make these mysterious excursions and on this occasion she came back rather flushed and extremely talkative. Her speech seemed different and she was more affectionate than ever.
I went to her room on some pretext—I forget what—and found her lying fully dressed on her bed, propped up by pillows.
“Hello, Davina,” she said. “Come and sit down and talk to me.”
I sat down and she told me she had had a very good luncheon … too good in fact … with a very great friend.
“I feel sleepy,” she said. “I could do with a little tonic. Here. Take the key in that drawer and open that little cupboard. There’s a bottle in there and a glass. Just pour out a little, will you? It’s just what I need.”
I could smell that the tonic was brandy.
I poured it out and took it to her.
She drank it quickly.
“That’s better,” she said. “Leave the glass, dear. I’ll wash it later. Put the key back in the drawer. Now sit down. There. Let’s talk. I’ve had a lovely meal … and the wine was delicious. I like people who know how to choose a good wine. It’s one of the things I’ll have to teach you, Davina.”
“I didn’t think I had to learn things like that. I know absolutely nothing about wines.”
“When you’re in a big house with a nice husband and he brings his guests home … you’ll have to know how to entertain them.”
“So that’s what I have to learn as well!”
“Well, it’s as good a reason as any …”
“What do you mean, ‘as good a reason as any’?”
She hesitated. I could see how sleepy she was. She seemed to rouse herself.
“I’m just babbling on. I like to talk to you, Davina. I think we’ve become friends … and that’s nice. That’s how I wanted it. You’re a nice girl … a nice innocent girl, and that’s how young girls should be, shouldn’t they?”
“I suppose so.”
She went on: “What a nice cosy time you must have had, Davina, my dear. Living all your life in this house … with kind Mama and stern Papa, the worthy banker, pillar of society in a great city.” She laughed. “You ought to see London.”
“I’d like to.”
“We’ve got our grand houses, you know. Grander than this even. But we’ve got some which are not so grand.”
“That is so here. I suppose it is like that everywhere.”
“In big cities the contrasts are greater.”
“This is a big city.”
“I was thinking of London.”
“It’s your home, is it?” I asked. “Why did you come up here?”
“I came for a little while and decided to stay … awhile at least.”
She sounded as though she would soon be asleep.
“Were you a governess before?” I asked.
She laughed. “Governess, me? Do I look like a governess?”
I shook my head.
“I was on the boards,” she said.
“Boards?”
She was laughing again. “Music hall,” she said in a slurred voice. “Song and dance act. It went down well for a time … as that sort of act goes. Quite a long time really.”
“You mean you were on the stage?”
She nodded dreamily. “Those were the days …”
“Why did you come here then?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “I like a change. Besides … well, never mind. I was in Glasgow with the Jolly Red Heads. Three of us there were … all red-haired. That was what gave us the idea. We’d come on stage with our hair flying loose.
Brought the house down … to start with. People get tired. That’s the trouble. Fickle, that’s what they are. We toured the provinces and then we came to Glasgow. Did quite well there. It’s a hard grind, though. There comes a time when you feel like settling …”
“And are you going to settle, Miss Grey?”
“Yes,” she murmured.
“I’ll leave you, then you can sleep.”
“No, don’t go. I like to hear you talking. You’re a nice girl, Davina. I like you.”
“Thank you. I had no idea you were on the stage.”
“Didn’t you, dear? That’s because you’re a nice little innocent.”
She was changing again, but her
I went to her room on some pretext—I forget what—and found her lying fully dressed on her bed, propped up by pillows.
“Hello, Davina,” she said. “Come and sit down and talk to me.”
I sat down and she told me she had had a very good luncheon … too good in fact … with a very great friend.
“I feel sleepy,” she said. “I could do with a little tonic. Here. Take the key in that drawer and open that little cupboard. There’s a bottle in there and a glass. Just pour out a little, will you? It’s just what I need.”
I could smell that the tonic was brandy.
I poured it out and took it to her.
She drank it quickly.
“That’s better,” she said. “Leave the glass, dear. I’ll wash it later. Put the key back in the drawer. Now sit down. There. Let’s talk. I’ve had a lovely meal … and the wine was delicious. I like people who know how to choose a good wine. It’s one of the things I’ll have to teach you, Davina.”
“I didn’t think I had to learn things like that. I know absolutely nothing about wines.”
“When you’re in a big house with a nice husband and he brings his guests home … you’ll have to know how to entertain them.”
“So that’s what I have to learn as well!”
“Well, it’s as good a reason as any …”
“What do you mean, ‘as good a reason as any’?”
She hesitated. I could see how sleepy she was. She seemed to rouse herself.
“I’m just babbling on. I like to talk to you, Davina. I think we’ve become friends … and that’s nice. That’s how I wanted it. You’re a nice girl … a nice innocent girl, and that’s how young girls should be, shouldn’t they?”
“I suppose so.”
She went on: “What a nice cosy time you must have had, Davina, my dear. Living all your life in this house … with kind Mama and stern Papa, the worthy banker, pillar of society in a great city.” She laughed. “You ought to see London.”
“I’d like to.”
“We’ve got our grand houses, you know. Grander than this even. But we’ve got some which are not so grand.”
“That is so here. I suppose it is like that everywhere.”
“In big cities the contrasts are greater.”
“This is a big city.”
“I was thinking of London.”
“It’s your home, is it?” I asked. “Why did you come up here?”
“I came for a little while and decided to stay … awhile at least.”
She sounded as though she would soon be asleep.
“Were you a governess before?” I asked.
She laughed. “Governess, me? Do I look like a governess?”
I shook my head.
“I was on the boards,” she said.
“Boards?”
She was laughing again. “Music hall,” she said in a slurred voice. “Song and dance act. It went down well for a time … as that sort of act goes. Quite a long time really.”
“You mean you were on the stage?”
She nodded dreamily. “Those were the days …”
“Why did you come here then?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “I like a change. Besides … well, never mind. I was in Glasgow with the Jolly Red Heads. Three of us there were … all red-haired. That was what gave us the idea. We’d come on stage with our hair flying loose.
Brought the house down … to start with. People get tired. That’s the trouble. Fickle, that’s what they are. We toured the provinces and then we came to Glasgow. Did quite well there. It’s a hard grind, though. There comes a time when you feel like settling …”
“And are you going to settle, Miss Grey?”
“Yes,” she murmured.
“I’ll leave you, then you can sleep.”
“No, don’t go. I like to hear you talking. You’re a nice girl, Davina. I like you.”
“Thank you. I had no idea you were on the stage.”
“Didn’t you, dear? That’s because you’re a nice little innocent.”
She was changing again, but her
Similar Books
