sit down. We’re standing here as if we were in a hotel lobby.”
“I can do it,” Nora said. She said again, “He knows me.”
“Missy knows where everything is,” said Mrs. Clopstock. “Come along, Alex, Boyd. Nora, don’t you want to wash your hands?”
“I’m feeling dehydrated too,” said Mr. Fenton. “I hope Missy put something on ice.”
Nora watched Missy turn and climb the stairs and disappear around the bend in the staircase. There’ll be a holy row about this, she thought. I’ll be gone.
“It was very nice meeting you,” she said. “I have to leave now.”
“Come on, Nora,” said Mr. Fenton. “Anybody could have made the same mistake. You came in out of bright sunlight. The hall was dark.”
“Could we please, please go and sit down?” said his mother-in-law.
“All right,” he said, still to Nora. “It’s O.K. You’ve had enough. Let’s have a bite to eat and I’ll drive you home.”
“You may have to take Neil to the hospital.”
Mrs. Clopstock took the doctor’s arm. She was a little woman in green linen, wearing pearls and pearl earrings. Aunt Rosalie would have seen right away if they were real. The two moved from the shaded hall to a shaded room.
Mr. Fenton watched them go. “Nora,” he said, “just let me have a drink and I’ll drive you home.”
“I don’t need to be driven home. I can take the Sherbrooke bus and walk the rest of the way.”
“Can you tell me what’s wrong? It can’t be my mother-in-law. She’s a nice woman. Missy’s a little rough, but she’s nice too.”
“Where’s Mrs. Fenton?” said Nora. “Why didn’t she at least come to the door? It’s her child.”
“You’re not dumb,” he said. “You’re not Ray’s girl for nothing. It’s hers and it isn’t.”
“We all signed,” Nora said. “I didn’t sign to cover up some story. I came here to do a Christian act. I wasn’t paid anything.”
“What do you mean by ‘anything’? You mean not enough?”
“Who’s Neil?” she said. “I mean, who
is
he?”
“He’s a Fenton. You saw the register.”
“I mean,
who
is he?”
“He’s my son. You signed the register. You should know.”
“I believe you,” she said. “He has English eyes.” Hervoice dropped. He had to ask her to repeat something. “I said, was it Ninette?”
It took him a second or so to see what she was after. He gave the same kind of noisy laugh as when she had tried to place the child in Missy’s arms. “Little Miss Cochefert? Until this minute I thought you were the only sane person in Montreal.”
“It fits,” said Nora. “I’m sorry.”
“Well, I’ll tell you,” he said. “I don’t know. There are two people that know. Your father, Ray Abbott, and Alex Marchand.”
“Did you pay my dad?”
“
Pay
him? I paid him for
you
. We wouldn’t have asked anyone to look after Neil for nothing.”
“About Ninette,” she said. “I just meant that it fits.”
“A hundred women in Montreal would fit, when it comes to that. The truth is, we don’t know, except that she was in good health.”
“Who was the girl in the lane? The one you were talking about.”
“Just a girl in the wrong place. Her father was a school principal.”
“You said that. Did you know her?”
“I never saw her. Missy and Louise did. Louise is my wife.”
“I know. How much did you give my dad? Not for Neil. For me.”
“Thirty bucks. Some men don’t make that in a week. If you have to ask, it means you never got it.”
“I’ve never had thirty dollars in one piece in my life,” she said. “In my family we don’t fight over money. What my dad says, goes. I’ve never had to go without. Gerry and I had new coats every winter.”
“Is that the end of the interrogatory? You’d have made a great cop. I agree, you can’t stay. But would you just do onelast Christian act? Wash your hands and comb your hair and sit down and have lunch. After that, I’ll put you in a taxi and pay the driver.
“I can do it,” Nora said. She said again, “He knows me.”
“Missy knows where everything is,” said Mrs. Clopstock. “Come along, Alex, Boyd. Nora, don’t you want to wash your hands?”
“I’m feeling dehydrated too,” said Mr. Fenton. “I hope Missy put something on ice.”
Nora watched Missy turn and climb the stairs and disappear around the bend in the staircase. There’ll be a holy row about this, she thought. I’ll be gone.
“It was very nice meeting you,” she said. “I have to leave now.”
“Come on, Nora,” said Mr. Fenton. “Anybody could have made the same mistake. You came in out of bright sunlight. The hall was dark.”
“Could we please, please go and sit down?” said his mother-in-law.
“All right,” he said, still to Nora. “It’s O.K. You’ve had enough. Let’s have a bite to eat and I’ll drive you home.”
“You may have to take Neil to the hospital.”
Mrs. Clopstock took the doctor’s arm. She was a little woman in green linen, wearing pearls and pearl earrings. Aunt Rosalie would have seen right away if they were real. The two moved from the shaded hall to a shaded room.
Mr. Fenton watched them go. “Nora,” he said, “just let me have a drink and I’ll drive you home.”
“I don’t need to be driven home. I can take the Sherbrooke bus and walk the rest of the way.”
“Can you tell me what’s wrong? It can’t be my mother-in-law. She’s a nice woman. Missy’s a little rough, but she’s nice too.”
“Where’s Mrs. Fenton?” said Nora. “Why didn’t she at least come to the door? It’s her child.”
“You’re not dumb,” he said. “You’re not Ray’s girl for nothing. It’s hers and it isn’t.”
“We all signed,” Nora said. “I didn’t sign to cover up some story. I came here to do a Christian act. I wasn’t paid anything.”
“What do you mean by ‘anything’? You mean not enough?”
“Who’s Neil?” she said. “I mean, who
is
he?”
“He’s a Fenton. You saw the register.”
“I mean,
who
is he?”
“He’s my son. You signed the register. You should know.”
“I believe you,” she said. “He has English eyes.” Hervoice dropped. He had to ask her to repeat something. “I said, was it Ninette?”
It took him a second or so to see what she was after. He gave the same kind of noisy laugh as when she had tried to place the child in Missy’s arms. “Little Miss Cochefert? Until this minute I thought you were the only sane person in Montreal.”
“It fits,” said Nora. “I’m sorry.”
“Well, I’ll tell you,” he said. “I don’t know. There are two people that know. Your father, Ray Abbott, and Alex Marchand.”
“Did you pay my dad?”
“
Pay
him? I paid him for
you
. We wouldn’t have asked anyone to look after Neil for nothing.”
“About Ninette,” she said. “I just meant that it fits.”
“A hundred women in Montreal would fit, when it comes to that. The truth is, we don’t know, except that she was in good health.”
“Who was the girl in the lane? The one you were talking about.”
“Just a girl in the wrong place. Her father was a school principal.”
“You said that. Did you know her?”
“I never saw her. Missy and Louise did. Louise is my wife.”
“I know. How much did you give my dad? Not for Neil. For me.”
“Thirty bucks. Some men don’t make that in a week. If you have to ask, it means you never got it.”
“I’ve never had thirty dollars in one piece in my life,” she said. “In my family we don’t fight over money. What my dad says, goes. I’ve never had to go without. Gerry and I had new coats every winter.”
“Is that the end of the interrogatory? You’d have made a great cop. I agree, you can’t stay. But would you just do onelast Christian act? Wash your hands and comb your hair and sit down and have lunch. After that, I’ll put you in a taxi and pay the driver.
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