said Miriam.
At that moment the telephone rang, and Lovell vanished.
"It might still have its feathers on," remarked Jenny.
"And its head," added Hazel.
Miriam's qualms intensified.
"How do you get its head off?" enquired Jenny conversationally, scraping the last of her egg from the shell.
Miriam was spared replying as Lovell returned.
"The chairman of Eileen's bench. Just enquiring."
Eileen, she remembered now, had recently been made a magistrate. Frankly, she wondered if she were capable of the task, but simply said politely:
"Does she worry much about her duties?"
"What she really worries about," replied Lovell, "is whether she should wear a hat or not."
Then, sensing that this might smack of disloyalty, he enlarged on the many compliments he had heard from her fellows on the bench, on Eileen's good sense and fair-mindedness.
His discourse was cut short by a ring at the back door. Hazel skipped off to answer it and came back, much excited.
"It's the turkey man, Aunt Miriam, and it's all right! He's bare!"
Construing this correctly, Miriam felt a wave of relief, and hurried to fetch the bird, Lovell following close behind to pay the bill.
***
A little later, she sallied forth with several baskets, and the three children in tow. Lovell had to conduct a funeral service and visit two desperately sick parishioners. He would be back to late lunch, and then stay at the vicarage while Miriam visited the hospital.
"Can you possibly get back by about four, do you think?" he enquired, consulting a list anxiously. "I'm supposed to call at the village hall to have tea with the Over-Sixty Club, and be at a Brownies' Carol Service in the next parish at the same time. Then I must have a word with the flower ladies, and get ready for the midnight service."
Miriam assured him that she could manage easily.
"Can we come and see Mummy? Can we?" clamored the girls. Miriam looked at Lovell.
"Sister made no objection last time, as long as they behave, of course, and aren't there too long. But how do you feel?"
"I'd like their company," said Miriam, and they fell upon her with shrieks of joy.
The grocer's shop was one of three in the village. Across the road was the butcher's, and next door was the post office which sold sweets and tobacco.
The proprietor of the village store bore a strong resemblance to Mrs. Pringle of Fairacre. She had the same square frame, the identical short-cropped hair, and an expression of malevolent resignation.
Fortunately, the similarity ended there, and she turned out to be unusually helpful about the needs of the vicarage household.
"Did you want the piece of gammon Mrs. Quinn asked about? I've put it by, in case."
"Yes, please," said Miriam. At least it would make a change from turkey in the days to come.
"And you'll want potatoes," Mrs. Bates informed her. "That half-hundredweight was nearly finished last week, Annie told me."
Miriam, slightly dazed, remembered that Eileen's mother's help was a local girl.
"I'm her auntie," vouchsafed Mrs. Bates, scrabbling in a box of potatoes hidden behind the counter. Fair acre all over again! thought Miriam.
"Take five pounds now, and my Bert'll bring up ten pounds tomorrow if that suits you. You don't want to hump all that lot, and Robin's push chair's not that strong."
Miriam agreed meekly. It was quite a change to be managed. Was this how Barney felt when she mapped out his routine?
With a shock she remembered that there had been no preparations made for lunch at home. For the first time in her life, she bought fish fingers, and a ready-made blackcurrant tart. How often she had watched scornfully the feckless mothers buying the expensive "convenience" foods. Now, with three children distracting her and the clock ticking on inexorably, she sympathized with them. Catering for one, she began to realize, was quite a different matter from trying to please the varying tastes of five people, and hungry ones at that.
"Where's Robin?" she enquired
At that moment the telephone rang, and Lovell vanished.
"It might still have its feathers on," remarked Jenny.
"And its head," added Hazel.
Miriam's qualms intensified.
"How do you get its head off?" enquired Jenny conversationally, scraping the last of her egg from the shell.
Miriam was spared replying as Lovell returned.
"The chairman of Eileen's bench. Just enquiring."
Eileen, she remembered now, had recently been made a magistrate. Frankly, she wondered if she were capable of the task, but simply said politely:
"Does she worry much about her duties?"
"What she really worries about," replied Lovell, "is whether she should wear a hat or not."
Then, sensing that this might smack of disloyalty, he enlarged on the many compliments he had heard from her fellows on the bench, on Eileen's good sense and fair-mindedness.
His discourse was cut short by a ring at the back door. Hazel skipped off to answer it and came back, much excited.
"It's the turkey man, Aunt Miriam, and it's all right! He's bare!"
Construing this correctly, Miriam felt a wave of relief, and hurried to fetch the bird, Lovell following close behind to pay the bill.
***
A little later, she sallied forth with several baskets, and the three children in tow. Lovell had to conduct a funeral service and visit two desperately sick parishioners. He would be back to late lunch, and then stay at the vicarage while Miriam visited the hospital.
"Can you possibly get back by about four, do you think?" he enquired, consulting a list anxiously. "I'm supposed to call at the village hall to have tea with the Over-Sixty Club, and be at a Brownies' Carol Service in the next parish at the same time. Then I must have a word with the flower ladies, and get ready for the midnight service."
Miriam assured him that she could manage easily.
"Can we come and see Mummy? Can we?" clamored the girls. Miriam looked at Lovell.
"Sister made no objection last time, as long as they behave, of course, and aren't there too long. But how do you feel?"
"I'd like their company," said Miriam, and they fell upon her with shrieks of joy.
The grocer's shop was one of three in the village. Across the road was the butcher's, and next door was the post office which sold sweets and tobacco.
The proprietor of the village store bore a strong resemblance to Mrs. Pringle of Fairacre. She had the same square frame, the identical short-cropped hair, and an expression of malevolent resignation.
Fortunately, the similarity ended there, and she turned out to be unusually helpful about the needs of the vicarage household.
"Did you want the piece of gammon Mrs. Quinn asked about? I've put it by, in case."
"Yes, please," said Miriam. At least it would make a change from turkey in the days to come.
"And you'll want potatoes," Mrs. Bates informed her. "That half-hundredweight was nearly finished last week, Annie told me."
Miriam, slightly dazed, remembered that Eileen's mother's help was a local girl.
"I'm her auntie," vouchsafed Mrs. Bates, scrabbling in a box of potatoes hidden behind the counter. Fair acre all over again! thought Miriam.
"Take five pounds now, and my Bert'll bring up ten pounds tomorrow if that suits you. You don't want to hump all that lot, and Robin's push chair's not that strong."
Miriam agreed meekly. It was quite a change to be managed. Was this how Barney felt when she mapped out his routine?
With a shock she remembered that there had been no preparations made for lunch at home. For the first time in her life, she bought fish fingers, and a ready-made blackcurrant tart. How often she had watched scornfully the feckless mothers buying the expensive "convenience" foods. Now, with three children distracting her and the clock ticking on inexorably, she sympathized with them. Catering for one, she began to realize, was quite a different matter from trying to please the varying tastes of five people, and hungry ones at that.
"Where's Robin?" she enquired
Similar Books
