is given? A benedictine for the bishop? Sherribrendi for sir Henry?
White wine? Cheese? Cake? And honey? His Eminence loves honey – food
hermits. There is no honey? – Lady Hinton called.
The girl, the red-cheeked Scotswoman in a gray dress, with white entered
starched apron and in a white lacy headdress, from under which
locks of a thick nutbrown hair were beaten out. In Mary’s hand was crystal
vase with honey.
– You forgot to put honey again, Mary? Mary silently put a vase
and silently came to a table. Hinton carried out it by eyes and translated a look
on a pale face of the niece.
– Why you cut hair, Ellen?
The girl touched slender white fingers with long bright pink
nails the ashy hair falling to cheeks equal waves
waves, and silently told:
– Sir Henry…
– Certainly! – with displeasure the old lady said. – Give me
“air” also take the book.
Lady Hinton embroidered five months with silk and gold flowers and
cherubs on “air” for an altar of church in which prior was
the bishop Iov Weller is a confessor the lady, her old friend and the adviser.
– What time is it now?
– Five minutes to five.
– Read, Ellen.
The niece opened at random Dickens’s volume:
– “Then they only feel in a happy state
the friendly association and mutual goodwill which is
source of the most true, pure pleasure…”
– In the Hyde park again, apparently, a meeting, – interrupted reading lady Hinton,
listening. Shook the head and heaved so a deep sigh that it
the breast which is stirred up under a lilac silk dress touched double
chin.
After this lady Hinton fiercely thrust a needle in an eye of the cherub and
deeply thought.
How many years it wages war, hopeless war over time!
At first against each new pound of weight of a fat body, against everyone
new wrinkle on a face – not without reason she endured three husbands and collected in
the strong hands three states, – and then against that new that
interfered in political, public and private life, up to these
“modern short-haired hair and indecent suits” Ellen.
Lady Hinton considered the Golden Age kind old England of times
the Queen Victoria to whom the lady was a little similar and which
tried to imitate.
The old mansion in West End, against the Hyde park, lady Hinton
turned into fortress – “my house – my fortress”, – in which wanted
to sit out from time pressure. The twentieth century had to come to an end on
threshold. Here everything, beginning from heavy furniture and finishing vital
way and etiquette, was antiquated and pradedovsky times.
Lady Hinton even did not open tightly the closed double glazing in the summer and
forced to lower heavy curtains on windows not to see crowd
the excited people passing in the Hyde park – the favourite place for
meetings. But voices and songs, rumble, and sometimes and dry crash of shots
got through thick walls. At its canneries – inheritance
the second husband – workers striked, and it had to conduct unpleasant
talk with the managing director. To its Fife-au-shreds a political talk was
are expelled as a sign of bad form. And nevertheless it is frequent behind these ceremonious
tea drinking political debates erupted.
Time has come, time conducted the correct siege of the mansion which took cover for
lattice, under old chestnuts and elms.
Time rushed a street rumble, the concerning talk, terrible
news. Neither old servants, nor thick walls, nor double glazing, nor curtains
did not save from time impact.
At lady Hinton the real mania of prosecution began. And
time was a persecutor, the enemy, the murderer…
– Read, Ellen.
But it was not necessary to continue reading. Hours slowly, deafly, as if blows
them reached from a far tower, punched five.
In the doorway silently the old footman in a gray livery with braids appeared.
Deaf aged voice respectfully reported:
– Doctor Mr. Teker.
Lady Hinton frowned. On Thursdays – put Fife-au-shred – house
the doctor had to be at four hours forty five minutes to end
evening visit before arrival of guests. Today the doctor was late for whole
fifteen minutes.
– Ask.
Because of a door the close-cut head with turning gray seemed
temples, then also all figure of the doctor – in black carefully promoted,
tightly the clasped frock coat. A frock coat instead of traditional evening
tuxedo! Lady Hinton forgave such violation of etiquette Tekera only
because he was “the person of other circle”,
