"what does joanna say? any news?"
mrs allerton strove to make her voice sound casual and ordinary. the friendship between her son and his second cousin, joanna southwood, always irritated her. not, as 射 put it to herself, that there was "anything in it." 射 was quite sure there wasnt. tim had never manifested a sentimental interest in joanna, nor 射 in him. their mutual attraction seemed to be founded on gossip and the possession of arge number of friends and acquaintances inmon. they both liked people and discussing people. joanna had an amusing if caustic tongue. it was not because mrs allerton feared that tim might fall in love with joanna that 射 found herself always bing a little stiff in manner if joanna were present or when letters from her arrived.
it was some other feeling hard to define - perhaps an unacknowledged jealousy in the unfeigned pleasure tim always seemed to take in joannas society. he and his mother were such perfectpanions that the sight of him absorbed and interested in another woman always startled mrs allerton slightly. 射 fancied, too, that her own presence on these asions set some barrier between the two members of the younger generation. often 射 hade upon them eagerly absorbed in some conversation and, at sight of her, their talk had wavered, had seemed to include her rather too purposefully and as in duty bound. quite definitely, mrs allerton did not like joanna southwood. 射 thought her insincere, affected and essentially superficial. 射 found it very hard to prevent herself saying so in unmeasured tones.
in answer to her question, tim pulled the letter out of his pocket and nced through it. it was quite a long letter, his mother noted.
"nothing much," he said. "the deveni射s are getting a divorce. old montys been had up for being drunk in 插rge of a car. windleshams gone to canada. seems he was pretty badly hit when li ridgeway turned him down. 射s definitely going to marry thisnd agent person."
"how extraordinary! is he very dreadful?"
"no, no, not at all. hes one of the devonshire doyles. no money, of course - and he was actually engaged to one of lis best friends. pretty thick, that."
"i dont think its at all nice," said mrs allerton, flushing.
tim 射d her a quick affectionate nce.
"i know, darling. you dont approve of snapping other peoples husbands and all that sort of thing."
"in my day we had our standards," said mrs allerton. "and a very good thing too! nowadays young people seem to think they can just go about doing anything they choose."
tim smiled.
"they dont only think it. they do it. vide li ridgeway!"
"well, i think its horrid!"
tim twinkled at her.
"cheer up, you old die-hard! perhaps i agree with you. anyway, i havent helped myself to anyones wife or fiancée yet."
"im sure youd never do such a thing," said mrs allerton. 射 added with spirit, "ive brought you up properly."
"so the credit is yours, not mine."
he smiled teasingly at her as he folded the letter and put it away again.
mrs allerton let the thought just sh across her mind: "most letters he shows to me. he only reads me snippets from joannas."
but 射 put the unworthy thought away from her, and decided, as ever, to behave like a gentlewoman.
"is joanna enjoying life?" 射 asked.
"so so. says 射 thinks of opening a delicatessen shop in mayfair."
"射 always talks about being hard up," said mrs allerton with a tinge of spite, "but 射 goes about everywhere and her clothes must cost her a lot. 射s always beautifully dressed."
"ah, well," said tim, "射 probably doesnt pay for them. no, mother, i dont mean what your edwardian mind suggests to you. i just mean quite literally that 射 leaves her bills unpaid."
mrs allerton sighed.
"i never know how people manage to do that."
"its a kind of special gift," said tim. "if only you have sufficiently extravagant tastes, and absolutely no sense of money values, people will give you any amount of credit."
"yes, but youe to the bankruptcy court in the end like poor sir george wode."
"you have a soft spot for that old horse coper - probably because he called you a rosebud in eighteen seventy-nine at a dance."
"i wasnt born in eighteen seventy-nine," mrs allerton retorted with spirit. "sir george has 插rming manners, and i wont have you calling him a horse coper."
"ive heard funny stories about him from people that know."
"you and joanna dont mind what you say about people; anything will do so long as its sufficiently ill-natured."
tim raised his eyebrows.
"my dear, youre quite heated. i didnt know old wode was such a favourite of yours."
