Gender Readings. Top Ten. Ренц Т.Г - 38 стр.

       “That’s what he said, and it means so much to me, Gwen. So
much.”
       Gwen said, “It’s a beginning.”
       “Oh, it’s the beginning of everything. I’m sure of that.”
       Richard picked her up in his Singer at four on Sunday. He
seemed preoccupied. He did not, as usual, open the car door for her,
but slid into the driver’s seat and waited for her to get in beside him.
She fancied he was perhaps nervous about her meeting his mother
for the first time.
       The house on Campion Hill was delightful. They must be very
comfortable, Trudy thought. Mrs Seeton was a tall, stooping woman,
well dressed and preserved, with thick steel-grey hair and large light
eyes. “I hope you’ll call me Lucy,” she said. “Do you smoke?”
       “I don’t,” said Trudy.
       “Helps the nerves,” said Mrs Seeton, “when one is getting on in
life. You don’t need to smoke yet awhile.”
       “No,” Trudy said. “What a lovely room, Mrs Seeton.”
       “Lucy,” said Mrs Seeton.
       “Lucy,” Trudy said, very shyly, and looked at Richard for
support. But he was drinking the last of his tea and looking out of the
window as if to see whether the sky had cleared.
       “Richard has to go out for supper,” Mrs Seeton said, waving
her cigarette holder very prettily. “Don’t forget to watch the time,
Richard. But Trudy will stay to supper with me, I hope. Trudy and I
have a lot to talk about, I’m sure.” She looked at Trudy and very
faintly, with no more than a butterfly-flick, winked.
       Trudy accepted the invitation with a conspiratorial nod and a
slight squirm in her chair. She looked at Richard to see if he would
say where he was going for supper, but he was gazing up at the top
pane of the window, his fingers tapping on the arm of the shining Old
Windsor chair on which he sat.
       Richard left at half past six, very much more cheerful in his
going than he had been in his coming.
       “Richard gets restless on a Sunday,” said his mother.
       “Yes, so I’ve noticed,” Trudy said, so that there should be no
mistake about who had been occupying his recent Sundays.
       “I dare say now you want to hear all about Richard,” said his
mother in a secretive whisper, although no one was in earshot. Mrs


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