‘You wait and see, Mr Tressilian. It’s Christmas Eve today, and a nice Christmas spirit abroad—I don’t think!’
II
They came into the room and paused at the doorway.
Simeon was speaking into the telephone. He waved a hand to them.
‘Sit down, all of you. I shan’t be a minute.’
He went on speaking into the telephone.
‘Is that Charlton, Hodgkins & Bruce? Is that you, Charlton? Simeon Lee speaking. Yes, isn’t it?…Yes…No, I wanted you to make a new will for me…Yes, it’s some time since I made the other…Circumstances have altered…Oh no, no hurry. Don’t want you to spoil your Christmas. Say Boxing Day or the day after. Come along, and I’ll tell you what I want done. No, that’s quite all right. I shan’t be dying just yet.’
He replaced the receiver, then looked round at the eight members of his family. He cackled and said:
‘You’re all looking very glum. What is the matter?’
Alfred said: ‘You sent for us…’
Simeon said quickly: ‘Oh, sorry—nothing portentous about it. Did you think it was a family council? No, I’m just rather tired today, that’s all. None of you need come up after dinner. I shall go to bed. I want to be fresh for Christmas Day.’
He grinned at them. George said earnestly:
‘Of course…of course…’
Simeon said: ‘Grand old institution, Christmas. Promotes solidarity of family feeling. What do you think, Magdalene, my dear?’
Magdalene Lee jumped. Her rather silly little mouth flew open and then shut itself. She said: ‘Oh—oh, yes!’
Simeon said: ‘Let me see, you lived with a retired naval officer’—he paused—‘your father. Don’t suppose you made much of Christmas. It needs a big family for that!’
‘Well—well—yes, perhaps it does.’
Simeon’s eyes slid past her.
‘Don’t want to talk of anything unpleasant at this time of year, but you know, George, I’m afraid I’ll have to cut down your allowance a bit. My establishment here is going to cost me a bit more to run in future.’
George got very red.
‘But look here, Father, you can’t do that!’
Simeon said softly: ‘Oh, can’t I!’
‘My expenses are very heavy already. Very heavy. As it is, I don’t know how I make both ends meet. It needs the most rigorous economy.’
‘Let your wife do a bit more of it,’ said Simeon. ‘Women are good at that sort of thing. They often think of economies where a man would never have dreamt of them. And a clever woman can make her own clothes. My wife, I remember, was clever with her needle. About all she was clever with—a good woman, but deadly dull—’
David sprang up. His father said:
‘Sit down, boy, you’ll knock something over—’
David said: ‘My mother—’
Simeon said: ‘Your mother had the brains of a louse! And it seems to me she’s transmitted those brains to her children.’ He raised himself up suddenly. A red spot appeared on each cheek. His voice came high and shrill. ‘You’re not worth a penny piece, any of you! I’m sick of you all! You’re not men! You’re weaklings—a set of namby-pamby weaklings. Pilar’s worth any two of you put together! I’ll swear to heaven I’ve got a better son somewhere in the world than any of you, even if you are born the right side of the blanket!’
‘Here, Father, hold hard,’ cried Harry.
He had jumped up and stood there, a frown on his usually good-humoured face. Simeon snapped: