Read Online Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters - Free Book Online
Authors: Sarah Waters
Tags: Fiction, General, Romance, Historical, England, Erotic Fiction, England - Social Life and Customs - 19th Century, Lesbian, Lesbians, Lesbians - England
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There were protests at that from Rhoda and Alice. 'You will Mother, 'for spoken in this house, it is something of a make the poor girl sick,' said Mother. 'Don't you mind him, compliment.'
Miss Butler. You just eat your fish, and enjoy it.'
Tony laughed, and Father said, 'Oh, it was, it was!'
Kitty did so. With no more glances at me she threw the Kitty still smiled. Then she half-rose to reach a pepper contents of her shell into her mouth, chewed them hard and castor; and when she sat again she drew her feet beneath fast, and swallowed them. Then she wiped her lips with her her chair, and I felt my thigh grow cool.
napkin, and smiled at Father.
When the oyster-barrel was quite empty, and the lemonade
'Now,' he said, confidentially, 'tell the truth: have you ever and the Bass had all been drunk, and Kitty declared that she tasted an oyster such as that, before, or have you not?'
had never had a finer supper in all her life, we moved our Kitty said that she had not, and Davy gave a cheer; and for chairs away from the table, and the men lit cigarettes, and a while there was no sound at all but the delicate, Alice and Rhoda set out cups, for tea. There was more talk, diminutive sounds of good oyster-supper: the creak of and more questions for Kitty to answer. Had she ever met hinges, the slap of discarded beards, the trickle of liquor Nelly Power? Did she know Bessie Bellwood, or Jenny and butter and beer.
Hill, or Jolly John Nash? Then, on another tack: was it true I opened no more shells for Kitty, for she managed them that she had no young chap? She said she had no time for it.
herself. 'Look at this one!' she said, when she had handled And had she family, in Kent, and when did she see them?
half-a-dozen or so. 'What a brute he is!' Then she looked She had none at all, she said, since her grandmother died.
53
54
Mother tut-tutted over that, and said it was a shame; Davy who had just arrived. Then she whispered to George and to said she could help herself to some of our relations, if she me, and I fetched her a hat of Father's and a walking-cane, liked, for we had more than we knew what to do with.
and she sang us a couple of masher songs, and ended with
'Oh yes?' said Kitty.
the ballad with which she finished her set at the Palace,
'Yes,' said Davy. 'You must have heard the song: about the sweetheart and the rose.
'There's her uncle, and her brother, and her sister, and her We cheered her then, and she had her hand shaken, and her mother,
back slapped, ten times over. She looked very flushed and And her auntie, and another, who is cousin to her mother..."
hot at the end of it all, and rather tired. Davy said, 'How No sooner had he finished the verse, indeed, than there was about a song from you now, Nance?' I gave him a look.
the sound of our street-door opening, and a shout up the
'No,' I said. I wouldn't sing for them with Kitty there, for stairs; and three of our cousins themselves appeared, anything.
followed by Uncle Joe and Aunt Rosina - all got up in their Kitty looked at me curiously. 'Do you sing, then?' she said.
Sunday best, and all just popped in, they said, for a 'peek' at
'Nancy's got the prettiest voice, Miss Butler,' said one of the Miss Butler, if Miss Butler had no objection.
cousins, 'you ever heard.'
More chairs were brought up, and more cups; a fresh round
'Yes, go on, Nance, be a sport!' said another.
of introductions was made, and the little room grew stuffy
'No, no, no!' I cried again - so firmly that Mother frowned, with heat and smoke and laughter. Somebody said what a and the others laughed.
shame it was we had no piano for Miss Butler to give us a Uncle Joe said, 'Well, that's a shame, that is. You should song; then George - my eldest cousin - said, 'Would a hear her in the kitchen, Miss Butler. She's a regular song-harmonica serve the purpose?' and produced one from his bird, she is, then: a regular lark. Makes your heart turn over, jacket pocket. Kitty blushed, and
Miss Butler. You just eat your fish, and enjoy it.'
Tony laughed, and Father said, 'Oh, it was, it was!'
Kitty did so. With no more glances at me she threw the Kitty still smiled. Then she half-rose to reach a pepper contents of her shell into her mouth, chewed them hard and castor; and when she sat again she drew her feet beneath fast, and swallowed them. Then she wiped her lips with her her chair, and I felt my thigh grow cool.
napkin, and smiled at Father.
When the oyster-barrel was quite empty, and the lemonade
'Now,' he said, confidentially, 'tell the truth: have you ever and the Bass had all been drunk, and Kitty declared that she tasted an oyster such as that, before, or have you not?'
had never had a finer supper in all her life, we moved our Kitty said that she had not, and Davy gave a cheer; and for chairs away from the table, and the men lit cigarettes, and a while there was no sound at all but the delicate, Alice and Rhoda set out cups, for tea. There was more talk, diminutive sounds of good oyster-supper: the creak of and more questions for Kitty to answer. Had she ever met hinges, the slap of discarded beards, the trickle of liquor Nelly Power? Did she know Bessie Bellwood, or Jenny and butter and beer.
Hill, or Jolly John Nash? Then, on another tack: was it true I opened no more shells for Kitty, for she managed them that she had no young chap? She said she had no time for it.
herself. 'Look at this one!' she said, when she had handled And had she family, in Kent, and when did she see them?
half-a-dozen or so. 'What a brute he is!' Then she looked She had none at all, she said, since her grandmother died.
53
54
Mother tut-tutted over that, and said it was a shame; Davy who had just arrived. Then she whispered to George and to said she could help herself to some of our relations, if she me, and I fetched her a hat of Father's and a walking-cane, liked, for we had more than we knew what to do with.
and she sang us a couple of masher songs, and ended with
'Oh yes?' said Kitty.
the ballad with which she finished her set at the Palace,
'Yes,' said Davy. 'You must have heard the song: about the sweetheart and the rose.
'There's her uncle, and her brother, and her sister, and her We cheered her then, and she had her hand shaken, and her mother,
back slapped, ten times over. She looked very flushed and And her auntie, and another, who is cousin to her mother..."
hot at the end of it all, and rather tired. Davy said, 'How No sooner had he finished the verse, indeed, than there was about a song from you now, Nance?' I gave him a look.
the sound of our street-door opening, and a shout up the
'No,' I said. I wouldn't sing for them with Kitty there, for stairs; and three of our cousins themselves appeared, anything.
followed by Uncle Joe and Aunt Rosina - all got up in their Kitty looked at me curiously. 'Do you sing, then?' she said.
Sunday best, and all just popped in, they said, for a 'peek' at
'Nancy's got the prettiest voice, Miss Butler,' said one of the Miss Butler, if Miss Butler had no objection.
cousins, 'you ever heard.'
More chairs were brought up, and more cups; a fresh round
'Yes, go on, Nance, be a sport!' said another.
of introductions was made, and the little room grew stuffy
'No, no, no!' I cried again - so firmly that Mother frowned, with heat and smoke and laughter. Somebody said what a and the others laughed.
shame it was we had no piano for Miss Butler to give us a Uncle Joe said, 'Well, that's a shame, that is. You should song; then George - my eldest cousin - said, 'Would a hear her in the kitchen, Miss Butler. She's a regular song-harmonica serve the purpose?' and produced one from his bird, she is, then: a regular lark. Makes your heart turn over, jacket pocket. Kitty blushed, and
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