All talk would be nonsense, I suppose, if it were
written down,she said, stirring her coffee.
White rods cameacross the window in the back room.
About coming to see you on Wednesday, she began.
And I used to like going there,
hethought.
He wantedto say, Didnt she have an affair with
somebody?
Sara began, screwing her handstogether and clinging
to her sister, that life. Lady Lasswadetook her place opposite Eleanor.
Sold was written on a strip of bright red paper
pasted across thehouse-agents board.
Its a nice picture, he added, looking at it
critically.
No, I wont come, said Maggie, shaking
hands.
She thinks me an oldfool, Rose thought, making the
same remark twice over.
Shesat down and laid the press cuttings on the
tea-table.
Take this cupfor instance; she held it out in front
of her. Again she had the odd feeling of being two people at thesame
time.
She wasexactly like the picture of old Uncle
Pargiter of Pargiters Horse.
Theres not much of my wasted youth about Edward
now, she said.
She had always thought he lived at
Ealing.
Theres not much of my wasted youth about Edward
now, she said. Are you coming in, she said, or arent you?
But she had neversolved the question to her
satisfaction. It was a depressing little street, shethought.
They weredifferently coloured, blue, white and
purple. But then, said Maggie, beginning to turn the handle rathercautiously, you
did other things.
She pointed tothe table upon which three places had
been laid. He took up one of the newspapercuttings and began to make it into a
spill.
Rose was handsome, but shewished she dressed
better. But she had been there, for there was a book on the table.