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now, Wife, serve us the apéritif and run to your casserole.’
    â€˜Absolutely. I can cook and wash dishes with anyone. You must have, indeed, a professional area of privacy and activity,’ said Arthur.
    â€˜I do have a job.’
    â€˜You’re not satisfied with it and neither am I. We should be able to find something better.’
    â€˜Agreed,’ meekly. ‘I think I’d like some cheese.’
    â€˜I ask that thought should be spent,’ said Arthur austerely.

5. Chez Mauricette
    She had to write a letter.
    â€˜Marie-Line,
    I took a look at your house at lunchtime; caught a glimpseof your parents and of you – you didn’t notice me; neither did they. That was – of necessity – very superficial.
    â€˜I haven’t had time for much; enough to confirm that legally there’s not a lot to be done: the law, and judges, give a great deal of weight to the father of the family. And very little to women in any circumstances. We both want to change that, but stuff about equal rights, employing a woman lawyer, wouldn’t do us any good in my opinion. Just put everyone’s back further up, and that’s not in my view the way to handle things. I don’t myself want to do anything behind your parents’ back: it puts us in the wrong, and gives them that much more leverage against you. I’d like to go up against them openly, and see whether I can get anywhere by tact. I won’t do this, nor approach them indeed in any way, without your consent and approval. I’d like you, if possible, to come and see me again. I’d like too, to meet Michel. Perhaps we could have a drink
Chez Mauricette –
what about it?
    Yours
    Arlette.’
    It might sound rather ponderous and the elderly aunt, but that was too bad. She had no experience in this job – as yet, thought Arlette, as yet – but a few common sense principles applied. One was never to play a part, and especially not with young girls like Marie-Line, all strung up and nervous, and given to dramatics, greatly given themselves to playing parts. Her account of herself and her family circumstances might be accurate – at least the observations of lunchtime didn’t seem too contradictory. Nothing too fundamentally improbable about the girl’s tale, but it was almost certainly exaggerated, and perhaps wildly so. She had heard nothing from the other side as yet …
    Once in a quieter frame of mind, in a climate of confidence, she hoped to find Marie-Line able to speak of her parents with a bit more detachment if not sympathy. They were hardly as bad as all that! Some terrain of entente between the father – or the stepma; she recalled that ‘Cathy’s not too bad’ – andthe unruly daughter should be findable, if each were ready to give a bit.
    So get the girl first to give a bit … You can be a mum-substitute if that’s what the child wants. You won’t get anywhere by pretending to be all youthful and playing comrade. A drink in
Mauricette
is as far as you go. She’d never been in the place: it was just an ordinary pub, always full of students. You don’t have to bring them home to tea! – which they’d hate anyhow.
    Have to go to the butcher, and there’s a lot more rain in the air – take the car. Get this job over first. Is there anything on the tape?
    There was. A message from Albert – come while she was out this morning.
    â€˜Ah, good morning, Madame. Just called to say that the details you enquired about, I’m not in a position yet to give you the information you wanted, the price-structures, yes. So we’ll just put off the discussion of that for a day or so, until I’m able to furnish you with the uh, figures. So I’ll ring you again, shall I? – yes, Madame, yes, we’ll guarantee immediate delivery – of course, of course – au revoir Madame.’ Now what the hell? – what was