Page 206 - sons-and-lovers

means for her—a bit of a theatrical show where she can cut
a figure.’
‘I haven’t, Mrs. Morel!’ cried the girl—‘I haven’t! it is not
true!’
‘What!’ he cried, flashing round on her. ‘Once in Brom-
ley, once in Beckenham, and once somewhere else.’
‘Nowhere else!’ she said, in tears—‘nowhere else!’
‘It WAS! And if it wasn’t why were you confirmed
TWICE?’
‘Once I was only fourteen, Mrs. Morel,’ she pleaded, tears
in her eyes.
‘Yes,’ said Mrs. Morel; ‘I can quite understand it, child.
Take no notice of him. You ought to be ashamed, William,
saying such things.’
‘But it’s true. She’s religious—she had blue velvet Prayer-
Books—and she’s not as much religion, or anything else,
in her than that table-leg. Gets confirmed three times for
show, to show herself off, and that’s how she is in EVERY-
THING— EVERYTHING!’
The girl sat on the sofa, crying. She was not strong.
‘As for LOVE!’ he cried, ‘you might as well ask a fly to
love you! It’ll love settling on you—-‘
‘Now, say no more,’ commanded Mrs. Morel. ‘If you
want to say these things, you must find another place than
this. I am ashamed of you, William! Why don’t you be more
manly. To do nothing but find fault with a girl, and then
pretend you’re engaged to her! ‘
Mrs. Morel subsided in wrath and indignation.
William was silent, and later he repented, kissed and

0