Latter End

“Ellie darling, how tired you look. Sit down and tell me about Ro

Ellie let herself down into the easy chair.

“He’s about the same. He won’t get any better there-Matron says so. I’m going to speak to Jimmy tomorrow.”

“He is so kind,” said Mi

Lois was “Mrs. Latter” to Mi

Ellie wrinkled her brow. She was getting into the way of it. She was only twenty-four, but already a faint line marked the fair skin. She said,

“What’s the use?”

“It might be better.”

There was a brief silence. Mi

From behind her, Ellie’s voice dragged wearily.

“She’d only say no. But if I got at Jimmy first, he might- he might-” The words petered out. No one who knew Jimmy Latter could really believe that he would hold out against Lois. He would say yes and mean it-it was always much easier for Jimmy to say yes than no. But that cut both ways, and he would find it quite impossible not to say yes to Lois, who would certainly produce a dozen excellent reasons for not giving houseroom to Ro

Mi

“Don’t worry about it now, dear. There’s a little thing I wondered whether you would do for me-”

“Of course. What is it?”

Mi

“Well, dear-it was so stupid of me-but I came over a little faint when I was at the Vicarage work-party this afternoon… Oh, it was nothing-nothing at all, but Mrs. Lethbridge-you know how kind she is-well, she did say something about ringing Mrs. Latter up, and of course, dear, it wouldn’t do at all. I did my very best, but you know how she is-so kind but not very tactful-and I’m really afraid- I wondered, dear, if you would ring her up and beg her not to. She was going over to see Miss Green, but she will be back by now. You could say I was quite myself again.”

“Yes, I’ll do it at once. She mustn’t ring up-it would make the worst sort of fuss.”

Ellie felt quite appalled at the prospect. She ran down the stairs, but as she approached the half-open study door she discovered with a sinking heart that she was already too late. Lois’ sweet, high voice was plainly audible.

“She fainted right away? My dear Mrs. Lethbridge-how trying for you! I’m so sorry… Yes, I know-she will do too much, and then she gets these nervous turns. Nothing to worry about of course, but-it’s most kind of you to let me know… I’ll do what I can-she’s a very obstinate person, you know.” A light laugh to soften this. “I’m afraid you’ll have to let her off these work-parties. I shall have to be strict about that. As you say, good people are scarce-we must take care of her. Thank you so much for letting me know.”

Ellie heard the click of the receiver. She gave a little start, turned round, and ran upstairs again. She was panting when she came into Mi

“Ellie, darling!”

“Min, I was too late. Lois was there-talking-”

“To Mrs. Lethbridge?”

Ellie nodded.

Mi

“Well, it can’t be helped. My dear, you shouldn’t have run-you are quite out of breath.”

“It’s nothing-it doesn’t matter. Min, you should have heard her! ‘Good people are scarce-we must take care of her!’ What Julia calls her honey-snake voice. And-oh, Min, she said Mrs. Lethbridge mustn’t count on you for the work-parties any more. But you’ll fight that, won’t you? It’s just the one pleasure you’ve got.”

Mi

“I’m not very good at fighting, my dear. And it upsets the house, and I wouldn’t want to do that.”

Jimmy’s name wasn’t mentioned, but it was there in both their thoughts. It was Jimmy who mustn’t be upset. Mi

She saw Mi

“You must dress, my dear. I’ll come and help you. We won’t think of anything unpleasant tonight, with Antony and Julia coming. Such a pleasure! Why, we ought to be quite gay-”

As they crossed into Ellie’s room, she went on talking.

“You can’t think how pleased I am that Julia is coming here at last. It has been very, very kind of Mrs. Lethbridge to put her up when she came down to see you, but it has made a good deal of talk-her not staying here, I mean. And I am sure it has distressed your brother and-and Mrs. Latter. You’ll wear your blue-won’t you?”

Ellie said, “Yes.”

She hung up the cotton frock and slipped into the blue crepe-de-chine. It went on only too easily.

“Fluff up your hair and put on a little colour, my dear. You don’t want Julia to see you looking pale.”

Ellie was rubbing cream into her face, with a towel round her shoulders. She ought to have done it first before she put on her dress. She couldn’t bother to take it off now. That was the way it went-you scrambled into your clothes and scrambled out of them again. There was no time to do anything properly. This was the last of her face-cream. She took up the powder puff and said,

“If Julia has a row with Lois-Min, I’m just terrified she will.”

“Oh, my dear, she wouldn’t do that!”

Ellie said in a despairing voice, “She might.”

“Oh, no!”

“She might want to have one.”

Mi

“No one could want to have a quarrel!”

“Julia could.”

“Oh, my dear, why?”

“To blow things up. Julia’s like that-you know she is. And she hates Lois like poison.”

In the mirror she could see Mi

“Hating is poison.”

CHAPTER 5

The only person who really enjoyed the evening was Jimmy Latter. Everyone else was relieved when it was over, but Jimmy was as pleased as Punch. He was gregarious and sociable to the last degree. It was two years since he had had all his family round him, and it delighted him to see the table full again-Ellie on one side of him, Julia on the other, Antony next to Ellie, Mi