Cricket Term, chapters 10-12

[coughingbear]

The final section of the book - the Play, the Match, and the End. Just about in time, but my apologies that it's so late; long day at work and trouble with laptop.

Chapter Ten: The Play

Everyone disperses from the Hall, and Nicola once again conceals her feelings sufficiently to congratulate Lawrie, explain what's going on, and show her prize to Rose and Chas. Latimer is 'quizzically scolding' with Kay, who then starts chatting happily to Latimer's don. Who had remembered Karen apparently with pleasure at the prize-giving, so presumably not as someone who was unable to cope with the work at Oxford? And Chas invents a saying 'Lawrie is Lucky, but Nicola is Nicer'. True?

Then Miranda comes to ask Nicola to have dinner with her father. As bridgetblood noted on the last discussion post 'True to form, Mrs West prioritises a rescheduled committee meeting over coming to see Miranda in the play. Do you think Miranda minds, or is she not bothered or even prefers to have her father there on his own? And what does Mr West think about it?' (At the time, Miranda seems more concerned that Nicola tell her the secret.) Ann apparently does mind a bit that she's missing the family picnic (what happens if Prizegiving is a wet day, I wonder? Picnics in the Assembly Hall?) - but still lends Nicola her boater to look smart in 'Wade Abbas's best hotel', eating lemon soup, grilled trout, and coffee mousse - suiting Nicola, who has not lost her love of trying new things from the beginning of Autumn Term. And champagne, because after all she does have a prize to celebrate. And the mourning ornament that Mr West tries to give her, neatly flowing the scene back to school and the Play.

Which Forest does not describe, jumping straight to afterwards and the audience's impressed reactions. Not just Nicola; Rowan agrees it 'really did have something', talking to Jan. Who makes a wholly characteristic unobtrusive exit. Nicola asks about her parents, and Rowan points out that the absence of a mother might not be 'clean and tidy' - another moment of learning.

Chas enjoyed the Play, with the 'pirates', and Rose didn't, finding it frightening, and feeling sorry for Caliban. "'There just are people like that and you can't like them-' Like Marie Dobson." What do people think of this as where Nicola's thoughts on Marie end up?

Finally, Mrs Marlow gets a chance to talk to Nicola, and tell her about Miss Keith's characteristic letter, and that she'd consulted Rowan and Karen about what to say about leaving Kingscote. And on her way back to school, encountering Miss Cromwell, finally a chance to unburden her conscience about the missed lesson. Cromwell and Miss Keith have tried, it turns out, to speak to Meg Hopkins's father - 'from time to time' implies to me that they've been doing it for a few years. But no information on who would have got the Prosser if Lawrie hadn't; and suddenly Nicola doesn't care any more.

Which at least means that she isn't joining miserable Lawrie and Ginty. Ginty exceptionally put out because she has been missing out on all the positive attention she thinks should have been hers, and Lawrie because of Caliban. And her prize being a facsimile First Folio, so Nicola suddenly makes the connection with Mask of Apollo and Crommie's conversation, and 'Richard Burbadge'. So when Lawrie offers swops 'for the separate kind and your share of The Idiot' she says yes, 'giving up without regret something she no longer much wanted'. I love the bits about Marlow family swopping rules (though I do wonder what Nicola would have done when she realised how much 'the separate kind' would cost); once agreed you can't take it back. And Lawrie bursts into tears over Caliban and accidentally reveals her bargain with Them to Nicola and they all go quarrelsomely to bed.

Chapter Eleven - The Cricket Final

But before the final, the Diving Cup, and Nicola refusing this time to hold Ginty's locket. Leaving her feeling guilty when Ginty, 'patently nervous and off form', comes seventh. Superstition again; having picked Terry Hunt and Monica to win, Nicola worries that she had better take her evil eye elsewhere so as not to make Lois lose. I do feel sorry for Ginty when her friends can't leave her alone about not winning the Cup, and can quite see why she invents something to put them off the scent, though still feel that suggesting she tried to give it up to Monica is fairly awful. 'It might have been better if she'd cried.'

I love the moment with Lower IV.A and Janice not wishing each other luck, and the heroic chorus. Meanwhile Lois attempts to set up her usual alibi with a pulled muscle, and Val has yet another weep over leaving school. I am always a bit suprised at the notion of Val on demos; it doesn't fit my preconceptions of her at all, but perhaps that's just not wanting especially to share a banner with her.

Nicola choosing the team, and Lawrie being reassuring about putting them in as openers. And the 'never explain, never apologise' quote - which I think we've discussed before, and which the internet says has been attributed to many people, including Disraeli and Jowett.

And finally the match starts, and Lois is bowling to Nicola, hard and straight. 'Giles's bowling must have been even more so, but at least there had been nothing personal behind it.' But Gina French starts to let the byes pile up, and Janice is no worse than Nicola, and the runs begin to come. Nicola makes a very respectable 39, and then Pomona and Berenice manage to stick at the end, and cause Lois and Janice endless trouble getting them out - as commentators often say, bowling out tail-enders is a special skill. Lois isn't prepared to admit this or stop trying to get a last wicket, and in the end Janice lures Berenice out. Two hours to score 106 runs; no indication of over-rate.

