“But, nanny, what exactly did he say?”
“Oh I couldn't repeat it, my lady.”
“Nonsense, you must tell me.
Otherwise I shall be thinking it something far worse than it was.”
“It couldn't have been worse … he called me a silly old tart, my lady.”
Brenda choked slightly into her face towel.
“He said that?”
“Repeatedly.
He danced in front of me all the way up the drive, singing it.”
“I see … well you were quite right to tell me.”
“Thank you, my lady, and since we are talking about it I think I ought to say that it seems to me that Ben Hacket is making the child go ahead far too quickly with his riding.
It's very dangerous.
He had what might have been a serious fall this morning.”
“All right, nanny, I'll speak to Mr. Last about it.”
She spoke to Tony.
They both laughed about it a great deal.
“Darling,” she said. “You must speak to him.
You're so much better at being serious than I am.”
“I should have thought it was very nice to be called a tart,” John argued, “and anyway it's a word Ben often uses about people.”
“Well, he's got no business to.”
“I like Ben more than anyone in the world.
And I should think he's cleverer too,”
“Now you know you don't like him more than your mother.”
“Yes I do.
Far more.”
Tony felt that the time had come to cut out the cross talk and deliver the homily he had been preparing.
“Now, listen, John.
It was very wrong of you to call nanny a silly old tart.
First, because it was unkind to her.
Think of all the things she does for you every day.”
“She's paid to.”
“Be quiet.
And secondly because you were using a word which people of your age and class do not use.
Poor people use certain expressions which gentlemen do not.
You are a gentleman.
When you grow up all this house and lots of other things besides will belong to you.
You must learn to speak like someone who is going to have these things and to be considerate to people less fortunate than you, particularly women.
Do you understand?”
“Is Ben less fortunate than me?”
“That has nothing to do with it.
Now you are to go upstairs and say you are sorry to nanny and promise never to use that word about anyone again.”
“All right.”
“And because you have been so naughty today you are not to ride tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow's Sunday.”
“Well next day, then.”
“But you said `tomorrow.' It isn't fair to change now.”
“John, don't argue.
If you are not careful I shall send Thunderclap back to Uncle Reggie and say that I find you are not a good enough boy to keep him.
You wouldn't like that would you?”
“What would Uncle Reggie do with her?