up a bit. The decision gave him some pleasure. He had nothing to do, and he liked messing in a house.
He went hack to the bathroom and told Cora through the panels of the door what he intended to do.
'Come in,' she shouted. 'I can't hear you.'
He opened the door and looked into the tiny, steam-filled room. Cora was lying in the bath; only the back of her head and white shoulders were visible from where he stood. She glanced over her shoulder. A damp cigarette hung from her mouth.
'What is it?' she asked, a little sharply.
'How—how are you, Cora?'
'I'm all right,' she returned. 'God! You look a sight.'
George grinned happily. 'I know,' he said. 'It's my hand that's had. These are only scratches.'
'You've got guts,' she said. 'I didn't think you had it in you. '
It was worth the pain and the terror to hear that.
'This'll take the smarting away,' George said, putting the bottle of witch-hazel on the wooden bath surround.
'You just rub it in . . .'
She regarded the bottle, reached out a wet hand and picked it up. She read the label, frowning.
'Thank you, George. You're thoughtful. Now run away and tidy up, as you put it. I won't be long.'
George worked happily until Cora joined him. She was wearing Sydney's dirty white dressing-gown.
'You are a busy little bee, aren't you?' she jeered, looking round the room, her eyebrows making question marks.
He had put the old newspapers and empty beer bottles in one corner. He had wiped off all the sticky circles on the furniture and cleared up the mess in the fireplace. The dirty dishes he had taken into the kitchen. Already the room looked cleaner and brighter.
George grinned sheepishly. 'I like doing this,' he said. 'I'd like a place of my own.'
She sat in the armchair, lowering herself cautiously and with a little grimace. She lit a cigarette. 'You're a hit of a dope, aren't you?' There was an unexpected note of kindness in her voice that George hadn't heard before. He looked at her quickly, but she was regarding him with far-away, pored eyes, as if she were only half aware of his presence.
'I say, Cora . . .' he began, and then hesitated.
She glanced up sharply. 'If you're going to talk about last night, you'd better skip it. I'm in no mood to go over that business now.'
George scratched his head, embarrassed. 'Well, all right,' he said; 'but hang it all, Cora, I think you ought to explain. I mean I— well, look at me. And then, you've been hurt too. I think I ought to be told. What I mean to say is—'
'Oh, shut up!' Cora said, shifting her body in the chair 'We'll talk about that later. Suppose I was tight? No one's going to leer at me all the evening without a come-back. And no one's getting tough with me without damn well paying for it! Now, shut up, George!'
Baffled, George's gaze wandered round the room. Then he had an idea. 'Where are your clothes, Cora?'
'In the bedroom. Why?'
'I'll wash them for you. They'd look quite smart. I'm a hit of a dab at that kind of thing.'
She lifted her shoulders helplessly, closed her eyes and didn't say anything.
He went into the bedroom and collected the sweater and slacks. He found an unopened packet of Lux in the kitchen and he shut himself in the bathroom.
When he had hung the garments out of the back window to dry in the sun, he returned to the sitting-room. She was still there, a cigarette dangling from her lips, her eyes brooding.
'I've got some hot water ready,' he said. 'I'd like to wash your hair.'
She giggled suddenly, explosively. 'You're crazy,' she said.
George shook his head. 'No, I'm not,' he said stubbornly. 'I want you to look nice.'
She studied him for a long moment. 'You really are in love with me, aren't you, George?'
'Of course. You didn't doubt that, did you?'
She got to her feet and crossed over to him.
'All right: wash my hair if you want to.'
They went into the tiny bathroom together, and Cora sat on a stool before the wash-basin.
'Have you ever washed any other girl's head?' she asked, watching George with a thoughtful expression in her eyes.
George wrapped a bath towel round her shoulders. 'No,' he said. 'I've never wanted to before.'
'So there were other girls?'
He hesitated. 'Well, no, there were no other girls,' he said. 'You see, until you came along . . .'
