A Proper Marriage Read Free

gallantry.
Instilling gallantry into his voice, and a gleam of ironic complicity into his eyes, he moved nearer and said, ‘You interest me enormously.’
At once she frowned, and even moved away. He dropped the tone; but held it in reserve for a later occasion.
Then he lowered his voice like a conspirator, and inquired expanding his eyes with a look of vast inquiry, ‘Tell me, Mrs Knowell, is it the fashion now for young people to take theirhoneymoons in crowds? In my young days a honeymoon was an opportunity to be alone.’
‘You know quite well we did our best to get away without Binkie and the gang,’ said Martha resentfully.
‘I was referring to the other couple, the Mathews.’
For a moment it was touch and go whether she would repudiate them; but another loyalty was touched, for she laughed and asserted that they had all had a marvellous time and it was absolutely gorgeous.
Mr Maynard watched her, then raised his heavy brows and said drily, ‘So it would appear.’
He had expected her to succumb in confusion to this pressure; instead she suddenly chuckled, and met his eyes appreciatively. He said quickly, ‘Our generation has not made such a success of things that we can expect you to follow our example.’ This seemed to him the extreme of magnanimity, but she smiled sceptically and said, ‘Thanks.’
There was another pause. Martha was thinking that his eighteenth-century flavour had, after all, its own piquancy - not fifty yards away the farmers still lounged and argued prices and the weather and the labour question, while almost at their elbow arched the great marble doors of the cinema.
But surely Stella should be returning by now? And all this talk of generations had a stale, dead ring. Martha reacted violently against Mr Maynard, particularly because of that moment when he had invited her to flirt a little. She thought confusedly that there was always a point when men seemed to press a button, as it were, and one was expected to turn into something else for their amusement. This ‘turning into something else’ had landed her where she was now: married, signed and sealed away from what she was convinced she was. Besides – and here her emotions reached conviction - he was so old! She wished now, belatedly, that she had snubbed him for daring to think that she might have even exchanged a glance with him.
He was inquiring, in a voice which engaged her attention, ‘I wonder if I might take this opportunity to inquire whether“the kids” - or, if you prefer it, “the gang” - behaved so badly that I may expect a bill for damages.’
This was, underneath the severity, an appeal. Martha at once replied with compassion, ‘Oh, don’t worry, I’m sure it will be all right.’
He retreated from the pity into gruffness, remarking, ‘I live in terror that one day Binkie’ll behave in such a way that I’ll have no alternative but to resign - not that you would see any misfortune in that,’ he added.
Martha conceded that she was sure he was a marvellous magistrate; she sounded irritable. Then, as he did not move, she began to speak, giving him the information he was obviously waiting for, in the manner of one who was prepared to turn the knife in the wound if he absolutely insisted. ‘Binkie and the gang caught up with us that night about twelve. We shook up one of the hotels and made them open the bar …’
‘Illegal,’ he commented.
‘Well, of course. We — I mean the four of us - sneaked out while the gang were “giving it stick”’ - here she offered him an ironic smile, which he unwillingly returned - ‘and we drove all night till we reached the hotel. The gang came after us about eight in the morning. Luckily the hotel wasn’t full and there was room for everyone. The gang didn’t behave so badly, considering everything. The manager got very angry on the last day because Binkie - you remember those baboons that come up to the hotel for food? Well, Binkie and the gang caught one of the