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The first words struck out with a rush ofextraordinary beauty.
Mrs Robson
ushered her into the little room where, before tea, shehad looked in the glass.
Would they accept her in spite of her hat and her gloves? As for her father he
was so stiff and so rigid that shehad a convulsive desire to laugh aloud.
If
you keep the mossdamp but not too damp, theyll last for weeks, she added,
lookingat the flowers.
It was a smallroom, crowded with objects.
Shesearched
the paper for some little piece of news that mightinterest her mother. She
liked the way he said Lucy Craddock, as if herespected her. A roar of laughter
floated outfrom the undergraduates quarters. What sort of wur-r-rk had Mrs
Robson done? But here the door opened and Hiscock came in with anote on a
salver.
But his father mended the boots on Sunday. Shesearched the paper for
some little piece of news that mightinterest her mother.
As for her father he
was so stiff and so rigid that shehad a convulsive desire to laugh aloud.
Portraits of former masters of Katharines looked downon them as they mounted.
But then, as Cousin James went on reading, something slipped.
Malone, who, had
a frame been set round him, might have hung overthe fireplace too. Why dont you
take more interest in things here, Kitty?
But by the time their own carriage
passed, the hats were on again. Then he turned to his daughter, who had come in
and was standingthere in her overall.
His hands were white, unlike his fathers,
andlong fingered too.
Its nice to have a quiet evening once in a way, Mrs
Malone wassaying, though the Fripps .
My wife was a cook, Miss Malone, before
we married, he said.
Mrs Robson ushered her into the little room where, before
tea, shehad looked in the glass.
If you keep the mossdamp but not too damp,
theyll last for weeks, she added, lookingat the flowers.
Calendars always
seemed to betalking at you. Only her shoulders came above the tea things; but
her shoulderswere substantial.
She compared favourably with most of their
visitors, Kitty thought.
She glanced through the notes that her daughterbrought
her. So you havent done any work this weekeither.
Pleased to see you, said Mrs
Robson formally, looking over hershoulder.
What are they laughing at,
shewondered as she stood by the window.
But Mr Robson had turned his rather
alarming blue eyes upon her.
Go and get thekittle, Jo, she added; and he went
at once as if he were used toit. It was dull fish, Kitty thought; the plates
were half cold. The unwieldy oldlady, posed in all the stiffness of her best
clothes, was plain inthe extreme. They wentwalloping one over another, one
after another, as if they wouldnever be finished.
Go and get thekittle, Jo, she
added; and he went at once as if he were used toit.
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