, then stood with his back to it. He spoke to Bert. 'What time's the interment?' he asked. 'And how long to go before dinner?' not waiting for answers. 'See here my lad I've got something that needs must be attended to you know where.' He jangled keys in his pocket. Then instead of entering Mr Eldon's room he walked away to dispose of the daffodil in a bucket. He coughed. He came back again. 'All right,' he said, 'give us a whistle if one of 'em shows up.' He slipped inside like an eel into its drainpipe. He closed the door so that Bert could not see. Within all was immeasurable stillness with the mass of daffodils on the bed. He stood face averted then hurried smooth and his quietest to the roll-top desk. He held his breath. He had the top left-hand drawer open. He breathed again. And then Bert whistled. Raunce snatched at those red and black notebooks. He had them. He put them away in a hip pocket. They fitted. 'Close that drawer,' he said aloud. He did this. He fairly scrambled out again. He shut the door after, leaving all immeasurably still within. He stood with his back to it, taking out a handkerchief, and looked about. He saw Edith. She was just inside the pantry where Bert watched him open mouthed. Raunce eyed her very sharp. He seemed to appraise the dark eyes she sported which were warm and yet caught the light like plums dipped in cold water. He stayed absolutely quiet. At last she said quite calm, 'Would the dinner bell have gone yet?' 'My dinner,' he cried obviously putting on an act, 'holy smoke is it as late as that, and this lad of mine not taken up the nursery tray yet. Get going,' he said to Bert, 'look sharp.' The boy rushed out. 'God forgive me,' he remarked, 'but there's times I want to liquidate 'im. Come to father beautiful,' he said. 'Not me,' she replied amused. 'Well if you don't want I'm not one to insist. But did nobody never tell you about yourself?' 'Aren't you just awful,' she said apparently delighted. 'That's as may be,' he answered, 'but it's you we're speaking of. With those eyes you ought to be in pictures.' 'Oh yeah?' 'Come on,' he said, 'if we're going to be lucky with our dinner we'd best be going for it.' 'No, you don't,' she said slipping before him. And they came out through this pantry into the long high stone passage with a vaulted ceiling which led to the kitchen and their servants' hall. 'Now steady,' he said, as he caught up with her. 'What will Miss Burch say if she finds us chasing one after the other?' When they were walking side by side he asked, 'What made you come through my way to dinner?' 'Why you do need to know a lot,' she said. 'I know all I can my girl and that's never done me harm. I got other things to think to besides love and kisses, did you know?' 'No I didn't, not from the way you go on I didn't.' The trouble with you girls is you take everything so solemn. Now all I was asking was why you looked in on us while you came down to dinner?' Thinkin' I came to see you I suppose,' she said. She turned to look at him. What she saw made her giggle mouth open and almost soundless. Then she slapped a hand across her teeth and ran on ahead. He took no notice. With a swirl of the coloured skirt of her uniform she turned a corner in front along this high endless corridor. The tap of her shoes faded. He walked on. He appeared to be thinking. He went so soft he might have been a ghost without a head. But as he made his way he repeated to himself, over and over, This time I'll take his old chair. I must.' He arrived to find the