After tea, Lois and Jan in to bat, and Nicola bowling, gets Jan caught & bowled; lucky, but lucky because she has trained herself and her team to go after everything possible. And a second wicket at the end of the over - but after that Lois starts to score, and at 40 for 2 Nicola brings Esther on. Nothing can happen, and suddenly it does; Cathy out, Gillian Hendry, Gina French. 'It was Lawrie's catch, it was stupendous, it was fantastic' and Esther has a hat-trick. I love the way Forest gets the rhythms of cricket, and the way that excitement can come out of nowhere like this. And the line 'petrified by success, Esther's remaining balls could have been safely hit by an energetic seven-year-old.'

As the rabbits come out to the crease Lois is extremely clear that she wants to do all the batting. And is closing in on the target when Val Longstreet comes in and finds herself facing the bowling by mistake. What do people think about Nicola feeling she can't 'sling down some fast ones or dolly Val out as she'd dollied Gin'? Lawrie takes the next over, and Nicola runs to save the boundary, gets the ball and turns to throw, and Lois has come back for the third but Val hasn't. 'Mr Tallboy, thought Nicola, almost an invocation, as her arm went back. The ball bounced and took the leg bail: and Val was scuttling desperately still.'
I love this moment for so many reasons, including of course the obvious Defeat of Lois, but also the way it invokes, not merely Murder Must Advertise, but Rowan and Nicola's conversation at the beginning of the book, and Rowan's advice that Nicola has followed to success, including most especially the fielding practice, without which this could not happen. An invocation is just right.

And Lois sits in the Sixth sitting room and plays again and again the moment when she tried to get Val to run, 'and after that, the three runs still hers for the making-'. I think one of the obvious contrasts here is Nicola's ability to accept that she didn't get the Prosser. Interesting that she never turns up for Old Girls events in the future. What did happen to Lois Sanger?

Chapter Twelve - Breaking-Up

The last day of term, and Nicola can savour the Cricket Cup and not having to leave Kingscote. 'The long hour of Mark Reading' does sound pretty miserable, but does include being awarded the Cricket Cup and resisting the urge 'to turn and hold it high'. Set-up for Attic Term with the news that equable Miss Carter will be going away for a year and be replaced by Mrs Lambert. And Edwin's letter - Nicola not wanting to read it in case it's news that Nicholas is dead, but instead 'N writes that he is married to Bess Burby', ie Burbage. (Reading this now, I am finally thinking 'Ark Royal AND Burbage' - but, perhaps because they are at each end of the book, it's never bothered me before. And somehow it works that each twin has a connection to Nicholas.)

Nicola runs to find out, and Janice tells her who Burbage was. But first offers her assessment of the Prosser decision - that Lawrie was 'a useful gimmick' to help other parents accept it going to the same family twice running. And - bearing out Miranda's comment that Jan notices Nicola more than other people - they talk about what Jan will be doing and the possibility of becoming a solicitor. And Nicola almost tells her about Nicholas, only Miranda arrives to ask for Jan's address. And despite the ironic look, Jan gives it.

The last encounter with Lois. 'In some odd way, we do rather seem to have got across one another...' It's interesting to speculate what has brought Lois to saying this - hardly an apology or even an admission of guilt, but at least an admission that things should have played out differently. (Could they? What if Lois had told the truth to the Court of Honour?)

It's hard to imagine what Kingscote will be like next term without Jan or Lois or indeed Marie Dobson.

Comments

Re: Miranda and her mother

[ethelmay.livejournal.com]

Mrs. Marlow seems reasonably warm to me (though perhaps I'm reading a bit too much into letters saying "Nicky, darling" and that sort of thing).

Re: Miranda and her mother

[(Anonymous)]

She certainly comes to plays and speech day regularly - they always bring a picnic.
Pip

Re: Miranda and her mother

[bridgetblood.livejournal.com]

Well, yes, but then she only lives a few miles away, and has four or five daughters there. One "Nicky darling" isn't good enough for me! She disappears for the whole of Christmas in Peter's Room!

Re: Miranda and her mother

[coughingbear]

Run Away Home, you mean? That is because Aunt Molly thinks their mother is dying, though. In book, that is; of course she also has to be got out of the way for the plot to work. (Leaving them in Marlows and the Traitor always strikes me as more implausible.)

As <lj user=nineveh_uk) says, there's the perpetual problem of the story conventions requiring parents and children to be separated.

Re: Miranda and her mother

[bridgetblood.livejournal.com]

Bah, I knew I should have checked which book! Yes of course she has to be got out of the way. But it does also make her appear rather uncaring - haven't seen the children for 12 weeks? Oh, never mind, now I have the chance of a nice holiday in Paris ....

Re: Miranda and her mother

[legionseagle (from livejournal.com)]

...watching my mother whom I never liked anyway, the collaborationist cow! dying.

Works for me.

Re: Miranda and her mother

[bridgetblood.livejournal.com]

But isn't it the case that she goes to Paris because Mme Orly is ill, but then stays on? Whoops - this is a long way from Miranda.