Mrs. Tim of the Regiment (49 page)

‘Bones,' he replies solemnly, and the tone of his voice bodes no good for that lanky individual.

We part at my bedroom door.

‘This is the last night, Hester,' he says sentimentally. ‘You won't want me after tomorrow.'

I tell him not to be a donkey, and he goes away sorrowfully.

My undressing is soon accomplished, for I am very tired, and I slip into bed and blow out the candle; but for a long time sleep eludes me. Tonight is, in a way, the end of my leave. I am longing to see Tim, of course, but I can't help being sorry the fortnight is over. It has been such a complete change from my ordinary life – almost a change of soul. Instead of thinking all the time of my family, and my household affairs, I have been able to think of myself – for a whole fortnight to
be
myself, not just Tim's wife, and the mother of Bryan and Betty. It has been a lovely thing to find that people like me for no other reason than just because they like me.

Is it really only a fortnight since I left Kiltwinkle? It seems years. I have done so much in the time, seen so many beautiful places, and made so many new friends. Mrs. Loudon I knew before, of course, but my feeling for her has grown and deepened; we shall never lose each other now. I love her downright manner and her uncompromising attitude towards life. Guthrie is a new friend well worth having, his simplicity is endearing. (I hope Tim will like Guthrie; somehow I think he will.) I have learnt to know Tony Morley in a different way during these two weeks, to appreciate his real goodness of heart, though I cannot always understand him. Even Mrs. Falconer is nice. Strange as she is I like her, and I know she also likes me. And Deirdre, my Fairy Princess, what of her? Shall we see each other again? I hope so greatly, for she interested me, and I feel that we would be friends if we had the opportunity. I shall always remember, and be glad that I helped her to marry her Fairy Prince.

A score of bright little pictures stand out clearly as I look back over my time at Avielochan. I pick them out and smile over them one by one. My first morning in the garden – the bright, bright sunshine, and the crystal clearness of the air; Guthrie and Elsie fishing on the loch (how hard poor Guthrie struggled to reconcile the rival attractions of love and sport!); Castle Quill party where I first heard the story of the beautiful Seónaid; the visit to the laundry (I can see the lines of snowy garments dancing in the breeze and hear the soft tones of Miss Campbell's gentle voice); Guthrie's burglars; the picnic when we saw the ghost of Seónaid which turned out to be Deirdre; the dinner party; Betty's adventure in the mist; my expedition with Tony to Gart-na-Druim with its pleasant memories of our welcome and the beauty of the Western Sea; the elopement of my Fairy Princess; and lastly the fair (a jumble of impressions from which our adventure at the roundabout stands forth as the high light).

Dawn is breaking now, and its pallor creeps in at my open window and spreads like water over the polished floor. Somehow the coming of the new day turns my thoughts to Tim. The page is turned; it is a page of bright colours which will live for ever in my memory. Tim will be here tomorrow – no,
today
. At this very moment he is rushing towards me in the train. The same dawn which is creeping in so slowly at my window is breaking over Tim as he rushes through the sleeping land. Dear old Tim – how lovely it will be to have him here! He will enjoy it all so much –the mountains, the forests, the lovely clear air. We shall go fishing together, perhaps we shall climb the hills. We shall laugh together at Mrs. Falconer's rambling stories and Betty's quaint sayings. What was it that Mrs. Loudon said: ‘Never the time, and the place, and the loved one all together.' Lucky me, for I shall have them all!

The light brightens and fills the room. A little bird chirps outside my window, and another wakens and answers. Suddenly a perfect choir of little birds bursts into song.

A NOTE ON THE AUTHOR

DOROTHY EMILY STEVENSON was born in 1892 in Edinburgh, into a family of engineers. She was related to Robert Louis Stevenson on her father's side and was attracted to writing from a young age.

In 1916 she married a young officer, Major James Peploe, and had four children. Although busy with family life, she later found time to write. Her first novel,
Peter West
, was published in 1923, and although it was a number of years before she wrote any more, Dorothy continued to keep a diary, observing the characters and personalities of those around her.

In the early 1930s a friend, whose daughter was shortly to marry an army officer, borrowed Stevenson's diary in order to get a sense of what her daughter could expect. She greatly enjoyed it, and urged Stevenson to publish it. The result was
Mrs Tim of the Regiment
(1932), the first of what was to become the Mrs Tim quartet. The series continued with
Mrs Tim
Carries On
(1941),
Mrs Tim Gets a Job
(1947) and
Mrs Tim Flies
Home
(1952). The books were well received. During her career, Stevenson wrote more than forty novels, including the hugely popular
Miss Buncle's Book
, and sold over four million copies in the UK and three million in the USA.

During the war she and her husband moved to Moffat, Scotland. Stevenson died there in 1973.

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Copyright © The Estate of D.E. Stevenson 1934

Ex libris illustration © 2009 by Penelope Beech

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information address Bloomsbury USA, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.

Published by Bloomsbury USA, New York

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA HAS BEEN APPLIED FOR

ISBN 978-1-60819-052-2 (paperback)

First published in 1940
Published in the U.S. by Bloomsbury USA in 2010
This e-book edition published in 2010

E-book ISBN: 978-1-60819-178-9

www.bloomsburyusa.com