Carnival Part 47

Chapter XXI: _Epilogue_

Jenny went to bed at Irene's house in Camden Town and slept soundly till four o'clock in the afternoon. Then she got up, dressed herself, and prepared to face the storms of 17 Hagworth Street.

When she walked into the kitchen, the family was a.s.sembled in conclave round the tea-table. The addition of her brother to the usual party of three made her exclaim in surprise from the doorway:

"Oo--er, there's Alfie."

"So you've come back?" said Mrs. Raeburn.

"Yes, I went to Covent Garden Ball."

"I wonder you dare show your face."

"Why not?" asked Jenny, advancing towards the table.

"Oh, leave her alone, mother," said May. "She's tired."

"You dare tell me what I'm to do," Mrs. Raeburn threatened, turning sharply to her youngest daughter.

Jenny began to unb.u.t.ton her gloves, loftily unconscious of her mother's gaze, which was now again directed upon her.

"How's yourself, young Alf?" she lightly inquired.

"Better than you, I hope," came the morose reply m.u.f.fled by a teacup.

"Perhaps you'd like us to help you off with your things?" Mrs. Raeburn suggested sarcastically.

"Eh?" Jenny retorted, pointing a cold insolence of manner with arched contemptuous eyebrows.

"Don't you try and defy me, miss," Mrs. Raeburn warned her. "Because you know I won't have it."

"Who cares? I haven't done nothing."

Alfie guffawed ironically.

"I wonder you aren't afraid to make a noise like that with such long ears as you've got," said Jenny. "I should be."

Alfie muttered something about sauce under his breath, but ventured no audible retort.

"Well, what's the matter?" Jenny asked. "Get it over and done with."

"Where were you last night?"

"I told you. At Covent Garden Ball."

"And afterwards?"

"I went home with Ireen."

"And that's a ---- lie," shouted Alfie. "Because I saw you go off with a fellah."

"What of it, Mr. Nosy Parker? And don't use your navvy's language to me, because I don't like it."

"That's quite right," May agreed. "He ought to be ashamed of himself."

"You shut up, you silly kid," Alfie commanded.

Here Charlie entered the dispute.

"There's no call to swear, Alf. I can argue without swearing and so can you."

"It was you that learned him to swear. He's heard you often enough,"

Mrs. Raeburn pointed out. "But that's no reason why Alfie should."

Jenny, more insolently contemptuous than ever, interrupted the side-issue.

"When you've finished arguing which is the biggest lady and gentleman in this room, perhaps you'll let me finish what I was going to say."

"I'd hold my tongue if I was you," her brother advised. "You're as bad as Edie."

"Don't you talk to me. You!" said Jenny, stamping with rage. Then, with head thrown back and defiant underlip, she continued:

"That's quite right about my driving off with a gentleman." In the tail of the "g" was whipcord for Alfie's self-esteem.

"Gentleman," he sneered.

"_Which_ is more than _you_ could ever be, any old way."

"Or want to," Alfie growled. "Thanks, I'm quite content with what I am."

"You can't have many looking-gla.s.ses down at your workshop then. Look at Mr. Quite Content. How much do they pay you a week to be all the time spying after your sister?"

"Well, anyway, I caught you out, my girl."

"No, you didn't. I say I _did_ drive off with a gentleman, but there was a crowd of us. We went to have breakfast at Greenwich."

"Now that's a place I've often meant to go to and never did," said Charlie. "What's it like?"

"You keep quiet, you silly old man," his wife commanded. "As if she went near Greenwich. What a tale!"

"It isn't a tale," Jenny declared. "I did. Ask Maudie Chapman and Madge Wilson and Ireen. They was all there."

"Oh, I don't doubt they're just as quick with their tongues as what you are," said Mrs. Raeburn. "A nice lot you meet at that theater."

"Jest leave the theater alone," her daughter answered. "It's better than this dog's island where no one can't let you alone for a minute because they're so ignorant that they don't know nothing. I say I did go to Greenwich."

"I don't see why the girl shouldn't have gone to Greenwich," Charlie interposed. "I keep telling you I've often thought of going there myself."