(11/20) Farther Afield by Miss Read Page A

each morning for an hour.' I thanked her.
    She rose to go, looking with pride at the tidiness around her.
    'Don't want to see this slide back into the usual mess,' she said, echoing Amy, and departed.

    The next two or three days passed pleasurably, and I gloried in my growing accomplishments. I found that I could lift my right arm, if I held it at exactly the correct angle, and even began to comb the hair on my occiput with my right hand. I became quite nimble at mounting and descending the stairs, and each small triumph cheered me greatly.
    One morning Amy rang me.
    'Vanessa is with me. May we come over?'
    I expressed my delight.
    'And another thing,' said Amy, and stopped.
    'Yes?'
    'Perhaps I should wait until I see you.'
    It was most unlike Amy to shilly-shally like this.
    'What's it about?'
    'Crete.'
    'Crete? I don't know a thing about it! Do you want to borrow a map or something?'
    'No. I want you to consider visiting it with me, as my guest, of course.'
    I was struck dumb.
    'Are you still there?'
    'Partially.'
    'Well, think about it. James can't come, but wants me to go ahead with the holiday. We'll talk about it later.'
    There was a click and the line went dead.
    Dazed by this thunderbolt, I wandered vaguely through the open French window, caught my poor arm on the latch and, cursing, returned to earth again.
    The two arrived soon after lunch, and in the meantime I had turned over this truly wonderful invitation in my mind. Of course, I should love to go, and so much better was I, that my disabilities would not hold up proceedings in any way. We should be back several days before term began. Mrs Pringle, no doubt, would be only too glad to have charge of the house again, and the local kennels would look after Tibby—not, of course, to the cat's complete satisfaction—but perfectly well.
    On the other hand, I had accepted so much from Amy already that I hardly liked to take an expensive holiday as well. My bank balance would certainly not stand the expense of paying my share, which would be the right tiling to do, and so I felt that I really should refuse, sad though it was.
    It was good to see Vanessa again. She was dressed in a white trouser suit with a scarlet blouse, unbuttoned to the waist, under which she wore nothing. I was rather perplexed about this. Did she know that she was unbuttoned? Should she be told? I decided to say nothing, but felt rather relieved that no men were in the party.
    On her feet were two bright red shoes, so clumsy and stubtoed that they might have been football boots, and in her hand was a minute bag of silver mesh of the kind that my grandmother carried at evening parties.
    But her long hair was as lustrous as ever, and her looks much improved since the overthrow of the Bolivian Roderick who had so fascinated the poor child when last she was in Fairacre.
    On her first visit to the school house she had said practically nothing. Today she rattled on, with much animation, about Scotland and her work at the hotel.
    'And you saw Gerard?' I could not resist saying.
    Her face lit up.
    'Wasn't it lucky? He happened to be nearby. I can't tell you how lovely it was to see him again. We write sometimes, but it's not the same thing as meeting.'
    She clapped a hand to her brow, and looked anxiously at Amy.
    'The book! Did we bring it?'
    'In the car,' said Amy. 'It's for Mr Willet,' she explained. 'Gerard asked Vanessa if she would deliver it as he knew we were coming to Fairacre.'
    'I'll walk down,' said Vanessa, scrambling to her feet. She surveyed the red football boots proudly. 'These are real walking shoes, the girl in the shop told me. But, of course, I mustn't get them wet.'
    'Why not?' I asked. 'Surely shoes are worn for the purpose of keeping the feet dry.'
    'Not these days,' Vanessa assured me pityingly. 'That's a very old-fashioned idea. Today the shoes have a label on saying that they mustn't be used in the wet.'
    She smiled upon me kindly, and went off for the book.

    Now that we were