Bishop's Road Read Online Free PDF Page A

ravenous. Races to the bathroom to wash her face and practically leaps over the others to get to her seat at table. She even eats the leftovers that Ruth pushes onto her plate. It isn’t until Mrs. Miflin goes to make tea that she hears the song from the attic - hears
hush little baby don’t say a word -
and when she begins to hum along everyone stares at her and then jumps when Mrs. Miflin drops the kettle on her way from the stove to the counter and screams. They rush to find her flat out on the floor and burning, boiling water splashed all over her chubby legs. While Eve hurries upstairs to find ointment, Judy picks up the whimpering Mrs. Miflin and carries her - with no more effort than if she were a little bird - to the armchair by the kitchen window.
    â€œThe best thing now, Mrs. Miflin,” says Eve on her rushback into the room, “is to get yourself into a bath and stay there until the burning stops. And then we’ll put this on and you’ll be fine in no time. Ruth, you go run a cool bath for Mrs. Miflin, dear, and while the tub is filling tell Maggie everything’s okay and she can come out of her room. She gets so upset when there’s either bit of noise at all in the house. Ginny Mustard, you go in and start clearing the table and Judy, you help her with the dishes after you carry Mrs. Miflin upstairs so she can have a lovely bath and stop the burning. Now, Mrs. Miflin, don’t you worry about a thing. Once you’re setded in the tub I’ll bring you a nice cup of tea and you can just relax.”
    And Mrs. Miflin, whose job it has always been to do what-ever bossing around needs to be done, is at a loss. No one has every volunteered to look after her that she can remember, and the pain is getting to the point where she feels like crying. She folds and gives in. And here’s Judy with the strongest arms picking her up body and bones, carrying her to the bathtub. She sits on the edge while Eve helps her out of her clothes, doesn’t even blush with her round body exposed to other eyes and slides with relief into the tepid water.
    Downstairs the ratde of pots and pans. Sounds of washing and drying and putting away. Ginny Mustard has a vague feeling that she is to blame for Mrs. Miflin’s misfortune but can’t quite put her finger on what she did wrong. Maggie stands at the end of the counter, clutching her shoebox and waiting. Ruth sits in the armchair while Ginny Mustard and Judy work. When Eve comes back she tells them that things are probably going to be a little different around here for a few days while Mrs. Miflin recovers. She can do the cooking if they will help out with the cleaning and whatever else it is that keeps Mrs. Miflin on the run day and night.
    From the bathroom comes a call. Mrs. Miflin was going to pick up groceries this afternoon and now there won’t be anything to eat for a week. She has a list and tells Eve where she keeps hermoney. Makes her promise not to tell the others, especially Judy, for she might be as strong as an ox but she doesn’t trust her any further than she can throw her and Mrs. Miflin won’t be put in the poorhouse by the likes of that one.
    â€œNow make sure you go to the corner market for the tinned goods and boxes and Wareham’s for the meat and fish and frozen stuff and go to Murphy’s for vegetables and apples. God. I can’t be making bread in my condition. If I tell you how do you think you can? I’m not paying those prices for bread and rolls. I never did and I won’t be starting now. And bring me my radio off the top shelf in the kitchen. I’m not about to sit here and listen to nothing all day.” Mrs. Miflin needs some control. For a few minutes there it seemed she was losing it and if that were ever to happen who knows what would become of her so she grabs and clutches what little is left to build on until she is back on top where she should be.
    Eve finds the money and the