Linden Rise by Richmal Crompton

Author:Richmal Crompton
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-04-10T10:45:44+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

They didn’t meet Richard, however. Richard had gone straight from the bus stop to Blenheim Villa. He found Miss Maple sitting alone in her overcrowded little sitting-room, knitting socks for seamen. She knitted a good many socks for seamen these days as a sort of sop to her conscience.

“How nice to see you, dear boy!” she said. “I was hoping you’d call.”

“I’ve brought you some papers,” said Richard. He sat down by her and took a sheaf of leaflets from his pockets. “They give you all the particulars of trips to Paris, Rome, Norway, Belgium and any amount of other places.”

Miss Maple laid aside her sock, glanced at them, then thrust them aside.

“Oh, Richard, I couldn’t! What would people think? It would look so odd.”

“Why odd?” said Richard.

“Well, I never have gone abroad. Dear Mother never went abroad.”

Richard smiled.

“Well, read them and think them over,” he said. He gave her a disapproving scrutiny. “You’ve not got it on.”

“Oh, Richard, I couldn’t. Not just sitting alone in the house like this.”

“Have you worn it out of doors?”

“Oh, I couldn’t do that, Richard. Not out of doors. Everyone would see it. They’d be staring at it and talking about it. It cost more than what dear Mother allowed me for clothes in a whole year. I was mad to let you talk me into it.”

“Now look here,” said Richard, “you’ve got to promise me to put it on first thing in the morning and wear it all day.”

“Wear it all day?” gasped Miss Maple. “A lovely new dress like that?”

“Yes. You bought it to wear, didn’t you?”

“No, I didn’t,” said Miss Maple with spirit. “I bought it because you forced me to.”

“Well, will you promise to wear it tomorrow?”

“Not actually tomorrow,” said Miss Maple. “I must have a little more time to get used to it,” then, her face brightening: “It really is rather nice, you know. I tried it on again last night. But I’m still terrified of it. The first night after I’d bought it I kept waking up and thinking of it hanging there in the wardrobe—with the new coat as well—I just perspired with remorse, if you’ll pardon the expression, dear boy. It seemed even worse than that list of names. Richard . . .”

“Yes?”

“I was thinking about that list this afternoon and I decided to put some five shilling names in. I think I’d feel better if I did. I mean, even if it’s doing wrong, they’re getting money from it, so it sorts of cancels out. Or does it, Richard?”

“I shouldn’t worry about that,” said Richard. “Let’s just enjoy it.”

“Oh, Richard! Shall I put in a ten-shilling subscription or would that be going too far? I mean, I know that the whole thing’s a sin, but I can’t make up my mind whether ten shillings is less of a sin than five shillings or more.”

“I don’t think it matters. Let’s have one or two ten shillings, anyway. Ten shilling subscribers must have double-barrelled names, of course.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.