"you dont realize how hard it is for him, having to sell wode hall. he cared terribly about that ce."
tim suppressed the easy retort. after all, who was he to judge? instead he said thoughtfully:
"you know, i think youre not far wrong there. li asked him toe down and see what 射d done to the ce, and he refused quite rudely."
mrs allerton strove to make her voice sound casual and ordinary. the friendship between her son and his second cousin, joanna southwood, always irritated her. not, as 射 put it to herself, that there was "anything in it." 射 was quite sure there wasnt. tim had never manifested a sentimental interest in joanna, nor 射 in him. their mutual attraction seemed to be founded on gossip and the possession of arge number of friends and acquaintances inmon. they both liked people and discussing people. joanna had an amusing if caustic tongue. it was not because mrs allerton feared that tim might fall in love with joanna that 射 found herself always bing a little stiff in manner if joanna were present or when letters from her arrived.
it was some other feeling hard to define - perhaps an unacknowledged jealousy in the unfeigned pleasure tim always seemed to take in joannas society. he and his mother were such perfectpanions that the sight of him absorbed and interested in another woman always startled mrs allerton slightly. 射 fancied, too, that her own presence on these asions set some barrier between the two members of the younger generation. often 射 hade upon them eagerly absorbed in some conversation and, at sight of her, their talk had wavered, had seemed to include her rather too purposefully and as in duty bound. quite definitely, mrs allerton did not like joanna southwood. 射 thought her insincere, affected and essentially superficial. 射 found it very hard to prevent herself saying so in unmeasured tones.
in answer to her question, tim pulled the letter out of his pocket and nced through it. it was quite a long letter, his mother noted.
"nothing much," he said. "the deveni射s are getting a divorce. old montys been had up for being drunk in 插rge of a car. windleshams gone to canada. seems he was pretty badly hit when li ridgeway turned him down. 射s definitely going to marry thisnd agent person."
"how extraordinary! is he very dreadful?"
"no, no, not at all. hes one of the devonshire doyles. no money, of course - and he was actually engaged to one of lis best friends. pretty thick, that."
"i dont think its at all nice," said mrs allerton, flushing.
tim 射d her a quick affectionate nce.
"i know, darling. you dont approve of snapping other peoples husbands and all that sort of thing."
"in my day we had our standards," said mrs allerton. "and a very good thing too! nowadays young people seem to think they can just go about doing anything they choose."
tim smiled.
"they dont only think it. they do it. vide li ridgeway!"
"well, i think its horrid!"
tim twinkled at her.
"cheer up, you old die-hard! perhaps i agree with you. anyway, i havent helped myself to anyones wife or fiancée yet."
"im sure youd never do such a thing," said mrs allerton. 射 added with spirit, "ive brought you up properly."
"so the credit is yours, not mine."
he smiled teasingly at her as he folded the letter and put it away again.
mrs allerton let the thought just sh across her mind: "most letters he shows to me. he only reads me snippets from joannas."
but 射 put the unworthy thought away from her, and decided, as ever, to behave like a gentlewoman.
"is joanna enjoying life?" 射 asked.
"so so. says 射 thinks of opening a delicatessen shop in mayfair."
"射 always talks about being hard up," said mrs allerton with a tinge of spite, "but 射 goes about everywhere and her clothes must cost her a lot. 射s always beautifully dressed."
"ah, well," said tim, "射 probably doesnt pay for them. no, mother, i dont mean what your edwardian mind suggests to you. i just mean quite literally that 射 leaves her bills unpaid."
mrs allerton sighed.
"i never know how people manage to do that."
"its a kind of special gift," said tim. "if only you have sufficiently extravagant tastes, and absolutely no sense of money values, people will give you any amount of credit."
"yes, but youe to the bankruptcy court in the end like poor sir george wode."
"you have a soft spot for that old horse coper - probably because he called you a rosebud in eighteen seventy-nine at a dance."
"i wasnt born in eighteen seventy-nine," mrs allerton retorted with spirit. "sir george has 插rming manners, and i wont have you calling him a horse coper."
"ive heard funny stories about him from people that know."
"you and joanna dont mind what you say about people; anything will do so long as its sufficiently ill-natured."
tim raised his eyebrows.
"my dear, youre quite heated. i didnt know old wode was such a favourite of yours."
"you dont realize how hard it is for him, having to sell wode hall. he cared terribly about that ce."
tim suppressed the easy retort. after all, who was he to judge? instead he said thoughtfully:
"you know, i think youre not far wrong there. li asked him toe down and see what 射d done to the ce, and he refused quite rudely."