The House in Paris by Elizabeth Bowen Read Free Book Online Page A

is sad that so many years should have gone by without your promised visit, and that your dear mother's health should have been the cause of this. We hope her health is not worse, and that Leopold's mother's visit will not agitate her. We know of your tender feeling for Leopold, which your tie in the past with his unfortunate father will always renew. How undying friendship is! We feel that, apart from the circumstance of his birth, Leopold's heredity (instability on the father's side, lack of control on the mother's) may make conduct difficult for him, and are attempting to both guard and guide him accordingly. He shows extreme sensibility and his mind is most interesting. We believe him to be creative, so are encouraging handicrafts and, so far as possible, relaxing outdoor games. We do not consider him ripe for direct sex-instruction yet, though my husband is working towards this through botany and mythology. When the revelation regarding himself must come, what better prototypes could he find than the Greek and other heroes, we feel. His religious sense seems to be still dormant. We are educating him on broad undenominational lines such as God is Love.
    We have of course no idea what revelations Leopold's mother may see fit to make, but we do trust you will beg her to be discreet and have regard for his temperament and the fact that he has not yet received direct sex-instruction. Almost any fact she might mention seems to us still unsuitable. We have written her advocating extreme caution, but as she has not replied we do not know in what spirit our letter was received. You will no doubt have a few words with her first, and we should be deeply grateful if you would stress our point. Our position is often trying; you will understand that we exercise the very greatest discretion. We dread having Leopold prematurely upset. We have explained to Leopold (though strangely, he never asked) that his father is dead and his mother married in England (for the second time, we allowed him to understand). Why he is not with her he has, happily, not asked either. He appears to suspect nothing and exhibits no sign of brooding. We attempt to keep his childhood sunny and beautiful, and do entreat that our work may not be undone.
    We shall send packed with Leopold two changes of warm underwear, and shall be grateful if you or your maid will kindly see that he puts everything on. Will you also inquire if he has bowel trouble, as the effects of a journey are so binding and his digestion easily gets upset? At midday he eats anything but should be encouraged to masticate. Will you also notify us by telegram as to which train on Saturday we are to expect him home on? Also kindly mention that this letter has reached you. Please also keep a note of any expenses incurred by you during Leopold's time in Paris. Though it is of course possible that his mother may prefer to meet these herself.
    Believing we may rely on you to see that the misgivings we cannot but feel are not justified, and with warm good wishes from my husband, my sister and myself. I remain, dear Miss Fisher, Yours most sincerely,
    MARIAN GRANT MOODY
     
    The repercussions on Leopold of this letter were such that for some time he seemed to stay quite blank. He sat pulling at his upper lip with his thumb and finger, in the way his Aunt Sally once said would spoil the mouth God had designed, staring at what he now saw from the outside. The revulsion threatening him became so frightening that he quickly picked up Mrs Arbuthnot's letter and read it, as though to clap something on to the gash in his mind.
    She wrote:
     
    My dear Kingfisher: Why do you never write to me? I had your card at Christmas and hoped for a letter later, but not another word came. I shall begin to think you very much less constant than you declared you were on our drive round the lake. Your pressed wild pansy fell out of de Sévigné only the other day, and I smiled again at that passage we marked together. Am I