know?' she asked.
'Ah now you're asking,' Kate said. 'I wonder is she married or was she ever d'you reckon?'
'No dear she's only called Mrs like all cooks if you're referrin' to Mrs Welch Whatever made you say?'
'Why nothing. But I wish he was goin' to be older that's all.'
'Kate I'm getting too hot.'
'Take off some of your clothes then silly. Come on with you I'll help.'
'Quiet. There's Mrs Jack's stockings I've got to go over.'
'If you lie on your buttons I can't undo 'em at the back can I?' Kate said Then she tickled Edith to make her shift.
'Mercy stop it,' Edith screamed. 'Whatever are you doin'?'
'You said you was too warm. And struggling like you are will only make you warmer. There.'
'Kate Armstrong I thought I asked you. It tickles Why you aren't pulling the dress off my back surely? Whatever are you at?'
But she made it easier for Kate by moving her body here and there as was required.
'It's only your old uniform,' Kate said and soon Edith was lying almost naked.
'I'll stroke you dear if you like,' Kate said. 'Shut your eyes now.'
'I ought to be going over those silk stockings.'
'If you don't take good care I'll run over you like you was an old pair Edie and darn you in all sorts of places you wouldn't think.'
They giggled in shrieks again at this then quietened down. Kate began to stroke up and down the inside of Edith's arm from the hollow of her elbow to the wrist. Edith lay still with closed eyes. The room was dark as long weed in the lake.
'What if it had been Charley?' Kate asked.
'Why d'you want to go on at me about him?'
'But supposin' it was Edie?'
'Well how would you have acted?' said Edith.
'Me? He would never've had to ask me twice. Not the way I am these days.'
'Oh Kate you are dreadful.' But Edith's voice was low. Kate's stroking was beginning to make her drowse.
Then there was a real outcry from the peacocks. Kate slipped out of bed to look She saw Mrs Jack walking down the drive far beneath with Captain Davenport who was pushing his bike.
'What is if?' Edith asked.
'Just those two again.' Then Edith got up to look. The girls blocked their window, made night in the room.
'What two?' Edith, said her back to the darkness And answered herself. 'Oh Mrs Jack and the Captain. But won't the children be disappointed. I know they was counting on their mother taking them out the little loves.'
'Well they can count on summat else then and so can she very likely,' Kate said.
'Now Kate you've no call to say such a thing.' Edith's voice was truly indignant They could not hear their masters.
'It's not fair You could get one of these,' Davenport was saying.
'Now Dermot,' she replied, 'you've no right to be beastly,'
'But a bike's the only way to get about these days,' he said.
'Darling I've already told you,' she said.
'She couldn't surely object to your having a bike Violet after all.'
'Oh I can't go on like this behind her back,' she announced from an expressionless face but with tears coming into her blue, blue eyes that matched the curtains in her room, 'no I can't Dermot any
longer.' She stopped. She stamped the ground. 'Oh darling,' she said, 'I do wish I could get you out of my system.'
'Now you're upset,' he began. 'By the way,' he went on, 'what's the matter with that footman you've got here? He asked me how the salmon trout were runnin'. I thought everyone in Old Ireland knew it was close season.'
'Dermot you don't mean he suspects anything?'
'Suspect anything? My dear girl I only mentioned it to change the conversation. Good Lord I only meant he seemed a funny sort.'
'And why d'you say you wanted to change the conversation?' she asked.
'Now you're all upset.'
'You don't understand,' she wailed.
'All I meant was I'd rather have him than Eldon,' the Captain said with bitterness. But it seemed that she was not thinking of the servants.
Charley now studied the black and red notebooks each afternoon. In the black he found Mr Eldon had written down peculiarities of
'Ah now you're asking,' Kate said. 'I wonder is she married or was she ever d'you reckon?'
'No dear she's only called Mrs like all cooks if you're referrin' to Mrs Welch Whatever made you say?'
'Why nothing. But I wish he was goin' to be older that's all.'
'Kate I'm getting too hot.'
'Take off some of your clothes then silly. Come on with you I'll help.'
'Quiet. There's Mrs Jack's stockings I've got to go over.'
'If you lie on your buttons I can't undo 'em at the back can I?' Kate said Then she tickled Edith to make her shift.
'Mercy stop it,' Edith screamed. 'Whatever are you doin'?'
'You said you was too warm. And struggling like you are will only make you warmer. There.'
'Kate Armstrong I thought I asked you. It tickles Why you aren't pulling the dress off my back surely? Whatever are you at?'
But she made it easier for Kate by moving her body here and there as was required.
'It's only your old uniform,' Kate said and soon Edith was lying almost naked.
'I'll stroke you dear if you like,' Kate said. 'Shut your eyes now.'
'I ought to be going over those silk stockings.'
'If you don't take good care I'll run over you like you was an old pair Edie and darn you in all sorts of places you wouldn't think.'
They giggled in shrieks again at this then quietened down. Kate began to stroke up and down the inside of Edith's arm from the hollow of her elbow to the wrist. Edith lay still with closed eyes. The room was dark as long weed in the lake.
'What if it had been Charley?' Kate asked.
'Why d'you want to go on at me about him?'
'But supposin' it was Edie?'
'Well how would you have acted?' said Edith.
'Me? He would never've had to ask me twice. Not the way I am these days.'
'Oh Kate you are dreadful.' But Edith's voice was low. Kate's stroking was beginning to make her drowse.
Then there was a real outcry from the peacocks. Kate slipped out of bed to look She saw Mrs Jack walking down the drive far beneath with Captain Davenport who was pushing his bike.
'What is if?' Edith asked.
'Just those two again.' Then Edith got up to look. The girls blocked their window, made night in the room.
'What two?' Edith, said her back to the darkness And answered herself. 'Oh Mrs Jack and the Captain. But won't the children be disappointed. I know they was counting on their mother taking them out the little loves.'
'Well they can count on summat else then and so can she very likely,' Kate said.
'Now Kate you've no call to say such a thing.' Edith's voice was truly indignant They could not hear their masters.
'It's not fair You could get one of these,' Davenport was saying.
'Now Dermot,' she replied, 'you've no right to be beastly,'
'But a bike's the only way to get about these days,' he said.
'Darling I've already told you,' she said.
'She couldn't surely object to your having a bike Violet after all.'
'Oh I can't go on like this behind her back,' she announced from an expressionless face but with tears coming into her blue, blue eyes that matched the curtains in her room, 'no I can't Dermot any
longer.' She stopped. She stamped the ground. 'Oh darling,' she said, 'I do wish I could get you out of my system.'
'Now you're upset,' he began. 'By the way,' he went on, 'what's the matter with that footman you've got here? He asked me how the salmon trout were runnin'. I thought everyone in Old Ireland knew it was close season.'
'Dermot you don't mean he suspects anything?'
'Suspect anything? My dear girl I only mentioned it to change the conversation. Good Lord I only meant he seemed a funny sort.'
'And why d'you say you wanted to change the conversation?' she asked.
'Now you're all upset.'
'You don't understand,' she wailed.
'All I meant was I'd rather have him than Eldon,' the Captain said with bitterness. But it seemed that she was not thinking of the servants.
Charley now studied the black and red notebooks each afternoon. In the black he found Mr Eldon had written down peculiarities of
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