‘Can I pass you the sugar, Father?’ said Faith.
‘Isn’t it selfless of Fulbert to take an interest in what he will miss?’ said Hope. ‘It is people with emptier lives like mine who ought to go away.’
‘It is because of what ny life holds, that I am going.’
‘Yes, it would hardly bj worth while for me to go.’
‘Take what you can get out of it, my boy,’ said Sir Jesse, almost harshly. ‘You are not a woman,’
‘Father knows that, Grandpa,’ said Luce, in her demure tone.
‘I think he is one of those men who do,’ said Graham.
‘Do men get more out of things than women?’ said Faith. ‘I should hardly have thought so.’
‘I would not exchange my life for a man’s,’ said Regan.
‘You would be an odd person if you would, Lady Sullivan,’ said Ridley, in an earnest tone.
‘I always think I should have been more of a success as a man,’ said Eleanor.
‘Mrs Sullivan, you do not wish for the change?’ said Ridley, in an almost stricken manner.
‘Well, not at this stage, I suppose.’
‘Would you be rid of us all, Mother?’ said Luce.
‘Well, I might prefer to be your father.’
‘That would be giving up a good deal of us.’
‘It would be gaining some more,’ said Fulbert. ‘I admit no belittlement of fatherhood.’
‘We must acknowledge the woman’s part as the deeper and fuller here,’ said Ridley.
‘In most cases,’ said Faith. ‘And exceptions prove rules.’
‘They seem to break them,’ said Graham. ‘But what does it matter?’
‘Would you be a woman or a man, Luce, my dear?’ said Regan.
‘A woman, Grandma,’ said Luce, simply, turning her eyes full on Regan’s face.
‘Which would you choose to be, Father?’ said Faith.
‘Well, I think a man gets more and gives less.’
‘You have not answered my question, Father.’
‘He has in his own way, Faith,’ said Luce, in a low, amused tone.
‘It would be no advantage not to give,’ said Faith. ‘One would not wish to give that up.’
‘It would be shocking to ask Faith what she gave,’ said Hope to her husband. ‘She can only give intangible things, and no one can speak of those. And I did feel the impulse.’
‘Few normal people would wish to belong to the opposite sex,’ said Daniel.
‘It would mean they were different,’ said Graham. ‘And that would seem to them a pity.’
‘A human being is a wonderful thing,’ said Faith.
‘Then of course it would be a pity,’ said Paul.
‘A human being is in some ways a melancholy thing,’ said Ridley, glancing at Eleanor.
‘People often make their own troubles,’ said Faith.
‘Well, it does seem shallow to be fortunate,’ said Hope.
‘We don’t all have to make them,’ said Regan.
‘I wish I had had as much sorrow as you have, Lady Sullivan,’ said Hope. ‘I am really ashamed of having been through so little.’
Regan laughed.
‘I don’t know anyone with such an infectious laugh as Grandma, when she really gives it,’ said Luce.
‘I daresay the experience behind it only adds to it,’ said Faith.
‘Can’t we even laugh properly without having trouble?’ said Hope. ‘Then it is true that laughter is near to tears. Is this six or seven children coming in?’
‘You know it is six, Mother.’
‘I knew it ought to be. But it did seem to be more. And surely these children ought to count more than one.’
Nevill ran up to Regan and stood by her knee.
‘A, b, c, d,’ he said.
‘What a clever boy! I did not know you could learn so fast.’
‘A is red, b is blue, c is green, and d is pink,’ said Nevill watching her face for the effect of this knowledge.
‘Does Miss Pilbeam colour them?’
‘No, he does. There are twenty-six.’
‘Twenty-six what?’
‘Twenty-six a, b, c, d,’ said Nevill, rapidly moving his feet.
‘Letters,’ said Honor.
‘Letters,’ said Nevill, a calm overspreading his face.
‘And you will learn them all?’ said Regan.
‘He will learn twenty-six.’
‘And what colours will they be?’
‘White, purple, brown, crimson lake,’ said Nevill, with very little pause.
‘Does it confuse him to have the colours?’ said Eleanor. ‘I should have thought it would make it harder.’
‘It does make him think each letter has its own colour,’ said Honor. ‘But he asked to have it like that. He really wanted to paint them.’
‘Aren’t they wonderful to have to have things made harder?’ said Hope. ‘And to ask for it too. I have never heard of it before.’
‘You must have heard of children who wanted to colour things, Mother,’ said Faith. ‘I always did myself.’
‘Yes, dear, but I thought it was to make them easier.’
‘We can’t catch my stepmother out, Mrs Sullivan,’ said Ridley.
‘That was the last thing I wanted to do,’ said Faith, in a quiet tone.
‘We know quite a lot about Faith,’ said Hope. ‘Most people are so secretive about themselves.’
‘I hope I do not talk about myself,’ said Faith. ‘Not that there is anything I wish to hide.’
‘I want to hide almost everything,’ said Hope. ‘Some of it must leak out, but I do trust not all.’
‘Did you like your lessons with Miss Pilbeam, Gavin?’ said Eleanor.
‘I didn’t mind them.’
‘Did you, Honor?’
‘Yes, thank you, Mother.’
‘He liked it too,’ said Nevill, turning his eyes rapidly from face to face.
‘Don’t they think or talk of anything but learning?’ said Hope.
‘This is an exceptional occasion,’ said Eleanor. ‘They have a new governess.’
‘Yes, the one that was not Miss Mitford. Have you got rid of her? I mean, have they grown beyond her? Of course they would have.’
‘No, they are not up to her yet.’
‘Who is up to her?’
‘These two,’ said Eleanor, indicating Isabel and Venice.
‘And does James have someone in between?’
‘No, James goes to school.’
‘The school is between Miss Mitford and Miss Pilbeam. And Daniel and Graham are at Cambridge, and there is no more for Luce to learn. I see I denied my stepchildren every opportunity.’
‘Have you little ones finished your dessert?’ said Eleanor. ‘We don’t want much of you today.’
Nevill forced the remainder of his portion into his mouth and prepared to leave.
‘The child will choke, my dear,’ said Fulbert.
His son ran towards the door, with a view to dealing with his situation in his own way.
‘Honor, tell Hatton to see that Nevill does not choke,’ said Eleanor.
‘Is that what Hatton does?’ said Hope. ‘And the other nurse and Miss Mitford and Miss Pilbeam all do their own things. Suppose something unforeseen should arise? I suppose you would have someone else. I am so glad this was not unforeseen.’
‘Civilization has its weaker side,’ said Fulbert.
‘It seems a strong side, so well supported,’ said Graham.
‘It is more difficult to make other people do things than to do them yourself,’ said Eleanor.
‘It seems a foolish way of arranging matters,’ said Daniel.
‘What a family for liking difficult things!’ said Hope. ‘Always choosing the harder part.’
‘You would not suggest, Daniel, that your mother should be a slave to all the departments of her house?’ said Ridley, in some consternation.
‘Yes, I would, if it would save her any trouble.’
‘Isn’t anyone going up with Nevill?’ said Eleanor. ‘I am so afraid he will choke.’
‘Are you really?’ said Hope. ‘I do sympathize with you. You make me very anxious, myself. Can’t we send for the person who deals with it? You would want to get that off your mind.’