English essays -- 20th century; Short stories, English
"It's an exhibit, but we might easily want to buy one some day, when our
window-box gets bigger. Let's try it."
It was so hot that I think, if the man in charge of the Rustic Bench
Section had tried to move us on, we should have bought the seat at once.
But nobody bothered us. Indeed it was quite obvious that the news that we
owned a large window-box had not yet got about.
"I shall leave you here," I said, after I had smoked a cigarette and
dipped into the catalogue again, "and make my purchase. It will be quite
inexpensive; indeed, it is marked in the catalogue at one-and-six-pence,
which means that they will probably offer me the nine-shilling size
first. But I shall be firm. Good-bye."
I went and bought one and returned to her with it.
"No, not now," I said, as she held out her hand eagerly. "Wait till we
get home."
It was cooler now, and we wandered through the tents, chatting
patronizingly to the stall-keeper whenever we came to pink geraniums.
At the orchids we were contemptuously sniffy. "Of course," I said, "for
those who _like_ orchids--" and led the way back to the geraniums
again. It was an interesting afternoon.
And to our great joy the window-box was in position when we got home
again.
"Now!" I said dramatically, and I unwrapped my purchase and placed it in
the middle of our new-made garden.
"Whatever--"
"A slug-trap," I explained proudly.
"But how could slugs get up here?" asked Celia in surprise.
"How do slugs get anywhere? They climb up the walls, or they come up in
the lift, or they get blown about by the wind--I don't know. They
can fly up if they like; but, however it be, when they do come, I mean to
be ready for them."
Still, though our slug-trap will no doubt come in usefully, it is not
what we really want. What we gardeners really want is rain.
SISTERLY ASSISTANCE
I was talking to a very stupid man the other day. He was the stupidest
man I have come across for many years. It is a hard thing to say of any
man, but he appeared to me to be entirely lacking in intellect.
It was Celia who introduced me to him. She had rung up her brother at the
flat where he was staying, and, finding that he was out, she gave a
message for him to the porter. It was simply that he was to ring her up
as soon as he came in.
"Ring up who?" said the porter. At least I suppose he did, for Celia
repeated her name (and mine) very slowly and distinctly.
"Mrs. who?" said the porter, "What?" or "I can't hear," or something
equally foolish.
Celia then repeated our name again.
There followed a long conversation between the two of them, the
audible part of it (that is Celia's) consisting of my name given
forth in a variety of intonations, in the manner of one who sings an
anthem--hopefully, pathetically, dramatically, despairingly.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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