(8/13) At Home in Thrush Green by Miss Read
Authors: Miss Read
Tags: Country Life, Country Life - England, Pastoral Fiction, Henstock, Charles (Fictitious Character)
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Hodge, who farmed a mile or so northwards off the Nidden road.
'Wotcher, Perce? Nice drop of rain yesterday. Do your crops good.'
'Done the potatoes a bit of good, I suppose, but too late for the wheat and barley. Be a poor yield, I shouldn't wonder.'
'You farmers never stop grumbling,' said Nelly. 'I'm glad I'm not married to one.'
She stopped hastily, remembering the truant Doris. Perhaps she'd said something to upset poor old Perce?
Had she known, he was thinking that Albert did his share of grumbling too, and a fine bonny woman like Nelly might have been better off with a farmer after all.
'Well, I must get on,' said Nelly, somewhat flustered. 'Albert's waiting for his tea.'
'He's a lucky chap to have someone to cook it for him,' replied Percy lugubriously. 'Some of us have to cook our own.'
Nelly felt that the conversation was taking a dangerous turn. Percy Hodge was full of self-pity, and she didn't want any attentions from him. He'd been enough nuisance to that poor Jenny of Mrs Bailey's until she'd boxed his ears.
What a tiresome lot men were, thought Nelly, approaching her door. It made you wonder why they had been put into the world in the first place. If she'd had any hand in arranging matters at the Creation, she would have made sure that there would have been only one sex. Life would have been much simpler.
'And about time!' said Albert, when she closed the door behind her. 'I was getting fair weak with hunger.'
Nelly managed to stay silent, but she banged the frying pan viciously on to the stove to relieve her feelings.
Before Albert's chops were done, an upsetting telephone call came to the schoolhouse a few yards away.
Agnes and Dorothy were enjoying the newspapers, and the comfortable thought that it was Friday evening, and the much-blest weekend stretched ahead, when the telephone rang.
Dorothy answered it, and a few stray phrases were heard by Agnes.
'How serious is it? ... Well, of course, we were in school. You must have known, Kathleen! ... Which hospital? ... Most inconvenient ... Yes, of course, I shall go. I shall set off tomorrow morning ... No, no, don't put yourself to any trouble. I can find a room.'
She came back, pink and flustered.
'Oh, what a kettle of fish! Really, Kathleen gets more impossible yearly! She's complaining because she's tried to ring us twice today, once at ten and then again at two o'clock. Of course we were in school, and no one but Kathleen would be so woolly-headed as to forget it.'
'But what's happened?'
'Oh, Ray has had an accident with the car,' said Dorothy, in what to anxious little Miss Fogerty seemed a remarkably off-hand manner.
Her hands fluttered to her face.
'But Dorothy, how dreadful! Is he badly hurt?'
'No, no! Kathleen said he has concussion, and probably a broken arm. The hospital people are keeping him in for a day or two.'
'I heard you say you would visit him. Shall I come with you?'
'No, Agnes. I shall catch the morning coach to London, and then take a taxi. Kathleen offered to put me up if I wanted to stay the night. In rather a grudging tone of voice, I thought. But I shall come back during the evening. Really, it is dreadfully annoying. I intended to wash my new cardigan tomorrow.'
'I will do that willingly.'
'It can wait until another day,' said Miss Watson firmly. 'We are going to get in a flummox over Ray's foolishness.'
'But what happened? Did Kathleen say?'
'I think he swerved into one of those islands with bollards in the middle of the road, but Kathleen didn't say what caused it. Fortunately, no one else was involved.'
'What a blessing!'
'Now one thing I must see to,' said Dorothy, reaching for her handbag. 'Of course, the wretched banks will be closed tomorrow, but I think I have enough money to pay my way. In any case, I can use my Post Office book to withdraw some cash. I must say, my Post Office book is a real friend in need.'
'I have ten pounds put by,' said Agnes, 'in my stocking drawer.'
'Thank you, dear, but
'Wotcher, Perce? Nice drop of rain yesterday. Do your crops good.'
'Done the potatoes a bit of good, I suppose, but too late for the wheat and barley. Be a poor yield, I shouldn't wonder.'
'You farmers never stop grumbling,' said Nelly. 'I'm glad I'm not married to one.'
She stopped hastily, remembering the truant Doris. Perhaps she'd said something to upset poor old Perce?
Had she known, he was thinking that Albert did his share of grumbling too, and a fine bonny woman like Nelly might have been better off with a farmer after all.
'Well, I must get on,' said Nelly, somewhat flustered. 'Albert's waiting for his tea.'
'He's a lucky chap to have someone to cook it for him,' replied Percy lugubriously. 'Some of us have to cook our own.'
Nelly felt that the conversation was taking a dangerous turn. Percy Hodge was full of self-pity, and she didn't want any attentions from him. He'd been enough nuisance to that poor Jenny of Mrs Bailey's until she'd boxed his ears.
What a tiresome lot men were, thought Nelly, approaching her door. It made you wonder why they had been put into the world in the first place. If she'd had any hand in arranging matters at the Creation, she would have made sure that there would have been only one sex. Life would have been much simpler.
'And about time!' said Albert, when she closed the door behind her. 'I was getting fair weak with hunger.'
Nelly managed to stay silent, but she banged the frying pan viciously on to the stove to relieve her feelings.
Before Albert's chops were done, an upsetting telephone call came to the schoolhouse a few yards away.
Agnes and Dorothy were enjoying the newspapers, and the comfortable thought that it was Friday evening, and the much-blest weekend stretched ahead, when the telephone rang.
Dorothy answered it, and a few stray phrases were heard by Agnes.
'How serious is it? ... Well, of course, we were in school. You must have known, Kathleen! ... Which hospital? ... Most inconvenient ... Yes, of course, I shall go. I shall set off tomorrow morning ... No, no, don't put yourself to any trouble. I can find a room.'
She came back, pink and flustered.
'Oh, what a kettle of fish! Really, Kathleen gets more impossible yearly! She's complaining because she's tried to ring us twice today, once at ten and then again at two o'clock. Of course we were in school, and no one but Kathleen would be so woolly-headed as to forget it.'
'But what's happened?'
'Oh, Ray has had an accident with the car,' said Dorothy, in what to anxious little Miss Fogerty seemed a remarkably off-hand manner.
Her hands fluttered to her face.
'But Dorothy, how dreadful! Is he badly hurt?'
'No, no! Kathleen said he has concussion, and probably a broken arm. The hospital people are keeping him in for a day or two.'
'I heard you say you would visit him. Shall I come with you?'
'No, Agnes. I shall catch the morning coach to London, and then take a taxi. Kathleen offered to put me up if I wanted to stay the night. In rather a grudging tone of voice, I thought. But I shall come back during the evening. Really, it is dreadfully annoying. I intended to wash my new cardigan tomorrow.'
'I will do that willingly.'
'It can wait until another day,' said Miss Watson firmly. 'We are going to get in a flummox over Ray's foolishness.'
'But what happened? Did Kathleen say?'
'I think he swerved into one of those islands with bollards in the middle of the road, but Kathleen didn't say what caused it. Fortunately, no one else was involved.'
'What a blessing!'
'Now one thing I must see to,' said Dorothy, reaching for her handbag. 'Of course, the wretched banks will be closed tomorrow, but I think I have enough money to pay my way. In any case, I can use my Post Office book to withdraw some cash. I must say, my Post Office book is a real friend in need.'
'I have ten pounds put by,' said Agnes, 'in my stocking drawer.'
'Thank you, dear, but
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