'Ring, Con,' cried Josephine. She couldn't trust herself to reply.
And proud young Kate, the enchanted princess, came in to see what the old tabbies wanted now. She snatched away their plates of mock something or other and slapped down a white terrified blancmange.1
'Jam, please, Kate,' said Josephine kindly.
Kate knelt and burst open the sideboard, lifted the lid of the jam-pot, saw it was empty, put it on the table, and stalked off. 'I'm afraid,' said Nurse Andrews a moment later, 'there isn't any.' 'Oh, what a bother!' said Josephine. She bit her lip. 'What had we better do?'
Constantia looked dubious. 'We can't disturb Kate again,' she said softly.
Nurse Andrews waited, smiling at them both. Her eyes wandered, spying at everything behind her eyeglasses. Constantia in despair went back to her camels. Josephine frowned heavily?concentrated. If it hadn't been for this idiotic woman she and Con would, of course, have eaten their blancmange without. Suddenly the idea came.
'I know,' she said. 'Marmalade. There's some marmalade in the sideboard. Get it, Con.' 'I hope,' laughed Nurse Andrews?and her laugh was like a spoon tinkling against a medicine glass?'I hope it's not very bittah marmalayde.'
Ill
But, after all, it was not long now, and then she'd be gone for good. And there was no getting over the fact that she had been very kind to father. She had nursed him day and night at the end. Indeed, both Constantia and Josephine felt privately she had rather overdone the not leaving him at the very last. For when they had gone in to say goodbye Nurse Andrews had sat beside
I. A gelatinous dessert.
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233 6 / {CATHERINE MANSFIELD
his hed the whole time, holding his wrist and pretending to look at her watch. It couldn't have been necessary. It was so tactless, too. Supposing father had wanted to say something?something private to them. Not that he had. Oh, far from it! He lay there, purple, a dark, angry purple in the face, and never even looked at them when they came in. Then, as they were standing there, wondering what to do, he had suddenly opened one eye. Oh, what a difference it would have made, what a difference to their memory of him, how much easier to tell people about it, if he had only opened both! But no?one eye only. It glared at them a moment and then . . . went out.
IV
It had made it very awkward for them when Mr Farolles, of St John's, called the same afternoon. 'The end was quite peaceful, I trust?' were the first words he said as he glided towards them through the dark drawing- room. 'Quite,' said Josephine faintly. They both hung their heads. Both of them felt certain that eye wasn't at all a peaceful eye.
'Won't you sit down?' said Josephine.
'Thank you, Miss Pinner,' said Mr Farolles gratefully. He folded his coattails and began to lower himself into father's armchair, but just as he touched it he almost sprang up and slid into the next chair instead.
He coughed. Josephine clasped her hands; Constantia looked vague.
'I want you to feel, Miss Pinner,' said Mr Farolles, 'and you, Miss Constantia, that I'm trying to be helpful. I want to be helpful to you both, if you will let me. These are the times,' said Mr Farolles, very simply and earnestly, 'when God means us to be helpful to one another.'
'Thank you very much, Mr Farolles,' said Josephine and Constantia.
Not at all,' said Mr Farolles gently. He drew his kid gloves through his fingers and leaned forward. 'And if either of you would like a little Communion, either or both of you, here and now, you have only to tell me. A little Communion is often very help?a great comfort,' he added tenderly.
But the idea of a little Communion terrified them. What! In the drawing room by themselves?with no?no altar or anything! The piano would be much too high, thought Constantia, and Mr Farolles could not possibly lean over it with the chalice. And Kate would be sure to come bursting in and interrupt them, thought Josephine. And supposing the bell rang in the middle? It might be somebody important?about their mourning. Would they get up reverently and go out, or would they have to wait .. . in torture?
'Perhaps you will send round a note by your good Kate if you would care for
it later,' said Mr Farolles.
'Oh yes, thank you very much!' they both said.
Mr Farolles got up and took his black straw hat from the round table.
'And about the funeral,' he said softly. 'I may arrange that?as your dear father's old friend and yours, Miss Pinner?and Miss Constantia?'
Josephine and Constantia got up too.
'I should like it to be quite simple,' said Josephine firmly, 'and not too expensive. At the same time, I should like?'
'A good one that will last,' thought dreamy Constantia, as if Josephine were buying a nightgown. But of course Josephine didn't say that. 'One suitable to our father's position.' She was very nervous.
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'I'll run round to our good friend Mr Knight,' said Mr Farolles soothingly. 'I will ask him to come and see you. I am sure you will find him very helpful indeed.'
