‘Oh, yeah. You’re the student. The only one. Like the cabin. That has only one bedroom, too. She tell you that?’
‘Um, yes. She said somehow we’d improvise. I’m sure we’ll manage.’
‘There’s a sofa in the corridor. That’ll have to do. Got a sleeping bag?’
‘Yes, sir. We each have one.’
‘They won’t need theirs, but you’ll need yours.’ He paused. ‘Because I don’t hold with unmarried people in the same bedroom. Got that?’ He looked long and hard at Angus.
Angus nodded. ‘I understand.’ Then, to himself : why did you invite me then, you silly old coot? He followed his host to the cabin, where he found Celine and her aunt, a querulous, faded woman, dithering over sleeping arrangements. It became obvious that this had been a contentious subject between husband and wife. There were two narrow double beds and a fold-up camp bed. These were for the Smails and Celine. In the passage that led from the front door to a storage room used for lumber and deckchairs, there was a lurid orange plastic sofa ‘hideabed’ which, Aunt Agathe explained, could be capricieux and difficult to open. After a couple of fumbling efforts, she admitted defeat, excusing herself to attend to supper. Angus had no more luck with it, nor did he with Celine.
‘I feel like a fifth wheel, Mignonne. I don’t like to say “I told you so,” but…’
‘Oh, come now. It’s not that bad. I told you he was suspicious of school and students. He only has grade eight. We must Make Allowances. He can be abrupt, it is true.’
‘Abrupt? Belligerently offensive would be closer to it.’
‘You can charm him. You’re good at that. He’s mad because we were late.’
‘But it wasn’t my fault, or yours.’
‘He doesn’t know that. And it would make no diff–’
‘Ready to go pay the rent?’ Inevitably, Simon had appeared in the doorway, sucking his teeth noisily.
‘Pay the rent?’
‘Yup. Pay the rent. Make small talk. Praise the cook. Show you like the place. Flatter the host. Jeez, this room smells of damp. Needs airing. Outhouse too far away, too. Kids’ll have to pee in the bed at night, I guess. So you never heard of paying the rent? It’s what a guest gets to do. Right, Celine?’
‘It is… customary to be grateful for hospitality that is received, certainly,’ said Celine, her French accent becoming more pronounced with her careful enunciation of English polysyllabic words, ‘but the way you put it sounds so…’
‘Cynical.’ Angus finished her sentence for her.
‘Yes, cynical. And … a mite hypocritical.’
Simon shrugged. ‘Call it what you like. I’m honest. And I’m hungry. The others are waiting.’
Angus prevented Celine from following him. ‘I’ll do my best,‘ he said, ‘but I don’t know why you didn’t just come here with Sadie, as in the old days.’
‘Uncle Don did invite me and her, it’s true, but then Simon didn’t want to be left alone to cope with the kids…’
