Loving - Henry Green [43]
get any for 'er could I?' ! > 'It'll be all right till they find you out.' / 'No one ever found out Charley Raunce. Lucky Charley they call me.' i I 'It's the lucky ones have furthest to fall,' she said low. [, 'But what's it to you?' he asked as though challenging her. 'It's | nothing to you,' he said. j 'I do care,' she said and turned away abruptly. ! 'What's this?' he enquired chuckling, a light in his eyes. Coming � up behind he laid hold of her shoulders. 'Here give us a little kiss,' he said. For answer she burst into noisy tears. 'Now girlie,' he cried; as if stricken, dropped his hands and sat heavily down on the bed. He seized her wrist and began rubbing the knuckles. 'Oh I don't know,' she broke out keeping her head turned so he should not see and blowing her nose, 'it's all this talk of invasion -an' the Jerries an' the Irish - then what I witnessed when I called: my young lady - an' you makin' out I never seen what I did - oh it's. disgustin' that's what this old place is, it's horrible,' she said. ' 'Why whatever's up?' Raunce asked abashed, still rubbing the back of her hand. 'First you blow hot then you blow cold,' Edith said and snuffled. 'Blow hot then cold?' 'One minute you say the Jerries are comin' over,' she complained, 'and next you won't have a body try to get over home while there's time.' He pulled gently on her arm. 'Come and sit by father,' he said. 'Me?' she said in a brighter voice. 'What d'you take me for?' 'That's better,' he said although she was still standing there. 'The trouble with you is you take everything so dead serious.' 'And how do you view things for the matter of that?' she enquired. 'Here,' he replied, 'we don't want you jumpin' on me into the bargain. No me,' he went on, 'I take things to 'eart.' 'Yes?' she said and sat down as though bemused. 'I take things right down inside me girl,' he said putting an arm lightly round her. 'When I feel whatever it is I feel it deep. I'm not like some,' he was going on when she turned her face so that he looked into her eyes which seemed now to have a curve of laughter in their brimming light. 'Oh baby,' he said, reached out with his face. He might have been about to kiss her. She twisted slightly, came out with a 'now then,' and he ceased. 'Look,' he went on and put his other arm round her waist so that he had her in a hoop of himself and was obliged to lean awkwardly to do this. 'Look,' he said again, 'it's what is to happen to you I can't get out of my system, that I think of all the time.' 'And so you should,' she said. 'What's that?' he asked and began to pull at her. She put one hand loose on his nearest arm, holding it between a small finger and thumb. 'Well,' she answered looking away at the rain through that pointed window so that he could not see her face which was smiling, 'the two ladies are gone. They're not coming back are they? We're all alone Charley. We've only you to look to, to know what's best.' He relaxed. 'And you'd rather have it that way, eh ducks?' he asked jovial. 'What can Mrs T. do for you?' 'She can ring up them green police can't she?' Edith said loud and sudden and pushed and shook his arms off while he stayed limp. One of his arms fell across her lap. He lifted it off at once. 'They'd never come for us, not them Irish,' she said. 'Come what for?' he asked confused. 'Why to protect us if the Germans took this place for their billets,' she said. 'You don't want to pay no attention,' he told her. 'Is that so? Then what do you need to go talkin' round it for?' 'It's you I'm concerned about,' he said. Again she took a short look at him. This time it was as if he could not understand the flash of rage on her face. He put an arm through hers. As she turned her head away he said almost hoarse, 'Here, give us a kiss.' 'Lucky we left the door open wasn't it?' she said. 'Just a small one?' he asked. She got up. 'Have you cleaned your teeth?' she enquired. 'Have I cleaned my what?' 'Oh nothing,' she said. She did not seem so pleasant. 'Why,' he remarked, 'I brush them every morning first thing.' 'Forget it,' she said and