“Yes, I like them very much.”
“Come when the roses are out. You'd like that if you're interested in roses. Damn that radio, it's going wonky again.”
Tony wondered whether he was as amiable when people he did not know were brought over unexpectedly to Hetton.
At one stage in the evening he found himself sitting on a sofa with Dan. “Nice kid Milly,” he said.
“Yes.”
“I'll tell you a thing I've noticed about her. She attracts quite a different type from the other girls. People like you and me.”
“Yes.”
“You wouldn't think she had a daughter of eight, would you.”
“No, it's very surprising.”
“I didn't know for ages. Then I was taking her to Dieppe for the week-end and she wanted to bring the child along too. Of course that put the kybosh on it, but I've always liked Milly just the same. You can trust her to behave anywhere.” He said this with a sour glance towards Baby who was full of the right stuff and showing it. It was after three before the party broke up. Dan's friend renewed his invitation to come again when the roses were out. “I doubt if you'll find a better show of roses anywhere in the south of England,” he said.
Dan drove them back to the hotel. Baby sat beside him in front, disposed to be quarrelsome. “Where were you?” she kept asking. “Never saw you all the evening. Where did you get to? Where were you hiding? I call it a lousy way to take a girl out.”
Tony and Milly sat at the back. From habit and exhaustion she put her head on his shoulder and her hand in his. When they reached their rooms, however, she said, “Go quietly. We don't want to wake Winnie.”
For an hour or so Tony lay in the warm little bedroom, reviewing over and over again the incidents of the last three months; then he too fell asleep.
He was awakened by Winnie. “Mother's still asleep,” she said.
Tony looked at his watch. “So I should think,” he said. It was quarter past seven. “Go back to bed.”
“No, I'm dressed. Let's go out.”
She went to the window and pulled back the curtains, filling the room with glacial morning light. “It's hardly raining at all,” she said.
“What do you want to do?”
“I want to go on the pier.”
“It won't be open yet.”
“Well I want to go down to the sea. Come on.”
Tony knew that he would not get to sleep again that morning. “All right. You go and wait while I dress.”
“I'll wait here. Mother snores so.”
Twenty minutes later they went downstairs into the hall where aproned waiters were piling up the furniture and brushing the carpets. A keen wind met them as they emerged from the swing door. The asphalt promenade was wet with spray and rain. Two or three female figures were scudding along, bowed to the wind, prayer books clutched in their gloved hands. Four or five rugged old men were hobbling down to bathe, hissing like ostlers. “Oh come on,” said Winnie.
They went down to the beach and stumbled painfully across the shingle to the margin of the sea. Winnie threw some stones. The bathers were in the water now; some of them had dogs who swam snorting beside them. “Why don't you bathe?” asked Winnie.
“Far too cold.”
“But they're bathing. I want to.”
“You must ask your mother.”
“I believe you're afraid. Can you swim?”
“Yes.”
“Well why don't you? Bet you can't.”
“All right. I can't.”
“Then why did you say you could. Fibber.”
They walked along the shingle. Winnie slithered about astride a backwater. “Now I'm all wet,” she said.
“Better come back and change.”
“It feels horrible. Let's go and have breakfast.”
The hotel did not, as a rule, cater for guests who breakfasted downstairs at eight o'clock on Sunday morning. It took a long time before anything could be got ready. There were no ices, much to Winnie's annoyance. She ate grapefruit and kippers and scrambled eggs on toast, complaining fitfully about her wet clothing. After breakfast Tony sent her upstairs to change and, himself, smoked a pipe in the lounge and glanced over the Sunday papers. Here at nine o'clock he was interrupted by the arrival of Blenkinsop. “We missed you last night,” he said.
“We went to a party.”
“You shouldn't have done that — not strictly, but I daresay no harm will come of it. Have you had your breakfast?”
“Yes, in the dining room with Winnie.”
“But, Mr. Last, what are you thinking of? You've got to get evidence from the hotel servants.”
“Well, I didn't like to wake Milly.”
“She's paid for it, isn't she? Come, come, Mr. Last, this won't do at all. You'll never get your divorce if you don't give your mind to it more.”
“All right,” said Tony. “I'll have breakfast again.”
“In bed mind.”
“In bed.” And he went wearily upstairs to his rooms. Winnie had drawn the curtains but her mother was still asleep. “She woke up once and then turned over. Do get her to come out. I want to go on the pier.”
“Milly,” said Tony firmly. “Milly.”
“Oh,” she said. “What time is it?”
“We've got to have breakfast.”
“Don't want any breakfast. I think I'll sleep a little.”
“You have had breakfast,” said Winnie.
“Come on,” said Tony. “Plenty of time to sleep afterwards. This is what we came for.”
Milly sat up in bed. “O.K.,” she said. “Winnie darling, give mother her jacket off the chair.” She was a conscientious girl, ready to go through with her job however unattractive it might seem. “But it's early.”
Tony went into his room and took off his shoes, collar and tie, coat and waistcoat, and put on a dressing gown. “You are greedy,” said Winnie, “eating two breakfasts.” “When you're a little older you'll understand these things. It's the Law. Now I want you to stay in the sitting room for quarter of an hour very quietly. Promise? And afterwards you can do exactly what you like.”
“Can I bathe?”
“Yes certainly, if you're quiet now.”
Tony got into bed beside Milly and pulled the dressing gown tight round his throat. “Does that look all right?”
“Love's young dream,” said Milly.
“All right then. I'll ring the bell.”
When the tray had been brought Tony got out of bed and put on his things. “So much for my infidelity,” he said. “It is curious to reflect that this will be described in the papers as `intimacy.' ”
“Can I bathe now?”
“Certainly.”
Milly turned over to sleep again. Tony took Winnie to the beach. The wind had got up and a heavy sea was pounding on the shingle.
“This little girl would like to bathe,” said Tony.
“No bathing for children today,” said the beach attendant.
“The very idea,” said various onlookers. “Does he want to drown the child?” “He's no business to be trusted with children.”
“Unnatural beast.”
“But I want to bathe,” said Winnie. “You said I could bathe if you had two breakfasts.”
The people who had clustered round to witness Tony's discomfort, looked at one another askance. “Two breakfasts? Wanting to let the child bathe? The man's balmy.”
“Never mind,” said Tony. “We'll go on the pier.”
Several of the crowd followed them round the slots, curious to see what new enormity this mad father might attempt. “There's a man who's eaten two breakfasts and tries to drown his little girl,” they informed other spectators, sceptically observing his attempts to amuse Winnie with skee-ball. Tony's conduct confirmed the view of human nature derived from the weekly newspapers which they had all been reading that morning.