III
To Myra, Joe was a perplexing child. She had nice manners, answered promptly and politely when spoken to, and submitted to caresses without returning them. She was very independent and gave the maid told off to attend to her little or nothing to do. She could mend her own clothes and keep herself neat and tidy without any outside urging. She was, in fact, the sophisticated hotel child whom Myra had never happened to come across. The depths of her knowledge would have horrified and shocked her aunt.
But Joe was shrewd and quick-witted, well used to summing up the people with whom she came in contact. She refrained carefully from тАЬshocking Aunt Myra.тАЭ She had for her something closely akin to a kindly contempt.
тАЬYour mother,тАЭ she said to Vernon, тАЬis very goodтБатАФbut sheтАЩs a little stupid too, isnтАЩt she?тАЭ
тАЬSheтАЩs very beautiful,тАЭ said Vernon hotly.
тАЬYes, she is,тАЭ agreed Joe. тАЬAll but her hands. Her hairтАЩs lovely. I wish I had red-gold hair.тАЭ
тАЬIt comes right down below her waist,тАЭ said Vernon.
He found Joe a wonderful companion, quite unlike his previous conception of тАЬgirls.тАЭ She hated dolls, never cried, was as strong if not stronger than he was, and was always ready and willing for any dangerous sport. Together they climbed trees, rode bicycles, fell and cut and bumped themselves, and ended up by taking a waspsтАЩ nest together, with a success due more to luck than skill.
To Joe, Vernon could talk and did. She opened up to him a strange new world, a world where people ran away with other peopleтАЩs husbands and wives, a world of dancing and gambling and cynicism. She had loved her mother with a fierce protective tenderness that almost reversed the roles.
тАЬShe was too soft,тАЭ said Joe. тАЬIтАЩm not going to be soft. People are mean to you if you are. Men are beasts anyway, but if youтАЩre a beast to them first, theyтАЩre all right. All men are beasts.тАЭ
тАЬThatтАЩs a silly thing to say, and I donтАЩt think itтАЩs true.тАЭ
тАЬThatтАЩs because youтАЩre going to be a man yourself.тАЭ
тАЬNo, it isnтАЩt. And anyway IтАЩm not a beast.тАЭ
тАЬNo, but I dare say you will be when youтАЩre grown up.тАЭ
тАЬBut, look here, Joe, youтАЩll have to marry someone some day, and you wonтАЩt think your husband a beast.тАЭ
тАЬWhy should I marry anyone?тАЭ
тАЬWellтБатАФgirls do. You donтАЩt want to be an old maid like Miss Crabtree.тАЭ
Joe wavered. Miss Crabtree was an elderly spinster who was very active in the village and who was very fond of тАЬthe dear children.тАЭ
тАЬI shouldnтАЩt be the kind of old maid Miss Crabtree is,тАЭ she said weakly. тАЬI shouldтБатАФoh! I should do things. Play the violin, or write books, or paint some marvellous pictures.тАЭ
тАЬI hope you wonтАЩt play the violin,тАЭ said Vernon.
тАЬThatтАЩs really what I should like to do best. Why do you hate music so, Vernon?тАЭ
тАЬI donтАЩt know. I just do. It makes me feel all horrible inside.тАЭ
тАЬHow queer. It gives me a nice feeling. What are you going to do when you grow up?тАЭ
тАЬOh, I donтАЩt know. IтАЩd like to marry someone very beautiful and live at Abbots Puissants and have lots of horses and dogs.тАЭ
тАЬHow dull,тАЭ said Joe. тАЬI donтАЩt think that would be exciting a bit.тАЭ
тАЬI donтАЩt know that I want things to be very exciting,тАЭ said Vernon.
тАЬI do,тАЭ said Joe. тАЬI want things to be exciting the whole time without ever stopping.тАЭ