Arnold Bennett

The Lion's Share Arnold Bennett

"The fact is," said Audrey, "father has another woman in the house now."Mr. Moze had left Miss Ingate in the study and Audrey had cautiously rejoined her there."Another woman in the house!" repeated Miss Ingate, sitting down in happy expectation. "What onearth do you mean? Who on earth do you mean?""I mean me.""You aren't a woman, Audrey.""I'm just as much of a woman as you are. All father's behaviour proves it.""But your father treats you as a child.""No, he doesn't. He treats me as a woman. If he thought I was a child he wouldn't have anything toworry about. I'm over nineteen.""You don't look it.""Of course I don't. But I could if I liked. I simply won't look it because I don't care to be maderidiculous. I should start to look my age at once if father stopped treating me like a child.""But you've just said he treats you as a woman!""You don't understand, Winnie," said the girl sharply. "Unless you're pretending. Now you've nevertold me anything about yourself, and I've always told you lots about myself. You belong to an oldfashioned family. How were you treated when you were my age?""In what way?""You know what way," said Audrey, gazing at her."Well, my dear. Things seemed to come very naturally, somehow.""Were you ever engaged?""Me? Oh, no!" answered Miss Ingate with tranquillity. "I'm vehy interested in them. Oh, vehy! Oh, vehy! And I like talking to them. But anything more than that gets on my nerves. My eldest sisterwas the one. Oh! She was the one. She refused eleven men, and when she was going to be marriedshe made me embroider the monograms of all of them on the skirt of her wedding-dress. She mademe, and I had to do it. I sat up all night the night before the wedding to finish them.