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- Колин Маккалоу
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- Стр. 458/535
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If
they
applied
themselves
to
it
,
the
Drogheda
people
could
imagine
that
Rome
and
London
were
no
farther
away
than
Sydney
,
and
that
the
grown-up
Dane
and
Justine
were
still
children
going
to
boarding
school
.
Admittedly
they
could
n't
come
home
for
all
the
shorter
vacations
of
other
days
,
but
once
a
year
they
turned
up
for
a
month
at
least
.
Usually
in
August
or
September
,
and
looking
much
as
always
.
Very
young
.
Did
it
matter
whether
they
were
fifteen
and
sixteen
or
twenty-two
and
twenty-three
?
And
if
the
Drogheda
people
lived
for
that
month
in
early
spring
,
they
most
definitely
never
went
round
saying
things
like
,
Well
,
only
a
few
weeks
to
go
!
or
,
Dear
heaven
,
it
's
not
a
month
since
they
left
!
But
around
July
everyone
's
step
became
brisker
,
and
permanent
smiles
settled
on
every
face
.
From
the
cookhouse
to
the
paddocks
to
the
drawing
room
,
treats
and
gifts
were
planned
.
In
the
meantime
there
were
letters
.
Mostly
these
reflected
the
personalities
of
their
authors
,
but
sometimes
they
contradicted
.
One
would
have
thought
,
for
instance
,
that
Dane
would
be
a
meticulously
regular
correspondent
and
Justine
a
scrappy
one
.
That
Fee
would
never
write
at
all
.
That
the
Cleary
men
would
write
twice
a
year
.
That
Meggie
would
enrich
the
postal
service
with
letters
every
day
,
at
least
to
Dane
.
That
Mrs.
Smith
,
Minnie
and
Cat
would
send
birthday
and
Christmas
cards
.
That
Anne
Mueller
would
write
often
to
Justine
,
never
to
Dane
.
Dane
's
intentions
were
good
,
and
he
did
indeed
write
regularly
.
The
only
trouble
was
he
forgot
to
post
his
efforts
,
with
the
result
that
two
or
three
months
would
go
by
without
a
word
,
and
then
Drogheda
would
receive
dozens
on
the
same
mail
run
.
The
loquacious
Justine
wrote
lengthy
missives
which
were
pure
stream-of-consciousness
,
rude
enough
to
evoke
blushes
and
clucks
of
alarm
,
and
entirely
fascinating
.
Meggie
wrote
once
every
two
weeks
only
,
to
both
her
children
.
Though
Justine
never
received
letters
from
her
grandmother
,
Dane
did
quite
often
.
He
also
got
word
regularly
from
all
his
uncles
,
about
the
land
and
the
sheep
and
the
health
of
the
Drogheda
women
,
for
they
seemed
to
think
it
was
their
duty
to
assure
him
all
was
truly
well
at
home
.
However
,
they
did
n't
extend
this
to
Justine
,
who
would
have
been
flabbergasted
by
it
anyway
.
For
the
rest
,
Mrs.
Smith
,
Minnie
,
Cat
and
Anne
Mueller
,
correspondence
went
as
might
be
expected
.
It
was
lovely
reading
letters
,
and
a
burden
writing
them
.
That
is
,
for
all
save
Justine
,
who
experienced
twinges
of
exasperation
because
no
one
ever
sent
her
the
kind
she
desired
--
fat
,
wordy
and
frank
.
It
was
from
Justine
the
Drogheda
people
got
most
of
their
information
about
Dane
,
for
his
letters
never
plunged
his
readers
right
into
the
middle
of
a
scene
.
Whereas
Justine
's
did
.
Rain
flew
into
London
today
[
she
wrote
once
]
,
and
he
was
telling
me
he
saw
Dane
in
Rome
last
week
.
Well
,
he
sees
a
lot
more
of
Dane
than
of
me
,
since
Rome
is
at
the
top
of
his
travel
agenda
and
London
is
rock
bottom
.
So
I
must
confess
Rain
is
one
of
the
prime
reasons
why
I
meet
Dane
in
Rome
every
year
before
we
come
home
.
Dane
likes
coming
to
London
,
only
I
wo
n't
let
him
if
Rain
is
in
Rome
.
Selfish
.
But
you
've
no
idea
how
I
enjoy
Rain
.
He
's
one
of
the
few
people
I
know
who
gives
me
a
run
for
my
money
,
and
I
wish
we
met
more
often
.
In
one
respect
Rain
's
luckier
than
I
am
.
He
gets
to
meet
Dane
's
fellow
students
where
I
do
n't
.
I
think
Dane
thinks
I
'm
going
to
rape
them
on
the
spot
.
Or
maybe
he
thinks
they
'll
rape
me
.
Hah
.
Only
happen
if
they
saw
me
in
my
Charmian
costume
.
It
's
a
stunner
,
people
,
it
really
is
.
Sort
of
up-to-date
Theda
Bara
.
Two
little
round
bronze
shields
for
the
old
tits
,
lots
and
lots
of
chains
and
what
I
reckon
is
a
chastity
belt
--
you
'd
need
a
pair
of
tin-cutters
to
get
inside
it
,
anyway
.
In
a
long
black
wig
,
tan
body
paint
and
my
few
scraps
of
metal
I
look
a
smasher
.
...
Where
was
I
???
Oh
,
yes
,
Rain
in
Rome
last
week
meeting
Dane
and
his
pals
.
They
all
went
out
on
the
tiles
.
Rain
insists
on
paying
,
saves
Dane
embarrassment
.
It
was
some
night
.
No
women
,
natch
,
but
everything
else
.
Can
you
imagine
Dane
down
on
his
knees
in
some
seedy
Roman
bar
saying
"
Fair
daffodils
,
we
haste
to
see
thee
weep
so
soon
away
"
to
a
vase
of
daffodils
?
He
tried
for
ten
minutes
to
get
the
words
of
the
quotation
in
their
right
order
and
could
n't
,
then
he
gave
up
,
put
one
of
the
daffodils
between
his
teeth
instead
and
did
a
dance
.
Can
you
ever
imagine
Dane
doing
that
?
Rain
says
it
's
harmless
and
necessary
,
all
work
and
no
play
,
etc.
.
Women
being
out
,
the
next
best
thing
is
a
skinful
of
grog
.
Or
so
Rain
insists
.
Do
n't
get
the
idea
it
happens
often
,
it
does
n't
,
and
I
gather
when
it
does
Rain
is
the
ringleader
,
so
he
's
along
to
watch
out
for
them
,
the
naive
lot
of
raw
prawns
.
But
I
did
laugh
to
think
of
Dane
's
halo
slipping
during
the
course
of
a
flamenco
dance
with
a
daffodil
.
