girl in the office which were so different from her own.
'Oh, she'll find their way of life so different,' said Norman, 'the cooking smell and that . I know about bedsitters, believe me.'
Marcia had so far contributed nothing to the discussion for there was a fear in her mind, even if it was not a very strong one, that she might have to offer Letty a room in her house. After all, Letty had always been kind to her; she had once offered to make her a cup of tea before going home, and even though the offer had not been accepted it had not been forgotten. But this did not mean that Marcia was under any obligation to provide accommodation for Letty in her retirement For of course it would be impossible - she couldn't have anybody else living in her house. Two women could never share the same kitchen, she told herself, forgetting for the moment that she never really used the kitchen except to boil a kettle or make a piece of toast. Then there would be the difficulty of the store cupboard where Marcia kept her collection of tinned foods, and the special and rather unusual arrangement she had about milk bottles, not to mention the use of the bathroom and the arrangement of personal washing — the difficulties were insuperable. Women alone had to make their own way in the world and no doubt Letty already knew this. And if she couldn't cope there would be somebody like Janice Brabner coming round, asking personal questions, making stupid suggestions and inviting her to do things she didn't want to do. It certainly wasn't Marcia's duty to offer a home to Letty, just because she had a house of her own and lived by herself. Indignation welled up inside her, and she asked herself, why should I? But there was no answer to this question because nobody asked it . Nobody had even thought of it, let alone Letty herself.
'I'll wait and see what happens,' she said sensibly. 'After all, one doesn't want to go looking for new accommodation in August . It's not a very good time.'
'August is a wicked month,' said Norman, who had seen the phrase somewhere.
Not wicked so much as awkward, Edwin thought August 15th — Feast of the Assumption, Solemn Mass 8 p.m. There might not be the full complement of servers, even with the splendid West Africans, and people were disinclined to attend an evening Mass at the end of a hot summer day. You'd have thought Rome would have chosen a more convenient time. But the Doctrine of the Assumption had been proclaimed about 1950, he believed, and church life in the Italy of twenty years ago was no doubt rather different from present-day practice in England in the seventies, even in a High Anglican church, where most of the population didn't go to church anyway and those that did might well be away on holiday. Some people thought Father G. went rather too far — 'way out' — in observing some of these so-called obligations, but of course Edwin would be there this evening, among the two or three gathered together, and that was the main thing.
'I may get on very well with Mr Olatunde,' Letty was saying, in a bright, brave tone. I certainly shan't do anything in a hurry.'
Seven
J ANICE ALWAYS HAD to nerve herself before going to see Marcia again. She wasn't like the other old ladies she visited, in fact the term 'old lady' didn't seem to describe her, yet she wasn't eccentric in a quaint or lovable way either. But there were always people like this — one had to regard it as a challenge, to try to get through to Marcia, to understand what went on in her mind.
Janice decided to choose Saturday morning rather than an evening for her next visit. People who worked were usually in on Saturday morning and with some, though not with Marcia, there might be the chance of a cup of coffee if one chose a suitable time. Still, she did open the door and that was something.
'How have things been with you?' Janice asked, stepping into the hall uninvited, but one must 'gain access', that was very important. 'Have you
'Oh, she'll find their way of life so different,' said Norman, 'the cooking smell and that . I know about bedsitters, believe me.'
Marcia had so far contributed nothing to the discussion for there was a fear in her mind, even if it was not a very strong one, that she might have to offer Letty a room in her house. After all, Letty had always been kind to her; she had once offered to make her a cup of tea before going home, and even though the offer had not been accepted it had not been forgotten. But this did not mean that Marcia was under any obligation to provide accommodation for Letty in her retirement For of course it would be impossible - she couldn't have anybody else living in her house. Two women could never share the same kitchen, she told herself, forgetting for the moment that she never really used the kitchen except to boil a kettle or make a piece of toast. Then there would be the difficulty of the store cupboard where Marcia kept her collection of tinned foods, and the special and rather unusual arrangement she had about milk bottles, not to mention the use of the bathroom and the arrangement of personal washing — the difficulties were insuperable. Women alone had to make their own way in the world and no doubt Letty already knew this. And if she couldn't cope there would be somebody like Janice Brabner coming round, asking personal questions, making stupid suggestions and inviting her to do things she didn't want to do. It certainly wasn't Marcia's duty to offer a home to Letty, just because she had a house of her own and lived by herself. Indignation welled up inside her, and she asked herself, why should I? But there was no answer to this question because nobody asked it . Nobody had even thought of it, let alone Letty herself.
'I'll wait and see what happens,' she said sensibly. 'After all, one doesn't want to go looking for new accommodation in August . It's not a very good time.'
'August is a wicked month,' said Norman, who had seen the phrase somewhere.
Not wicked so much as awkward, Edwin thought August 15th — Feast of the Assumption, Solemn Mass 8 p.m. There might not be the full complement of servers, even with the splendid West Africans, and people were disinclined to attend an evening Mass at the end of a hot summer day. You'd have thought Rome would have chosen a more convenient time. But the Doctrine of the Assumption had been proclaimed about 1950, he believed, and church life in the Italy of twenty years ago was no doubt rather different from present-day practice in England in the seventies, even in a High Anglican church, where most of the population didn't go to church anyway and those that did might well be away on holiday. Some people thought Father G. went rather too far — 'way out' — in observing some of these so-called obligations, but of course Edwin would be there this evening, among the two or three gathered together, and that was the main thing.
'I may get on very well with Mr Olatunde,' Letty was saying, in a bright, brave tone. I certainly shan't do anything in a hurry.'
Seven
J ANICE ALWAYS HAD to nerve herself before going to see Marcia again. She wasn't like the other old ladies she visited, in fact the term 'old lady' didn't seem to describe her, yet she wasn't eccentric in a quaint or lovable way either. But there were always people like this — one had to regard it as a challenge, to try to get through to Marcia, to understand what went on in her mind.
Janice decided to choose Saturday morning rather than an evening for her next visit. People who worked were usually in on Saturday morning and with some, though not with Marcia, there might be the chance of a cup of coffee if one chose a suitable time. Still, she did open the door and that was something.
'How have things been with you?' Janice asked, stepping into the hall uninvited, but one must 'gain access', that was very important. 'Have you
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