Loving - Henry Green [70]
buy. No what I'm thinking is that I shan't get any insurance company to insure me if we don't get this cleared up. Oh how aggravating you all of you are. Why the whole thing's distasteful. Here am I have got to suffer because you can't control your pantry boy. You do see that don't you Raunce? Then tell me this. What on earth would you advise me to do now?' 'Well Madam if I may say so Albert is a good lad. In fact I can't believe he can know the least thing. If you would give me another few days Madam I'm positive I can sift to the bottom of it for you.' However Mrs Tennant decided that she must see Albert for herself- As Raunce went to fetch the lad she called him back. 'But what are you thanking God for that I'm here if things are in the state they're in?' she asked. 'It's the uncertainty,' he replied straight out and went. Mrs Tennant did not have a satisfactory little talk with Bert. He readily explained that he had told the assessor he'd got it but he would not admit to her that he had the ring. He just stood there upright and yellow, refusing to answer most of the time. She told him it was despicable to take refuge in silence but this had no effect, any more than it did when she meaningly said she would have to think it over. Indeed he chose that moment to say he wished to give in his notice. 'I won't accept it,' she said at once. He could not have thought of this for his jaw dropped in a ludicrous look of surprise. 'It wouldn't be fair to you Albert, not with this hanging over you.' 'I want to be a air gunner'm,' he blurted out. 'Stuff and nonsense. Speak to Raunce and ask him to get some sense into you. I'm very displeased. I'm very displeased indeed and I shall have to consider what I'm going to do. Run along at once. You've stolen a ring and now you want to be a hero. Yes that's all. Run along.' He did not cry as he went to the servants' hall, he shook with rage. He was repeating to himself 'I won't ever speak to one of 'em in this bloody 'ouse not ever again.' Meantime Raunce had hurried back to his room where Edith was waiting. 'Any sign yet?' he asked urgent. She shook her head. She was biting her nails. 'Why don't you change your mind an' let me 'ave a go at that precious lad?' he appealed. 'Honest Edie dear we've no time. Mrs T.'s just sent for my Albert. There's no tellin' what 'e'll say. He's just a bundle of nerves that kid. Because if we don't find the ring this afternoon we'll be in a proper pickle.' 'I tell you you'll never get anything out of them children by fright. I understand them and you don't.' 'That's all fine and dandy,' Raunce answered, 'but there's nothing come of your method these last two days and now I warn you it's desperate dear,' he appealed. 'Lord but I do wish you'd never found the object.' 'What lies on your mind so Charley?' she asked. 'You're that nervous you've got me upset. You tell me this then you tell me the other till I'm all confused.' 'Look this is the way I see the situation,' he explained. 'I must've been crazy not to tumble it in the first place. The minute Mrs Welch's Albert goes to cash in on that ring an' they ask the kid where he got a valuable like it, all 'e'll say is that 'e found what you'd hid away. He'll drag you in see?' 'But listen,' she objected, 'the young ladies'd never allow him.' 'Allow him?' Raunce echoed intense, 'but how could they prevent it? There's one thing about evacuees,' he said. 'No matter what the homes are they've come from they're like fiends straight up from hell honey after they've been a month or more down in the country districts. And comin' as 'e does from that woman's sister before 'e even left London, - well what else can you expect? There's only one language those little merchants understand an' that's a kind of morse spelt out with a belt on their backsides.' 'No Charley,' she appealed looking up at him round-eyed from where she sat in his chair, 'you leave me my own way till nightfall at any rate. Because I know Miss Evelyn and Miss Moira like I've read them in a book. If they get frighted then there's nothing in this world will