The Manticore

Did Netty mean Mother had opened them herself, asked Caroline, all innocence. But – she laid down her knife and fork – that would be suicide! And suicide was a mortal sin! Everybody at Bishop Cairncross's – yes, and at St. Simon Zelotes, where we went to church – was certain of that. If Mother had committed a mortal sin, were we to think that now -? That would be horrible! I swear that Caroline's eyes filled with tears.

Netty was rattled. No, of course she meant nothing of the kind. Anyway that about mortal sins was just Anglican guff and she had never held with it. Never.

But then, how did Mother's windows come to be open?

Somebody must have opened them by mistake, said Netty. We'd never know. There was no sense going on about it. But her baby girl wasn't to think about awful things like suicide.

Caroline said she couldn"t bear it, because it wasn't just Anglican guff, and everybody knew suicides went straight to Hell. And to think of Mummy -!

Netty never wept, that I know of. But there was, on very rare occasions, a look of distress on her face which in another woman would have been accompanied by tears. This was such a time.

Caroline leapt up and ran to Netty and buried her face in her shoulder. Netty took her out of the room and I was left amid the ruins of the feast. I thought another glass of Burgundy would be just the thing at that moment, but the butler had removed it, and I had not quite the brass to ring the bell, so I took another apple from the dessert plate and ate it reflectively all by myself. I could not make head or tail of what had been going on. When the apple was finished, I went to the drawing-room and sat down to listen to a hockey-game on the radio. But I soon fell asleep on the sofa.

When I woke, the game was over and some dreary war news was being broadcast. I had a headache. As I went upstairs I saw a light under Caroline's door, and went in. She was in pyjamas, carefully painting her toe-nails red.

"You'd better not let Netty catch you at that."

"Thank you for your invaluable, unsought advice. Netty is no longer a problem in my life."

"What have you two been hatching up?"

"We have been reaching an understanding. Netty doesn't fully comprehend it yet, but I do."

"What about?"

"Dope! Weren't you listening at dinner? No, you weren't, of course. You were too busy Stuffing your face and guzzling booze to know what was happening."

"I saw everything that happened. What didn't I see? Don't pretend to be so smart."

"Netty opened up and made a few damaging admissions. That's what happened."

"I didn't hear any damaging admissions. What are you talking about?"

"If you didn't hear it was because you were drinking too much. Booze will be your downfall. Many a good man has gone to hell by the booze route, as Grandfather used to say. Didn't you hear Netty admit that she loves Father?"

"What? She never said that!"

"Not in so many words. But it was plain enough."

"Well! She certainly has a crust!"

"For loving Father? How refreshingly innocent you are! One of these days, if you remind me, I'll give you my little talk about the relation of the sexes. It's a lot more complicated than your low schoolboy mind can comprehend."

"Oh, shut up! I'm older than you are. I know things you've never even heard of."

"You probably mean about fairies. Old stuff, my poor boy!"

"Carol, I'm going to have to swat you."

"Putting me to silence by brute strength? Okay, Tarzan. Then you'll never hear the rest – which is also the best."

"What?"

"Do you acknowledge me as the superior mind?"

"No. What do you know that makes you so superior?"

"Just the shameful secret of your birth, that's all."

"What!"

"I have every reason to believe that you are the son of Dunstan Ramsay."

"Me!"

"You. Now I take a good look, in the light of my new information, you are quite a bit like him."

"I am not! Listen, Carol, you just explain what you've said or I'll kill you!"

"Lay a finger on me, dear brother, and I'll clam up and leave you forever in torturing doubt."

"Is that what Netty said?"

"Not in so many words. But you know my methods, Watson. Apply them. Now, attend very carefully. Daddy took Mummy away from Dunstan Ramsay and married her. Dunstan Ramsay went right on visiting this house as Trusted Friend. If you read more widely and intelligently you would know the role that Trusted Friend plays in all these affairs. Cast your mind back six years, to that awful Christmas. A quarrel. Daddy sweeps out in a rage. Ramsay remains. We are sent upstairs. Later we see Ramsay leave Mummy's bedroom, where she is in her nightie. We hear her call out, 'You don't love me.' A few hours later. Mummy tries to kill herself. You remember all that blood, that you couldn't keep your mouth shut about. Daddy isn't around home nearly so much after that, but Ramsay keeps coming. The obvious – the only – conclusion is that Daddy discovered Ramsay was Mummy's lover and couldn't bear it."

"Carol, you turd! You utter, vile, maggoty, Stinking turd! How can you say that about Mother?"