‘I heard him telling Davey he’s going to empty my mind and refurnish it with contemporary Western ideas. Now my Zen Master empties my mind and fills it with the ancient unlearning of the East. It can’t be right for them to go on empyting and filling it in competition with each other?’
‘I must say it doesn’t sound right. You wouldn’t think of giving up the Zen Master?’
‘I don’t like talking to you about Zen – I know you think it’s funny – you’re laughing now, Ma, aren’t you? That’s what makes it difficult to confide in you, you laugh at everything.’
‘Darling, never at you,’ I said, guiltily.
‘In that case I’m the only one. You’re nothing but a mocking materialist, like all your generation. If your children are not well-balanced you have only yourself to blame.’
‘Oh dear. Do you think that you and Basil are different from other people because I mocked?’ I was very much disturbed at this notion.
‘Different from other people – different from whom? You go about the world with your eyes shut. If you opened them you would see thousands of people exactly like me and Basil – Beards and Teds abounding in every direction. Next time you go driving in that awful great hearse of yours, just look out of the window. You’ll see that we’re not as different from other people as all that –’
‘Then in what way do you think you are unbalanced?’
‘I lack self-confidence and will-power. That’s what Dr Jore thought.’
‘And you don’t feel that he can help you?’
‘I’ve told you, Dr Jore would drive me into a bin. Only two people can help me. Dawn is one and the Zen Master is the other. They understand. I could never give them up, either of them.’
‘No, darling, you shan’t. I absolutely agree about Dr Jore – he’s a bore.’
‘There you are, with your scale of false values! You divide human souls into bores and non-bores, don’t you? I’m a bore and Basil isn’t, that I’ve always known. You ought to be considering where everybody stands in the universal scheme instead of laughing at them and saying they are bores.’
‘Anyway, in this case our different methods bring us to the same conclusion. I say Jore is a bore; you say Jore’s standing in the universal scheme is low: we both say Jore must go.’
At this David became more agreeable. He kindly admitted that though I was regrettably frivolous I was not without a certain comprehension. He harrowed my face with his beard and we parted on the best of terms.
Davey was more hurt than surprised when I told him that he must get rid of Jore. In my view, I explained, he was calculated to give anybody who had to see much of him a nervous breakdown and I refused to have one of my own children handed over to him. ‘David can’t bear him,’ I said, ‘so I’m sure he wouldn’t be much good.’
‘He’s far better than the Zen Master,’ said Davey, who, unlike me, had been allowed to meet this legendary figure.
‘That I can easily believe. However, David doesn’t think so; people must be allowed to go to hell their own way.’
‘It’s the greatest pity he has taken against Jore. I thought his diagnosis quite amazing – he hit the nail on the head in one. Mildred says he is intensely brilliant; the Supreme Commander has him every afternoon.’
‘How can he bear the dissertation?’
‘You must remember, with Americans, that they are fighting to express themselves in a language they’ve never properly learnt. They need the dissertation; the kind of shorthand that we talk would be useless to them.’
The next evening, Davey was good enough to dine in. We were waiting for Alfred and sipping cocktails.
‘Why does one never see Northey?’ Davey was asking, upon which the door opened and the pretty face looked round it.
‘I say, what’s happened to David? He fell on me like a stallion just now, in my office.’
‘Oh good,’ said Davey. ‘Dr Lecœur’s super-adding gland injection must have begun to work.’
‘Really, Davey, I call that rather inconvenient!’ I said. ‘What about all the young women in the Chancery? I’m supposed to be responsible for their morals, you know.’
‘This is Paris. They must be used to dealing with satyrs.’
‘In the Bois, perhaps, but not in the Embassy. Is it necessary to turn the poor fellow into a satyr?’
‘Please, Fanny, I must ask you not to interfere any more with my treatment of David.’
‘Oh, very well. Do you dine with us, darling?’
‘Not really. I’m after France Soir. Goody gum trees, the Bourse has found her vigour again – but Ay de mi, the Reps have reacted unfavourably to M. Bourguiba’s speech. Now there will be a pause for introspection, mark my words. The worry of it!’
‘Where’s Baz?’ I said.
‘Buggered. He’ll be coming back next week.’
‘Buggered!’ said Davey, faintly.
‘Now, Davey, you tell her she mustn’t.’
‘It’s all right, I know I mustn’t and I’m trying desperately hard not to.’
‘Is he bringing the atom marchers next week?’
‘No, ruminants until the end of the month. He’s been very busy organizing the march – he spent hours yesterday with precious Amy, seeing about the publicity. Anything for me to do, Fanny? Don’t say yes, there’s a darling, but lend me your little mink jacket, I’m so tired of my bunny.’
‘Very well, on condition you reform your language. What are you up to?’
‘Phyllis McFee and me are going to the Return of the Cinders with M. Cruas. He’s poor, he can’t take us to a proper theatre. Le Retour des Cendres, Fanny, sharpen your wits – the body of Napoleon coming back to the Invalides. So I go and get the jacket – you are lucky to be so kind – good night –’
‘They were talking about her at Mildred’s,’ Davey said. ‘It seems she is in full fling with Valhubert.’
I could not help remarking, ‘One can always be sure of some good conversation there –’
‘Fanny, be serious. Aren’t you worried about it?’
‘More worried
