‘Jealous cats,’ said Dennis.

‘Oh no, not really,’ said Ann. ‘I’m rather on the wives’ side. Anyway I liked Lady Todhunter much better than old Mervyn. Why are you surprised at my present job?’

‘Oh, a school. You’re not scholastically minded at all, I should have said.’

‘I’d hate to teach in a school. I’d hate to be penned up. Herded with a lot of women. But the work as the secretary of a school like Meadowbank is rather fun. It really is a unique place, you know. And Miss Bulstrode’s unique. She’s really something, I can tell you. Her steel-grey eye goes through you and sees your innermost secrets. And she keeps you on your toes. I’d hate to make a mistake in any letters I’d taken down for her. Oh yes, she’s certainly something.’

‘I wish you’d get tired of all these jobs,’ said Dennis. ‘It’s quite time, you know, Ann, that you stopped all this racketing about with jobs here and jobs there and—and settled down.’

‘You are sweet, Dennis,’ said Ann in a noncommittal manner.

‘We could have quite fun, you know,’ said Dennis.

‘I daresay,’ said Ann, ‘but I’m not ready yet. And anyway, you know, there’s my mamma.’

‘Yes, I was—going to talk to you about that.’

‘About my mamma? What were you going to say?’

‘Well, Ann, you know I think you’re wonderful. The way you get an interesting job and then you chuck it all up and go home to her.’

‘Well, I have to now and again when she gets a really bad attack.’

‘I know. As I say, I think it’s wonderful of you. But all the same there are places, you know, very good places nowadays where—where people like your mother are well looked after and all that sort of thing. Not really loony bins.’

‘And which cost the earth,’ said Ann.

‘No, no, not necessarily. Why, even under the Health Scheme—’

A bitter note crept into Ann’s voice. ‘Yes, I daresay it will come to that one day. But in the meantime I’ve got a nice old pussy who lives with Mother and who can cope normally. Mother is quite reasonable most of the time—And when she—isn’t, I come back and lend a hand.’

‘She’s—she isn’t—she’s never—?’

‘Are you going to say violent, Dennis? You’ve got an extraordinarily lurid imagination. No. My dear mamma is never violent. She just gets fuddled. She forgets where she is and who she is and wants to go for long walks, and then as like as not she’ll jump into a train or a bus and take off somewhere and—well, it’s all very difficult, you see. Sometimes it’s too much for one person to cope with. But she’s quite happy, even when she is fuddled. And sometimes quite funny about it. I remember her saying: “Ann, darling, it really is very embarrassing. I knew I was going to Tibet and there I was sitting in that hotel in Dover with no idea how to get there. Then I thought why was I going to Tibet? And I thought I’d better come home. Then I couldn’t remember how long ago it was when I left home. It makes it very embarrassing, dear, when you can’t quite remember things.” Mummy was really very funny over it all, you know. I mean she quite sees the humorous side herself.’