Read Parents and Children Online
Authors: Ivy Compton-Burnett
âSome more letters,' said Nevill, with increasing urgency.
âHow many do you think there are?' said Miss Pilbeam, bending towards him.
âA hundred.'
âNo, there are twenty-six.'
âThere are twenty-six,' said Nevill, in an impressed tone. âAnd he will learn them all.'
âThe next one is called e.'
âA white one,' said Nevill, looking about for the crayon.
âYes, if you like. The letters are called the alphabet.'
âThey are called letters.'
âYes, they are called that too.'
âHe calls them that,' said Nevill.
âHe is the first person I have met who really said “Let me know all”,' said Hope. âAnd at his age too! I suppose the others do know all by now.'
âThey are just beginning Latin,' said Miss Pilbeam.
âWell, isn't that knowing all? People don't begin Latin until then. And now we go down and meet those who have been learning even longer. I see it is true that the whole of life is education.'
âThat is a happy thought,' said Faith, as she turned to follow. âIt makes me feel less regret that so far I have learned so little.'
âI am sure you mean you have had no advantages,' said Hope. âAnd I believe they were equal to Miss Pilbeam. And you have
only just begun to want to know all. I don't know how it is you are so late.'
âWould you prefer this chair, Mother?' said Faith at the table, suggesting that she harboured no ill feeling.
âNo, guests always think everything is perfect. Isn't it nice of her to go on calling me Mother? I always think it is so daughterly.'
âYou are the only mother I can remember.'
âI appreciate your not recalling other examples of what I am. Your father and Ridley both do it, and it seems such a double course.'
âRidley does not do you the same honour,' said Fulbert.
âIt is a little different,' said Faith. âHe is older and a man.'
âIt seems to be quite different,' said Hope.
âHow was Nevill managing his first day in the schoolroom?' said Luce.
âManaging is the word,' said Hope. âHe was giving directions and having them followed.'
âIs Miss Pilbeam a success?'
âYes, indeed. They were doing Latin and the alphabet. And those are the foundations of all learning.'
âI am so glad,' said Luce. âI suggested Miss Pilbeam, because I knew she really needed the employment. It is a relief that the arrangement is a success.'
âYou are unPlatonic, my child,' said Fulbert. âThe work does not exist for the man, but the man for the work.'
âI know nothing about Plato, Father,' said Luce, illustrating the methods of education in her family. âBut I do know when a kindness needs to be done. And this was a clear case of it.'
âI am so glad Miss Pilbeam has a post that suits her,' said Faith. âI have been so sorry for her and her father since Mrs Pilbeam died.'
Fulbert threw his quizzical glance from one young woman to the other.
âYou need not worry about your children's education, Fulbert,' said Hope. âI saw it going on on every floor. There is a room on each on purpose. I am glad we never go round our house; the
difference would strike us too forcibly. I daresay Paul and Ridley go sometimes, to hear the echo of a voice that is still.'
âMrs Cranmer, there is room in my heart for more than one person,' said Ridley.
âYes, that is what I was saying, dear.'
âAnd I am sure I may say the same of my father.'
âNo, you may not,' said Hope; âI forbid it.'
Faith turned grave, neutral eyes on her stepmother.
âYou will miss the hunting this winter, Fulbert,' said Paul.
âI shall, and other things as well.'
âYes, that would not be the first thing on his mind, Father,' said Faith with a smile.
âWe do not talk of the things that go too deep for words,' said Hope. âI suppose it would really be no good.'
âWill you be hunting, Daniel?' said Paul.
âThere are other things that he must do,' said Eleanor at once.
Regan turned eyes of troubled sympathy on her grandson.
âIt is a thing he should not have begun,' said Sir Jesse.
âYou forget, Paul, that they do nothing but learn,' said Hope. âA person has only to need a post, to be accommodated as a teacher here. I think it is wonderful of Luce to lift weights off people's minds. If we had not provided for Faith, it might be such a relief.'
âI am far from regarding myself as fit for such important work as teaching, Mother.'
âBut Luce would regard you as fit, dear. That is what I mean. I said it was wonderful of her.'
