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Authors: May Sinclair
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'im."
She could see that Maggie didn't hold her responsible. After all, why should she? If Maggie had made bad arrangements for her baby, Maggie was responsible.
She went round to Lizzie and Sarah to see what they thought. Sarah thought: Well--it was rather a difficult question, and Harriett resented her hesitation.
"Not at all. It rested with Maggie to go or stay. If she was incompetent I wasn't bound to keep her just because she'd had a baby. At that rate I should have been completely in her power."
Lizzie said she thought Maggie's baby would have died in any case, and they both hoped that Harriett wasn't going to be morbid about it.
Harriett felt sustained. She wasn't going to be morbid. All the same, the episode left her with a feeling of insecurity.
XII
The young girl, Robin's niece, had come again, bright-eyed, eager, and hungry, grateful for Sunday supper.
Harriett was getting used to these appearances, spread over three years, since Robin's wife had asked her to be kind to Mona Floyd. Mona had come this time to tell her of her engagement to Geoffrey Carter. The news shocked Harriett intensely.
"But, my dear, you told me he was going to marry your little friend, Amy-- Amy Lambert. What does Amy say to it?"
"What can she say? I know it's a bit rough on her----"
"You know, and yet you'll take your happiness at the poor child's
expense."
"We've got to. We can't do anything else."
"Oh, my dear----" If she could stop it.... An inspiration came. "I knew a girl once who might have done what you're doing, only she wouldn't. She gave the man up rather than hurt her friend. She couldn't do anything else ."
"How much was he in love with her?"
"I don't know how much . He was never in love with any other woman."
"Then she was a fool. A silly fool. Didn't she think of him? "
"Didn't she think!"
"No. She didn't. She thought of herself. Of her own moral beauty. She was
a selfish fool."
"She asked the best and wisest man she knew, and he told her she couldn't do anything else."
"The best and wisest man--oh, Lord!"
"That was my own father, Mona, Hilton Frean."
"Then it was you. You and Uncle Robin and Aunt Prissie."
Harriett's face smiled its straight, thin-lipped smile, the worn, grooved chin arrogantly lifted.
"How could you?"
"I could because I was brought up not to think of myself before other
people."
"Then it wasn't even your own idea. You sacrificed him to somebody else's.
You made three people miserable just for that. Four, if you count Aunt
Beatie."
"There was Prissie. I did it for her."
"What did you do for her? You insulted Aunt Prissie."
"Insulted her? My dear Mona!"
"It was an insult, handing her over to a man who couldn't love her even with his body. Aunt Prissie was the miserablest of the lot. Do you suppose he didn't take it out of her?"
"He never let her know."
"Oh, didn't he! She knew all right. That's how she got her illness. And it's how he got his. And he'll kill Aunt Beatie. He's taking it out of her now. Look at the awful suffering. And you can go on sentimentalizing about it."
The young girl rose, flinging her scarf over her shoulders with a violent
gesture.
"There's no common sense in it."
"No common sense, perhaps."
"It's a jolly sight better than sentiment when it comes to marrying."
They kissed. Mona turned at the doorway.
"I say--did he go on caring for you?"
"Sometimes I think he did. Sometimes I think he hated me."
"Of course he hated you, after what you'd let him in for." She paused. "You don't mind my telling you the truth, do you?"
... Harriett sat a long time, her hands folded on her lap, her eyes staring into the room, trying to see the truth. She saw the girl, Robin's niece, in her young indignation, her tender brilliance suddenly hard, suddenly cruel, flashing out the truth. Was it true that she had sacrificed Robin and Priscilla and Beatrice to her parents' idea of moral beauty? Was it true that this idea had been all wrong? That she might have married Robin
She could see that Maggie didn't hold her responsible. After all, why should she? If Maggie had made bad arrangements for her baby, Maggie was responsible.
She went round to Lizzie and Sarah to see what they thought. Sarah thought: Well--it was rather a difficult question, and Harriett resented her hesitation.
"Not at all. It rested with Maggie to go or stay. If she was incompetent I wasn't bound to keep her just because she'd had a baby. At that rate I should have been completely in her power."
Lizzie said she thought Maggie's baby would have died in any case, and they both hoped that Harriett wasn't going to be morbid about it.
Harriett felt sustained. She wasn't going to be morbid. All the same, the episode left her with a feeling of insecurity.
XII
The young girl, Robin's niece, had come again, bright-eyed, eager, and hungry, grateful for Sunday supper.
Harriett was getting used to these appearances, spread over three years, since Robin's wife had asked her to be kind to Mona Floyd. Mona had come this time to tell her of her engagement to Geoffrey Carter. The news shocked Harriett intensely.
"But, my dear, you told me he was going to marry your little friend, Amy-- Amy Lambert. What does Amy say to it?"
"What can she say? I know it's a bit rough on her----"
"You know, and yet you'll take your happiness at the poor child's
expense."
"We've got to. We can't do anything else."
"Oh, my dear----" If she could stop it.... An inspiration came. "I knew a girl once who might have done what you're doing, only she wouldn't. She gave the man up rather than hurt her friend. She couldn't do anything else ."
"How much was he in love with her?"
"I don't know how much . He was never in love with any other woman."
"Then she was a fool. A silly fool. Didn't she think of him? "
"Didn't she think!"
"No. She didn't. She thought of herself. Of her own moral beauty. She was
a selfish fool."
"She asked the best and wisest man she knew, and he told her she couldn't do anything else."
"The best and wisest man--oh, Lord!"
"That was my own father, Mona, Hilton Frean."
"Then it was you. You and Uncle Robin and Aunt Prissie."
Harriett's face smiled its straight, thin-lipped smile, the worn, grooved chin arrogantly lifted.
"How could you?"
"I could because I was brought up not to think of myself before other
people."
"Then it wasn't even your own idea. You sacrificed him to somebody else's.
You made three people miserable just for that. Four, if you count Aunt
Beatie."
"There was Prissie. I did it for her."
"What did you do for her? You insulted Aunt Prissie."
"Insulted her? My dear Mona!"
"It was an insult, handing her over to a man who couldn't love her even with his body. Aunt Prissie was the miserablest of the lot. Do you suppose he didn't take it out of her?"
"He never let her know."
"Oh, didn't he! She knew all right. That's how she got her illness. And it's how he got his. And he'll kill Aunt Beatie. He's taking it out of her now. Look at the awful suffering. And you can go on sentimentalizing about it."
The young girl rose, flinging her scarf over her shoulders with a violent
gesture.
"There's no common sense in it."
"No common sense, perhaps."
"It's a jolly sight better than sentiment when it comes to marrying."
They kissed. Mona turned at the doorway.
"I say--did he go on caring for you?"
"Sometimes I think he did. Sometimes I think he hated me."
"Of course he hated you, after what you'd let him in for." She paused. "You don't mind my telling you the truth, do you?"
... Harriett sat a long time, her hands folded on her lap, her eyes staring into the room, trying to see the truth. She saw the girl, Robin's niece, in her young indignation, her tender brilliance suddenly hard, suddenly cruel, flashing out the truth. Was it true that she had sacrificed Robin and Priscilla and Beatrice to her parents' idea of moral beauty? Was it true that this idea had been all wrong? That she might have married Robin
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