Wilkins, leaning across towards Lady Caroline, "we arranged,
didn't we, in London that if any of us wanted to we could each invite
one guest. So now I'm doing it."
"I don't remember that," said Mrs. Fisher, her eyes on her plate.
"Oh yes, we did--didn't we, Rose?"
"Yes--I remember," said Lady Caroline. "Only it seemed so
incredible that one could every want to. One's whole idea was to get
away from one's friends."
"And one's husbands."
Again that unseemly plural. But how altogether unseemly, thought
Mrs. Fisher. Such implications. Mrs. Arbuthnot clearly thought so
too, for she had turned red.
"And family affection," said Lady Caroline--or was it the Chianti
speaking? Surely it was the Chianti.
"And the want of family affection," said Mrs. Wilkins--what a
light she was throwing on her home life and real character.
"That wouldn't be so bad," said Lady Caroline. "I'd stay with
that. It would give one room."
"Oh no, no--it's dreadful," cried Mrs. Wilkins. "It's as if one
had no clothes on."
"But I like that," said Lady Caroline.
"Really--" said Mrs. Fisher.
"It's a divine feeling, getting rid of things," said Lady
Caroline, who was talking altogether to Mrs. Wilkins and paid no
attention to the other two.
"Oh, but in a bitter wind to have nothing on and know there never
will be anything on and you going to get colder and colder till at last
you die of it--that's what it was like, living with somebody who didn't
love one.
Pages:
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178