Free The Burden by writing as Mary Westmacott Agatha Christie Page A

elder!’ roared Mr Baldock. ‘You’re a woman, aren’t you? A not bad-looking, perfectly normal woman. Or aren’t you normal? What’s your reaction when a man tries to kiss you?’
    â€˜They haven’t very often tried,’ said Laura.
    â€˜And why the hell not? Because you’re not doing your stuff.’ He shook a finger at her. ‘You’re thinking the whole time of something else. There you stand in a nice neat coat and skirt looking the nice modest sort of girl my mother would have approved of. Why don’t you paint your lips pillar-box red and varnish your nails to match?’
    Laura stared at him.
    â€˜You’ve always said you hated lipstick and red nails.’
    â€˜Hate them? Of course I hate them. I’m seventy-nine! But they’re a symbol, a sign that you’re in the market and ready to play at Nature’s game. A kind of mating call, that’s what they are. Now look here, Laura, you’re not everybody’s fancy. You don’t flaunt a banner of sex, looking as though you weren’t able to help it, as some women do. There’s one particular kind of man who might come and hunt you out without your doing anything about it – the kind of man that has the sense to know that you’re the woman for him. But it’s long odds against that happening. You’ve got to do your bit. You’ve got to remember that you’re a woman, and play the part of a woman and look about for your man.’
    â€˜Darling Baldy, I love your lectures, but I’ve always been hopelessly plain.’
    â€˜So you want to be an old maid?’
    Laura flushed a little.
    â€˜No, of course I don’t. I just don’t think it’s likely that I shall marry.’
    â€˜Defeatism!’ roared Mr Baldock.
    â€˜No, indeed it isn’t. I just think it’s impossible that anyone should fall in love with me.’
    â€˜Men can fall in love with anything,’ said Mr Baldock rudely. ‘With hare lips, and acne, and prognathous jaws and with numskulls and cretins! Just think of half the married women you know! No, young Laura, you just don’t want to bother! You want to love – not to be loved – and I daresay you’ve got something there. To be loved is to carry a heavy burden.’
    â€˜You think I do love Shirley too much? That I am possessive?’
    â€˜No,’ said Mr Baldock slowly, ‘I don’t think you are possessive. I acquit you of that .’
    â€˜Then – can one love anyone too much?’
    â€˜Of course one can!’ he roared. ‘One can do anything too much. Eat too much, drink too much, love too much …’
    He quoted:
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â  ‘I’ve known a thousand ways of love
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â  And each one made the loved one rue .
    â€˜Put that in your pipe, young Laura, and smoke it.’
2
    Laura walked home, smiling to herself. As she entered the house, Ethel appeared from the back premises, and spoke in a confidential whisper:
    â€˜There’s a gentleman waiting for you – a Mr Glyn-Edwards, quite a young gentleman. I put him in the drawing-room. Said he’d wait. He’s all right – not vacuums I mean, or hard luck stories.’
    Laura smiled a little, but she trusted Ethel’s judgment.
    Glyn-Edwards? She could not recall the name. Perhaps it was one of the young flying officers who had been billeted here during the war.
    She went across the hall and into the drawing-room.
    The young man who rose quickly as she came in was a complete stranger to her.
    That, indeed, in the years to come, was to remain her feeling about Henry. He was a stranger. Never for one moment did he become anything else.
    The young man was smiling, an eager, rather charming smile which suddenly wavered. He seemed taken