Loving - Henry Green [54]
two days.' 'She's up to a lark then,' Edith said seemingly delighted. 'Bless us,' she added, 'look what he's after now,' she exclaimed. All three saw little Albert hopping round and round with a fair-sized crab fastened onto a toe of his sandshoes. The excited shrieks that came back from the children blanketed a screaming from gulls fighting over the waste food which they had thrown away although Raunce's Albert still had some scraps in a paper bag. 'Let 'em,' Kate said and closed her eyes again. 'I've got what I've had to digest yet,' she added. Then just as Edith was about to get up to help that crab fell off. The children began to stone it, driving it blow upon blow into a grave its own shape in the sand. At which Peter put his ears back and snatched the scraps out of Albert's hand, swallowed them bag and all. 'Why you ugly bastard,' Albert said scrambling out of the way. 'Now Albert,' Edith remarked indifferent. 'I thought 'e was asleep,' the boy explained. 'Which is what I would be if you'd only shut down,' Kate said from behind closed eyes. Her eyelids were pink. The sun warm. As he was about to settle again Edith invited him to use part of the mackintosh on which she was seated adding that he would only spoil his indoor suit. He was dressed in the blue serge double-breasted outfit a livery tailor had made him on Mrs Tennant's instructions. 'You do look a sight,' was her comment, 'got up as you are like you were goin' in Hyde Park.' He lay down at her side while she sat bolt upright to keep an eye on the children. 'I got a sister over at home,' he said low. 'What's that?' she asked careless. 'I can't hear you with the sea.' 'I got a sister works in an airplane factory,' he began. If she heard him she gave no indication. 'Madge we call her. They's terrible the hours she puts in.' He lay on his stomach facing inland while Edith watched the ocean. 'I've only her and mum left now,' he went on. 'Dad, 'e died a month or two afore I came here. He worked in a fruiterer's in Albany Place. It was a cancer took 'im.' When he broke off the heavy Atlantic reverberated in their ears. 'Now Mr Raunce writes to his,' he continued, 'and can't never get a reply. And there's me writes to mine, every week I do since this terrible bombing started but I don't ever seem to receive no answers though every time 'e comes over I'm afeared mum an' sis must've got theirs. To read the papers you wouldn't think there was anything left of the old town.' 'That young Albert,' Edith yelled against the sea, 'I regret we took him along.' Raunce's Albert looked over his shoulder on the side away from Edith but could not see how his namesake was misbehaving. 'You see with dad gone I feel responsible,' he tried again loud. 'I know I'm only young but I'm earnin' and there's times I consider I ought to be back to look after them. Not that I don't send the best part of me wages each week. I do that of course.' A silence fell. 'What did you say your sister's name was?' Edith asked. 'Mum had her christened Madge,' the lad replied. He tried a glance at Edith but she was not regarding him. To tell you the truth,' he continued, 'I did wonder what's the right thing? I thought maybe you could advise me?' He looked at her again. This time she was indeed contemplating him though he could not make out the expression in her enormous eyes behind the black yew branch of windblown hair. He turned away once more. He spoke in what seemed to be bitterness. 'Of course I'm only young I know,' he said. 'Well it's not as if they'd written for you is it?' she announced, on which he turned over and lay on his side to face her. She was looking out to sea again. 'No but then they're like that. Mum always reckoned she'd rather scrub the house out than take a pen. Madge's the same. It's 'ard to know what's for the best,' he ended. 'I should stay put,' she said, speaking impartially. 'You're learnin' a trade after all. If they should ever come for you into the Army you could be an officer's servant. We're all right here.' 'Then you don't reckon there's much in what they say about this