Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh [135]
'It's such a lot of witchcraft and hypocrisy.'
'Is it? Anyway, it's been going on for nearly two thousand years. I don't know why you should suddenly get in a rage now.' Her voice rose; she was swift to anger of late months. 'For Christ's sake, write to The Times; get up and make a speech in Hyde Park; start a "No Popery" riot, but don't bore me about it. What's it got to do with you or me whether my father sees his parish priest?'
I knew these fierce moods of Julia's, such as had overtaken her at the fountain in moonlight, and dimly surmised their origin; I knew they could not be assuaged by words. Nor could I have spoken, for the answer to her question was still unformed; the sense that the fate of more souls than one was at issue; that the snow was beginning to shift on the high slopes.
Brideshead and I breakfasted together next morning with the night-nurse, who had just come off duty.
'He's much brighter today,' she said. 'He slept very nicely for nearly three hours. When Gaston came to shave him he was quite chatty.'
'Good,' said Brideshead. 'Cordelia went to mass. She's driving Father Mackay back here to breakfast.'
I had met Father Mackay several times; he was a stocky, middle-aged, genial Glasgow-Irishman who, when we met, was apt to ask me such questions as, 'Would you say now, Mr Ryder, that the painter Titian was more truly artistic than the painter Raphael?' and, more disconcertingly still, to remember my answers: 'To revert, Mr Ryder, to what you said when last I had the pleasure to meet you, would it be right now to say that the painter Titian...' usually ending with some such reflection as: 'Ah, it's a grand resource for a man to have the talent you have, Mr Ryder, and the time to indulge it.' Cordelia could imitate him.
This morning he made a hearty breakfast, glanced at the headlines of the paper, and then said with professional briskness: 'And now, Lord Brideshead, would the poor soul be ready to see me, do you think?'
Brideshead led him out; Cordelia followed, and I was left alone among the breakfast things. In less than a minute I heard the voices of all three outside the door.
'...can only apologize.'
'...poor soul. Mark you, it was seeing a strange face; depend upon it, it was that—an unexpected stranger. I well understand it.'
'...Father, I am sorry...bringing you all this way...'
'Don't think about it at all, Lady Cordelia. Why, I've had bottles thrown at me in the Gorbals...Give him time. I've known worse cases make beautiful deaths. Pray for him...I'll come again...and now if you'll excuse me I'll just pay a little visit to Mrs Hawkins. Yes, indeed, I know the way well.'
Then Cordelia and Brideshead came into the room.
'I gather the visit was not a success.'
'It was not. Cordelia, will you drive Father Mackay home when he comes down from nanny? I'm going to telephone to Beryl and see when she needs me home.'
'Bridey, it was horrible. What are we to do?'
'We've done everything we can at the moment.' He left the room.
Cordelia's face was grave; she took a piece of bacon from the dish, dipped it in mustard and ate it. 'Damn Bridey,' she said, 'I knew it wouldn't work.'
'What happened?'
'Would you like to know? We walked in there in a line; Cara was reading the paper aloud to papa. Bridey said, "I've brought Father Mackay to see you"; papa said, "Father Mackay, I am afraid you have been brought here under a misapprehension. I am not in extremis, and I have not been a practising member of your Church for twenty-five years. Brideshead, show Father Mackay the way out." Then we all turned about and walked away, and I heard Cara start reading the paper again, and that, Charles, was that.'
I carried the news to Julia, who lay with her bed-table amid a litter of newspapers and envelopes. 'Mumbo-jumbo is off,' I said. 'The witch-doctor has gone.'
'Poor papa.'
'It's great sucks to Bridey.'
I felt triumphant. I had been right, everyone else had been wrong, truth had prevailed; the threat that I had felt hanging over Julia and me ever since that evening at the fountain, had been averted, perhaps dispelled for ever; and there was also