She didn't hear for some time and when she did hear she was extremely
angry and energetic. The sentimental situation didn't trouble her for
a moment. She decided that my uncle "wanted smacking." She accentuated
herself with an unexpected new hat, went and gave him an inconceivable
talking-to at the Hardingham, and then came round to "blow-up" me for
not telling her what was going on before....
I tried to bring her to a proper sense of the accepted values in this
affair, but my aunt's originality of outlook was never so invincible.
"Men don't tell on one another in affairs of passion," I protested, and
such-like worldly excuses.
"Women!" she said in high indignation, "and men! It isn't women and
men--it's him and me, George! Why don't you talk sense?
"Old passion's all very well, George, in its way, and I'm the last
person to be jealous. But this is old nonsense.... I'm not going to let
him show off what a silly old lobster he is to other women....
I'll mark every scrap of his underclothes with red letters,
'Ponderevo-Private'--every scrap.
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