The Ginger Man - J. P. Donleavy [74]
He was yelling.
"Is there anything wrong in there, Mr.Dangerfield?"
"Quite all right. Everything's all right"
"Whenever you're ready, Mr. Dangerfield."
"Thank you, Miss Frost"
Finish joining this piece of copper wire around my waist. And a bit of this curtain for the scarf that's in it. Just cut it off. Cut Cut. Cut Fold. Like that Hide a few of the ragged edges. Little comb of the hair. See how my teeth are. Spread the lips. Look rusty. But I have fine flared nostrils on a fine straight nose. An aristocrat wherever I flee. And my eyes are curious, big ones. They all say I have very fine eyes.
Sebastian entering the morning room. Guilty look at the destroyed desk. Miss Frost putting a great platter of sausages on the table encircled with mahogany. There was a tablecloth, back rashers. Bowl of milk and pile of neatly cut bread. Sugar. Plates clean and sparkling, a knife on one side, fork on the other.
Miss Frost sat down, her hand reaching and pulling at the end of her skirt in modesty and lurking sensuality. Danger-field hesitant Must let the boarder always make the first move towards the food.
"This is certainly very good of you, although I don't think it's really fair to let you do it, Miss Frost"
"It's nothing, really, Mr. Dangerfield. I enjoy having something to do like cooking."
"But after a hard day. I think it's asking too much"
"O no."
Miss Frost smiled with rather large, well shaped teeth. Something like my own. And no lipstick. Pleasant to look at her mouth. Sitting sedately across, passing me everything going. That platter there.
Sebastian took four sausages. leaving five. Meant only to take three but some uncontrollable instinct made me take four. And pass the bread to Miss Frost. Must show that I'm not all absorbed by the sausages. Marion perhaps was at her, telling a lot of lies about me. Miss Frost will find out for herself that I'm all right. If there were more people like Miss Frost, people with kindness and consideration. Her gray hair is most becoming.
"These sausages are delicious. I don't believe I've had them before, Miss Frost."
"I get them on Pembroke Road. A shop just past the bridge. Homemade."
"It just goes to show, doesn't it, Miss Frost, that there's no beating the homemade."
"I do agree, so much, Mr. Dangerfield."
"Well, how was work, Miss Frost?"
"It's always the same, I'm afraid. When I'm put working in the shop, I enjoy it because I see a lot of different people."
"And how is business?"
"It tapers off around this time. Early potatoes are being ordered now and I think it's a good time to plant fruit trees."
"Do you? This is fascinating."
"O, I think, Mr. Dangerfield, were you to do it for awhile, I think you would get very bored."
"So jolly interesting."
"It bores me."
"Bores?"
"A little. I'm tired of working for other people. I'd like to work for myself, Mr. Dangerfield. But it's so hard to get started."
"Yes, Miss Frost, things are a little difficult these days. Not what they used to be, of course"
"It's so true, Mr. Dangerfield. All sorts of people are keeping gardens these days. Yesterday I had a little man come in to me for petunia seeds. .By goom' type. I assumed he was someone's gardener. Then I discovered he was a very wealthy man and keeps a big account with us. It's so hard to tell, these days."
"Extraordinary. Quite extraordinary."
Sebastian filled Miss Frost's cup with tea, reached for a piece of bread. Miss Frost had three sausages. Must show her I have no interest in the remaining two. Bide my time. Let her make the first move. Patience was the thing. Suppress these animal desires.
"Have those two sausages, Mr. Dangerfield, before they get cold."
"O I couldn't, Miss Frost, I've had much more than my share. Indeed. Won't you?"
"I've had a sufficiency."
"But I do insist that you have at least one of them, Miss Frost."
"No, really. Here, let me help you."
"Well. Must say, I am a little