can't promise you what she'll be like, but I'm sure she'll be charming. Amory seems to be devoted to her.’
Andrew laughed and shook his head.
‘I'll leave her to you. And I think I'll be getting back to the Dolphin. If you have any time to spare while you'redown here, telephone me there and we'll arrange to have lunch or something together. We don't normally see as much of each other as I'd like.’
‘But aren't you coming to the show tonight?’ Peter sounded really dismayed. ‘Oh, do come, Andrew. I was sure you would.’
‘Well, I'll think about it. I'll see how I feel when I've had a couple of drinks. Now I'll leave you to the lady inside. You could thank her from me for all the help she gave me with keeping you quiet when you were very young. I wonder if her Mr Thinkum had sowed the seeds in you of your great scientists in
Whalewater.’
For Mr Thinkum, like Peter's whale, using his umbrella as a sail, could fly. ‘Goodbye for now.’
Andrew put a hand on Peter's shoulder for a moment, then turned to retrace his steps down the mall and the esplanade towards the Dolphin, while Peter went into Mina Todhunter's shop.
Andrew was in his bedroom at the Dolphin, thinking of going down to the bar for the two drinks of which he had spoken to Peter, when the telephone rang.
He assumed that it was Peter ringing, since no one else knew where he was, and he felt a certain gratitude for the sound because it cut across the thoughts, or rather lack of thoughts, with which he had been occupied for the last half hour. He had an unfortunate habit, when nothing else occupied his mind, of letting scraps of verse, or sometimes of songs, repeat themselves endlessly and meaninglessly in it. They were nearly always fragments which he supposed had meant something to him in his childhood and which had somehow lingered on in his brain when they had ceased to have any interest for him. If he had managed to repeat to himself lines from Shakespeare, say, or Milton, or Donne, he might, he sometimes fancied, have derived some pleasure from what he hadremembered, but those, however much he venerated them, would not stay securely in his head, while he might be troubled for a whole day at a time by nursery rhymes, or commonplace jingles.
When the telephone rang he was muttering to himself some lines from the
Bab Ballads.
‘Among them was a bishop who
Had lately been appointed to
The balmy isle of Rum-ti-Foo
And Peter was his name …’
How many times he had repeated it since parting with Peter he had no idea, but it was irritating him deeply that he could not blot it from his mind. He snatched up the telephone and said, ‘Yes?’
But it was not Peter who spoke. It was an unfamiliar voice, deeper than Peter'S, smooth and rather cold, though what followed was friendly.
‘Professor Basnett?’
‘Yes,’ Andrew repeated.
‘My name's Amory,’ the voice said. 'Simon Amory. Peter's told me that you're a relative of his.’
‘His uncle, actually,’ Andrew answered.
‘And that you met by chance in the town this afternoon. I think he told you about the show we're putting on this evening, he and I and dear Mina Todhunter, and that you were going to come along to listen to us. I expect he also told you that he's staying with me and that I'm laying on a small dinner party before the event. It would give me great pleasure if you would join us.’
‘That's very kind of you,’ Andrew said, though he was not aware that he had actually promised Peter that he would attend the performance in the Pegasus Theatre. ‘If it isn't putting you to any trouble…’
‘None at all. We'll be delighted to have you. I'll sendthe car for you. It's quite informal. Just a few friends. Well, we'll pick you up about half past six, if that's all right with you. Very early, I'm afraid, but as the show starts at eight it seemed better to be early than having to rush our drinks and our meal. I look forward to meeting you. Goodbye.’
The ringing tone sang in
Andrew laughed and shook his head.
‘I'll leave her to you. And I think I'll be getting back to the Dolphin. If you have any time to spare while you'redown here, telephone me there and we'll arrange to have lunch or something together. We don't normally see as much of each other as I'd like.’
‘But aren't you coming to the show tonight?’ Peter sounded really dismayed. ‘Oh, do come, Andrew. I was sure you would.’
‘Well, I'll think about it. I'll see how I feel when I've had a couple of drinks. Now I'll leave you to the lady inside. You could thank her from me for all the help she gave me with keeping you quiet when you were very young. I wonder if her Mr Thinkum had sowed the seeds in you of your great scientists in
Whalewater.’
For Mr Thinkum, like Peter's whale, using his umbrella as a sail, could fly. ‘Goodbye for now.’
Andrew put a hand on Peter's shoulder for a moment, then turned to retrace his steps down the mall and the esplanade towards the Dolphin, while Peter went into Mina Todhunter's shop.
Andrew was in his bedroom at the Dolphin, thinking of going down to the bar for the two drinks of which he had spoken to Peter, when the telephone rang.
He assumed that it was Peter ringing, since no one else knew where he was, and he felt a certain gratitude for the sound because it cut across the thoughts, or rather lack of thoughts, with which he had been occupied for the last half hour. He had an unfortunate habit, when nothing else occupied his mind, of letting scraps of verse, or sometimes of songs, repeat themselves endlessly and meaninglessly in it. They were nearly always fragments which he supposed had meant something to him in his childhood and which had somehow lingered on in his brain when they had ceased to have any interest for him. If he had managed to repeat to himself lines from Shakespeare, say, or Milton, or Donne, he might, he sometimes fancied, have derived some pleasure from what he hadremembered, but those, however much he venerated them, would not stay securely in his head, while he might be troubled for a whole day at a time by nursery rhymes, or commonplace jingles.
When the telephone rang he was muttering to himself some lines from the
Bab Ballads.
‘Among them was a bishop who
Had lately been appointed to
The balmy isle of Rum-ti-Foo
And Peter was his name …’
How many times he had repeated it since parting with Peter he had no idea, but it was irritating him deeply that he could not blot it from his mind. He snatched up the telephone and said, ‘Yes?’
But it was not Peter who spoke. It was an unfamiliar voice, deeper than Peter'S, smooth and rather cold, though what followed was friendly.
‘Professor Basnett?’
‘Yes,’ Andrew repeated.
‘My name's Amory,’ the voice said. 'Simon Amory. Peter's told me that you're a relative of his.’
‘His uncle, actually,’ Andrew answered.
‘And that you met by chance in the town this afternoon. I think he told you about the show we're putting on this evening, he and I and dear Mina Todhunter, and that you were going to come along to listen to us. I expect he also told you that he's staying with me and that I'm laying on a small dinner party before the event. It would give me great pleasure if you would join us.’
‘That's very kind of you,’ Andrew said, though he was not aware that he had actually promised Peter that he would attend the performance in the Pegasus Theatre. ‘If it isn't putting you to any trouble…’
‘None at all. We'll be delighted to have you. I'll sendthe car for you. It's quite informal. Just a few friends. Well, we'll pick you up about half past six, if that's all right with you. Very early, I'm afraid, but as the show starts at eight it seemed better to be early than having to rush our drinks and our meal. I look forward to meeting you. Goodbye.’
The ringing tone sang in
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