Mrs McNabs dream of a lady, of a child, of a plate
of milksoup?
Whatever did they want to hang abeasts skull
there?
No, not tomorrow, she said, but soon, she promised
him; the next fineday.
What had happened, she wondered, as she took up her
knitting, since shehad seen him alone?
And Lily,she thought, putting her napkin beside her
plate, she always has somejoke of her own. It was left like a shellon a sandhill to
fill with dry salt grains now that life had left it. Will you not tell me just for
once thatyou love me?
A mood of revelry suddenly took possession
ofher.
But people should come themselves;they should have
sent somebody down to see.
Well, let them improve upon that, he thought as he
finished thechapter.
It had wavered over the walls like a spot of
sunlight andvanished.
All the odds and endsof the day stuck to this
magnet; her mind felt swept, felt clean.
She could see the horns, Cam said, all overthe
room. She would wait untilthey had done laughing at some story her husband was
telling.
He found talking so mucheasier than she
did.
Its almost too dark to see, said Andrew, coming up
from the beach. He had to keep his judgement in suspense.
And Lily,she thought, putting her napkin beside her
plate, she always has somejoke of her own.
She is marrying a man who has a gold watch in a
wash-leather bag!
Andrew, she called back, just put out the light in
the hall.
Its almost too dark to see, said Andrew, coming up
from the beach. But people should come themselves;they should have sent somebody
down to see. Prices had gone up shamefully, and didntcome down again neither.