The Changeover by Margaret Mahy Page A

had attracted his attention because she was herself, Laura, and not Kate's superfluous daughter.
    "That's pretty unsympathetic of me if it's true," he said at last, and Laura was forced to be gentler because he was being gentle with her.
    "It's true all right," she said, "and it's awful for Mum. First I make her feel bad because she's going out and then you make her feel worse because she isn't."
    Her anger was draining out of her, and her voice became apologetic in spite of her efforts to keep it cool and expressionless.
    "She really wanted to go. I thought she was a bit too pleased about it..." Laura stopped. Her aggressive beginnings were all exhausted.
    What had started out as reproof was starting to sound like a confession, and Laura thought that in another moment she would find herself apologizing to him.
    "Of course I don't blame her," Chris said at last. "The fact is, I was looking forward very much to going out with your mother — right? And suddenly — a sick kid— that could mean almost anything. It did cross my mind she might be standing me up, for example. I don't always feel so very confident of my own fascination. You'd be surprised— well I hope you'd be surprised— at the number of people who have found me perfectly resistible ..." He paused, and Laura did not say anything for she was working this out. "Kate was saying that your father left you all a few years ago and I was telling her that my wife did the same to me. Naturally, I think she did the wrong thing." He smiled rather mockingly at Laura, inviting her to be amused at his judgement . "But since then, all hesitations seem as if they could be simply that I don't measure up— right?" Laura felt uneasily that he had tricked her into an understanding she did not want to give. "Kate's quite correct about one thing," he added warmly, sounding as if he were continuing the conversation but trickily changing the subject, "this is terrible sherry!"
    "It was very cheap," Laura said. "We're great on bargains."
    "Sherry like this can never, ever be a bargain," said Chris.
    Laura felt obliged to explain further.
    "It's not that we're poor." She looked around her doubtfully. "Not really poor. We own this house, and a lot of people don't have houses of their own. But we're usually short. The bookshop doesn't pay Mum a lot, and my father often puts off paying maintenance. Mum's lawyer has to chase after him every so often. Jacko and I cost a lot to run. We can't afford a lot of civilization." Unwillingly she was treating Chris as though he were a member of the family.
    At this moment Kate came back into the room wearing an old skirt and blouse.
    "You're not only standing me up, you're trying to poison me," Chris Holly said to her, and something in his voice eased Kate's expression and she smiled with undefined relief. "How's the boy?"
    "Still asleep, thank goodness," Kate replied. "Don't drink that stuff if you don't want to. It wasn't one of my brightest moves. It's a symbol really. It stands for the good sherry we'll have someday when we're rich."
    "I'd better get these tickets back to the Town Hall,"
    Chris said, standing up again, but even then he waited a little looking from Kate to Laura as if he were turning something over in his mind.
    "Kate, I might take you up on that offer of coffee if it's still open," he said.
    "Oh it is!" cried Kate with such undisguised pleasure that Laura blushed for her. "But let me confess — it's only instant coffee. The sherry's symbolic and the coffee's instant."
    "Nothing I can't cope with. I did my degree in philosophy, remember," Chris said. "It's a more practical study than anyone gives it credit for. Symbolic sherry — that's nothing to a philosopher," and he left them.
    "You shouldn't seem so keen on him," Laura said, finding she disapproved of Kate all over again.
    "Why not? It's flattering to him, isn't it?" Kate replied, beginning to tidy away the soup bowls, mute testament to a hurried and disorganized