The Death of the Heart - Elizabeth Bowen [55]
He is quite afraid of the dark.
His two favourite foods are cheese straws and jellied consomme.
He would not really like to be very rich.
He says that when you love someone all your saved-up wishes start coming out.
He does not like being laughed at, so he pretends he wants people to laugh at him.
He has thirty-six ties.
Written down these look like the characteristics of things we have to write down at lessons. I do wonder if it would ever strike Eddie to leave a surprise for me on the table when I was out.
Monday.
Eddie wrote to me while he was away. He says he is with people he does not like at all. He asks me to ring him up at the office and say what evening Anna will be out, but I do not know how to find out.
Today we did more about Siennese Art, Book Keeping and German Composition. Lilian was not waiting in the churchyard, in fact she got to lessons late. She has been upset by an actor, and asked me to tea with her tomorrow. When I got back Anna was quite pleased and told me about her week-end away as if I was St. Quentin. Perhaps she is pleased about going to go abroad. She cannot tell me this till she thinks what to do with me.
Tuesday.
Oh, it is just like an answer to a prayer, Major Brutt has sent me a jigsaw puzzle. I found it on the table when I came in. He says he would like to imagine me doing it.
Today we did English Essay and First Aid, and were taken to see "Le Cid" at a girls' school. Then I went to tea with Lilian for her to tell me about the actor. She was introduced to him somewhere, then wrote to him to say that she did admire his art, because she does admire it very much. The actor did not answer till she wrote the third time, then he invited Lilian to tea. She wore her blue dress with a coatee over it. There were other people at tea, but he asked her to stay on, and then he behaved in an awful way. She says he was passionate. Lilian was upset, and she says when she got home she wrote him two letters explaining the way she felt. But he did not answer either of the letters, and Lilian thinks now she must have hurt his feelings. This is making her quite bilious again.
No table in my room looks large enough to hold the whole of my jigsaw. I wonder if Matchett would mind if I did it on the floor.
Wednesday.
Matchett is sending Anna's white velvet dress to the express cleaners, because Anna has to wear it tomorrow night. I said here, and Matchett said, no, out. So I ought to tell Eddie, I said I would.
Today we did Hygiene and French Elocution and were taken to look at historical dresses at the London Museum, which made a change. We also looked at a model of London burning, and Miss Paullie said we must all do all that we could to prevent a future war.
I have telephoned to Eddie.
Thursday.
Eddie says our lies are not our fault. So I am supposed to be going out with Lilian. They say that will be all right so long as I'm in by ten. I shall have to get to Lilian's house on the way back, because they might send Matchett to fetch me there. But where Eddie lives is quite somewhere else. What shall I do if I have not enough money?
Friday.
Yesterday was all quite all right.
Saturday.
This morning Anna took me out shopping. This afternoon, Thomas took me to the Zoo. She let me choose what we would have for lunch. Have they been saying things to each other, or have they got to tell me they are going away?
Sunday.
They took me with them to lunch with people who live in Kent So most of the day I have sat in the car and thought, except when we got out to have lunch. Anna and Thomas sat in front of the car, every now and then he said, how is she getting on? so Anna would turn round and have a look.
Since we got back, I have been getting on with my puzzle.
Last Thursday evening, when I first got to Eddie's it was not like where I imagined he lived. He does not like his room and I'm sure it knows. He showed me all his books and said he was so glad I was not fond of reading at all. We had very nice cold foods off cardboard dishes, Eddie had thought of macaroons for me, and we then