Regan laughed in enjoyment of the joke, quite free from uneasiness about her grandchildren's advantages.
âI don't think you hunt, Faith?' said Fulbert.
âNo, I do not,' said Faith, in a quiet, pleasant tone.
âYou are like Luce and uncertain of your nerve?'
âYes, I make no claim to that kind of courage, Father,' said Luce, smiling and saying nothing of other kinds.
âIt is not the highest sort,' said Fulbert.
âI wonder if there is any other,' said Graham. âI felt it was the lack of the whole of courage that prevented my hunting.'
âMy nerve is quite good,' said Faith, in the same tone.
âShe thinks it is cruel to the fox,' said Hope. âIsn't it imaginative of her? She puts herself in his place.'
âWe must set the pleasure to human beings on the other side of the scales,' said Sir Jesse.
âShe thinks the fox doesn't count that, or not enough to find it any compensation. She believes he only thinks of himself. And yet she thinks of him. She is a wonderful character.'
âShe thinks of the fox and not of men and women.'
âNo, she thinks of them too. She says that hunting degrades them, that they should get their pleasure in other ways. She wants them to have pleasure.'
âHunting takes a lot of qualities,' said Sir Jesse.
âGrandpa speaks after a lifetime's practice of it,' said Daniel.
âA way you will never speak,' said his grandfather.
âIs this being cruel to be kind?' said Hope. âOr is it just being cruel?'
âIt is being honest,' said her host.
âIt is showing moral courage,' said Graham. âIn other words yielding to temptation.'
âThe qualities might surely be put to better purpose than hounding to death an innocent creature,' said Faith.
âHounding is a good word,' said Hope. âIt seems such a right use of it.'
âI do think, Mrs Sullivan,' said Ridley, bending towards Eleanor, âthat there is something repellent in the idea of a little, terrified creature being driven to exhaustion and death. How would any of us like it ?'
âThe fox has his own chance,' said Sir Jesse.
âHe would prefer the one that we have,' said Daniel. âNot that I consider his preferences.'
âYou may do so,' said his grandfather.
âYou are hunting as usual, Paul?' said Fulbert, regarding Faith's scruples as things to be necessarily passed over.
âMore than usual, now that I am my own master.'
âCan I pass you the sugar, Father?' said Faith.
âIsn't it selfless of Fulbert to take an interest in what he will miss?' said Hope. âIt is people with emptier lives like mine who ought to go away.'
âIt is because of what ny life holds, that I am going.'
âYes, it would hardly bj worth while for me to go.'
âTake what you can get out of it, my boy,' said Sir Jesse, almost harshly. âYou are not a woman,'
âFather knows that, Grandpa,' said Luce, in her demure tone.
âI think he is one of those men who do,' said Graham.
âDo men get more out of things than women?' said Faith. âI should hardly have thought so.'
âI would not exchange my life for a man's,' said Regan.
âYou would be an odd person if you would, Lady Sullivan,' said Ridley, in an earnest tone.
âI always think I should have been more of a success as a man,' said Eleanor.
âMrs Sullivan, you do not wish for the change?' said Ridley, in an almost stricken manner.
âWell, not at this stage, I suppose.'
âWould you be rid of us all, Mother?' said Luce.
âWell, I might prefer to be your father.'
âThat would be giving up a good deal of us.'
âIt would be gaining some more,' said Fulbert. âI admit no belittlement of fatherhood.'
âWe must acknowledge the woman's part as the deeper and fuller here,' said Ridley.
âIn most cases,' said Faith. âAnd exceptions prove rules.'
âThey seem to break them,' said Graham. âBut what does it matter?'
âWould you be a woman or a man, Luce, my dear?' said Regan.
âA woman, Grandma,' said Luce, simply, turning her eyes full on Regan's face.
âWhich would you choose to be, Father?' said Faith.
âWell, I think a man gets more and gives less.'
âYou have not answered my question, Father.'
âHe has in his own way, Faith,' said Luce, in a low, amused tone.
