’I am tired, Meg, can’t think why she made me come so late; never seems much sense in women’s orders.’
The first thing we did on arriving at the lodgings was to fight fiercely about bedrooms. His room looked so pleasant with flowers, a cheerful fire, a box of his favourite cigarettes, and a whole box of matches!
’Very nice,’ said the invalid, ’and may I ask where you sleep?’
’I should like to see this "dear little room near by," Meg.’
’You can’t,’ I said. ’It’s all in a muddle and my things aren’t put away.’
’I should like,’ reiterated Ross, in his most maddening manner, ’to see this "dear little room near by."’
So of course he saw it. He wandered slowly round it, gazing at the works of art, until he came to ’The Believer’s Vision,’ which seemed to fascinate him. After a long pause in front of it he said, ’Well, it ’ud wreck my faith completely,’ and then he collected an armful of my clothing and proceeded to hang it up in the other room that had been so carefully prepared for him.
’Oh, Ross, don’t,’ I begged. ’I much prefer the little room.’
’Why didn’t you choose it at first?’ he said with unanswerable logic, ’and why isn’t there a fire in it?’
’I made the other room so nice for you,’ I wailed, and we can’t all have fires; coal is so expensive.’
’Parsons say the war has taught us many things,’ said Ross, ’but I never expected it would teach you to go without a fire because it happened to be expensive. Why, it’s a modern miracle, and ought to be reported to the Pope.’
’Then we’ll buy millions of logs and cartloads of peat,’ he said. ’You’re not going to sleep in this room without a fire, or any other room for the matter of that. Why, it’s like an ice-house after India. Come on, Nannie, help me to get this female gear out of my dug-out. Don’t be cross, old girl!’
But I was cross. I hate being called a ’female’ and my clothes ’gear.’ Why do I always live with cavemen who will have their own way and trample on my deepest feelings? I determined, however, that I would try again and said, ’But the mattress has such lumps and——’
’I adore lumps; how can you be so selfish, Meg?’
’But I don’t want to be turned out of my room like this.’
’Well, that’s what I keep on saying,’ said Ross. ’How inconsistent women are. What time is dinner? Can I have a bath?’