The Brontes Went to Woolworths (21 page)

‘Deirdre, in the War there were two young airmen who, at a certain altitude, found a new race in the sky. Dragons. It never became widely known for the obvious reason, though it leaked out in the
Occult Review
, if I remember. Pray go on.’

‘Then, you do believe
?’

‘Suppose we keep to the point.’

‘Well, then . . . We were in Yorkshire, this summer. We were miserable there. Sheil was ill. The place was near Keighley, and it didn’t like us.’

‘It
?’

‘Some places are against one, from the start.’

‘I see. Yes. I know what you mean.’

‘We were table-turning one night, and we got into touch with the Brontës. They came through at once. Charlotte said, “Remember Anne, remember Elizabeth, remember Maria” . . . and then, “Sheil, go back in time.” And we went, next day. I don’t know why I didn’t connect Anne and the other two with Charlotte and Emily
’

‘They were the elder sisters. They died practically at school,’ murmured Sir Herbert, absently, ‘Anne, the youngest, died at Scarborough many years later.’

‘Yes. I remember. Charlotte said she was dead “by the North Sea,” and Miss Martin, the governess, thought they were all the queens of England
’

‘Take your time, my child. After all, you were on the Brontës’ territory. I could cite similar instances, elsewhere. There was the case of a friend of mine who walked right into the French Revolution at a little village called Marquis, near Wimereux. He saw the tumbrils and the
tricoteuses
. . . but I am interrupting. Was it the table-turning that upset Sheil? She is, I suppose, too young to realise the unique privilege
’

‘Oh, she was in bed. We didn’t think of it like that, because you know what table-turning usually is; fake messages from John Bunyan and Cardinal Newman, and so on
’

‘Yet, you left the next day?’

‘Yes.
Any
warning about Sheil, from even a spirit
’

He nodded, abruptly. ‘She had one of those low fevers, too.’

‘Well, well
’ ‘

I’d brought my novel along
’

‘Forgive me, but does this bear on the trouble?’

‘I think so. Sir Herbert, there were pencilled criticisms on it that weren’t there before.’

‘Can you remember any?’

‘“Your thought here suffers confusion . . . we all feel the inherent worthlessness of such a nature as you depict . . . your Frenchman is, indeed, a laughable creature
”’

Sir Herbert looked at me. ‘I seem to recognise Charlotte’s touch.’

‘I think so, too; but when we got home, the pencil notes weren’t there.’

‘Really, Deirdre, I envy you profoundly! Go on.’

‘Charlotte asked if she could come and see us. And she and Emily came on All Souls’ Eve. We were out, and Sheil saw them both. Toddy – Sir Herbert, Miss Martin had been frightening Sheil. The night before, she’d tried to hit me. She lost her temper because she thought I was still on the Saga about you, and that I was making a fool of her about your having rung up . . . she took it out of Sheil when mother and I were out. She told her that Dion Saffyn was dead . . . and then Sheil saw Charlotte on the landing. Sheil had an instinct that it was Charlotte, and she was terrified. And now, we don’t know what to do for her.’

‘Deirdre, why are you asking me for help?’

I faced that. Nothing seemed to matter much. ‘Because one always has. For over two years!’

‘And, have I never failed you?’

‘No.’

‘How have I helped?’

‘Oh . . . you congratulated me on my novel and took me to dinner at the Ritz, and you motored from Bristol to be with us when it was refused. You came to Katrine’s term-end show at the Dramatic School – things like that.’

‘ “The first to welcome, foremost to defend,” in short?’

‘Yes.’

He put his hand on my shoulder. ‘And now, at last, chance (let’s call it that) has given me my belated opportunity to live up to myself . . . this Miss Martin . . . was she upset, too?’

‘She’s left us. Got another job. She hated Yorkshire, I’m glad to say, damn her!’