it I can’t. If only father would be decent and die, I should be all right.”
“You must not say things like that, Lettice.”
“Well, if he doesn’t want me to want him to die, he shouldn’t be so horrible over money. I don’t wonder mother left him. Do you know, for years I believed she was dead. What sort of a young man did she run away with? Was he nice?”
“It was before your father came to live here.”
“I wonder what’s become of her. I expect Anne will have an affair with someone soon. Anne hates me—she’s quite decent to me, but she hates me. She’s getting old and she’s doesn’t like it. That’s the age you break out, you know.”
I wondered if Lettice was going to spend the entire afternoon in my study.
“You haven’t seen my gramophone records, have you?” she asked.
“No.”
“How tiresome. I know I’ve left them somewhere. And I’ve lost the dog. And my wrist watch is somewhere, only it doesn’t much matter because it won’t go. Oh! dear, I am so sleepy. I can’t think why, because I didn’t get up till eleven. But life’s very shattering, don’t you think? Oh! dear, I must go. I’m going to see Dr. Stone’s barrow at three o’clock.”
I glanced at the clock and remarked that it was now five-and-twenty to four.
“Oh! Is it? How dreadful. I wonder if they’ve waited or if they’ve gone without me. I suppose I’d better go down and do something about it.”