âIt would be no advantage not to give,' said Faith. âOne would not wish to give that up.'
âIt would be shocking to ask Faith what she gave,' said Hope
to her husband. âShe can only give intangible things, and no one can speak of those. And I did feel the impulse.'
âFew normal people would wish to belong to the opposite sex,' said Daniel.
âIt would mean they were different,' said Graham. âAnd that would seem to them a pity.'
âA human being is a wonderful thing,' said Faith.
âThen of course it would be a pity,' said Paul.
âA human being is in some ways a melancholy thing,' said Ridley, glancing at Eleanor.
âPeople often make their own troubles,' said Faith.
âWell, it does seem shallow to be fortunate,' said Hope.
âWe don't all have to make them,' said Regan.
âI wish I had had as much sorrow as you have, Lady Sullivan,' said Hope. âI am really ashamed of having been through so little.'
Regan laughed.
âI don't know anyone with such an infectious laugh as Grandma, when she really gives it,' said Luce.
âI daresay the experience behind it only adds to it,' said Faith.
âCan't we even laugh properly without having trouble?' said Hope. âThen it is true that laughter is near to tears. Is this six or seven children coming in?'
âYou know it is six, Mother.'
âI knew it ought to be. But it did seem to be more. And surely these children ought to count more than one.'
Nevill ran up to Regan and stood by her knee.
âA, b, c, d,' he said.
âWhat a clever boy! I did not know you could learn so fast.'
âA is red, b is blue, c is green, and d is pink,' said Nevill watching her face for the effect of this knowledge.
âDoes Miss Pilbeam colour them?'
âNo, he does. There are twenty-six.'
âTwenty-six what ?'
âTwenty-six a, b, c, d,' said Nevill, rapidly moving his feet.
âLetters,' said Honor.
âLetters,' said Nevill, a calm overspreading his face.
âAnd you will learn them all?' said Regan.
âHe will learn twenty-six.'
âAnd what colours will they be?'
âWhite, purple, brown, crimson lake,' said Nevill, with very little pause.
âDoes it confuse him to have the colours?' said Eleanor. âI should have thought it would make it harder.'
âIt does make him think each letter has its own colour,' said Honor. âBut he asked to have it like that. He really wanted to paint them.'
âAren't they wonderful to have to have things made harder?' said Hope. âAnd to ask for it too. I have never heard of it before.'
âYou must have heard of children who wanted to colour things, Mother,' said Faith. âI always did myself.'
âYes, dear, but I thought it was to make them easier.'
âWe can't catch my stepmother out, Mrs Sullivan,' said Ridley.
âThat was the last thing I wanted to do,' said Faith, in a quiet tone.
âWe know quite a lot about Faith,' said Hope. âMost people are so secretive about themselves.'
âI hope I do not talk about myself,' said Faith. âNot that there is anything I wish to hide.'
âI want to hide almost everything,' said Hope. âSome of it must leak out, but I do trust not all.'
âDid you like your lessons with Miss Pilbeam, Gavin?' said Eleanor.
âI didn't mind them.'
âDid you, Honor?'
âYes, thank you, Mother.'
âHe liked it too,' said Nevill, turning his eyes rapidly from face to face.
âDon't they think or talk of anything but learning?' said Hope.
âThis is an exceptional occasion,' said Eleanor. âThey have a new governess.'
âYes, the one that was not Miss Mitford. Have you got rid of her? I mean, have they grown beyond her? Of course they would have.'
âNo, they are not up to her yet.'
âWho is up to her?'
âThese two,' said Eleanor, indicating Isabel and Venice.
âAnd does James have someone in between?'
âNo, James goes to school.'
âThe school is between Miss Mitford and Miss Pilbeam. And Daniel and Graham are at Cambridge, and there is no more for Luce to learn. I see I denied my stepchildren every opportunity.'
âHave you little ones finished your dessert?' said Eleanor. âWe don't want much of you today.'
Nevill forced the remainder of his portion into his mouth and prepared to leave.
âThe child will choke, my dear,' said Fulbert.
His son ran towards the door, with a view to dealing with his situation in his own way.