Tribute (cont'd from pg 5) Agnes as the lady whe always gave the children ccokies from the batch she brought te church bazaars and bake sales, spe- cially for that purpose. How the children would miss her. Pearl Grayson, from the security of net weil ordered life, felt that Agnes nad ! o f>een foolish to stick by Chariie Turiey all these years. Why she had iet that man turn her from one of the nicest giris with a quick mind and ready laugh, to a humourless drudge, was beyond her, and now it was too late. With his usual somewhat distracted air, Peter Grayson rose from his chair and went to look out the window. He too remembered Agnes, the girl who, had she said yes, would have been here tonight instead of Pearl. He wondered it Pearl knew that Agnes and he ---- but no -- Pearl thought she had been first with him always. How many knew that Pear! was a romantic under that 2-3 4 ( e brusque exterior, he wondered to self. Che had her dreams and he AS 2 wouldn't shatter them AANA dla arms Wi TTY] ~ whether it was his training -- Edward (rms smn vam a mmm] Able vm om] iad Lay suit wad a oulial A IitNioPoIcJist ne rp warn lms het surges Toad do RI TO -- Or Wiener ne was just by nature, an Hl observer, the younger Grayson was keenly watching the reactions of the group to Hilda's story. He foo remem- tered Agnes, and for a moment his eyes wandered to his father who stood oack to him gazing out the window. He remembered a packet of letters he had found one day while going through his iather's cabinet looking for an old family diary. Letters from a much younger Agnes to a student Peter Grayson. What was his father feeling now? Also he thought of the man, who had as a bov been his friend, Frank Turley. Many the after school snack he had eaten with Frank, while Agnes heaped more cookies onto the plate, She had been ( ( ( v 9} [o] J Qf 3 Q [nd o® ( 2 0] Ww 2 @ ve [0] 2 ae ( B® = [0] r+ a; © © [0] [9] QO b] Q g w wg ¢ LCL 0 24 [2] 2 Q 3 5 ( m - 3 ) (9) Q £o 53 = 49 23 [¢)) ry a8 re > ) < Q 1 ) 1] 1] ) S the police say?" --- "Were they iong in coming?® --- *it was Jeremy Fegan who came as Coroner -- | thought he was retired?" It was at that juncture that Gwen Portney appeared in the door way. "Would you like me to serve dinner now, Mrs. Hamstead?" 'The gathering restored to propriety at this banal inquiry. The guests looked around at each other, yet never actually meeting each other's eyes. Hilda set her glass on the little tray by the decanter, and the quests followed suit. 1 Then offering her arm to William, she in = ; ~ led the way to the dining-room. "We are in spite of the events of the day, those gathered at tabie, couid not but enjoy the food set before them. The pre-dinner sherry had heiped to hone their appetites, and because there had been time to sip two glasses, had mel- lowed their unease at Agnes's demise. Over the soup; which was a clear beef bouillon with just a hint of Port wine; they quizzed Hilda about Agnes's ap- pearance, and wondered at how Hilda could have missed the fact that the woman was dead. Gwen appeared as the last spoon was set down, and removed the soup dishes, Conversation became desul- tory as the young woman brought in and served the next course, Hi ined that the whitefish fillets that now reposed, poached to perfection, on oeds of rice and chopped parsley, had been delivered fresh to her door that morning. She went on, that she suspected it was caught over quota, but with the local fishery under such pressure from the sport fisherman, she feit quite blameless about buying it. After all these people had to make a living. On young Miss Portney's departure, the conversation turned again to Agnes's death. Pearl reminded everyone of the work Agnes had done in the community, from fund raising for the Boy Scouts to her years on the Altar Guild. They mused over who would replace her -- if anyone could. Edward and Amy supposed that the children would miss her the most, giving Pear! o think of how she had been les INT IS J ) n D + [¢ ( wm d s over ) + Lb = fe ) =~ < -<. [(1} -- a in those undertakings t tended by women alone. William observed that with Agnes gone, what iittie restraint there had been on Chariie's drinking was gone with her. Chariie had of iate years be- come something of a public nuisance when in his cups. Remembering how his father's drinking had upset Frank, Edward wondered aloud if Frank would maintain much of an attachment to Charlie, adding, that if ever a father and son were unalike, those two were. The image of Charlie and Frank and their total lack of similarities so held his thoughts that he completely missed the sudden ashen pallor that robbed his father's face of colour, or how quickly [ ESR AZ AR fe 0 u tion. The effects of the wines that were served with each course manifesting in severai flashes of macabre wit. Wiiliam's contribution to the conversa- tion was that there was certainly a fitting connection now, between Agnes' nick- name from grade school, 'Agnus Dei', and her place of death, for was she not now truly a 'lamb of God? This pun, however poorly chosen, did lighten the mood around the table. For the rest of the main course the older members of the group reminisced about their vouth together, From this conversation icture of Agnes Hill, 2s sh P Ag 0 ll B w 0 3 Qm QQ 8 <3 [¢] (D Oo : Et = op « o 4] 9 go <w OC [41] = had su i married Charlie Turiey, who she ha gone out with only a few times in their senior year of High Schooi, was a mystery. Ii couidn't have been be- cause of Frank, for everyone couid teil by the size of him when he was born, that he had been premature. Funny, he was the only child that she and Charlie had had. For her to go that suddenly, it must have been her heart. The phone rang just as Gwen came in to remove their plates. She hurried to the kitchen to answer it. On return- ing she spoke quietly to Hilda, "That was Dr. Fegan. told him you had guest "That's all right, dear. When you bring in the desert, we'll set a place for him,* she iooked around the tabie, *Fer- haps there between the rector and wir. Grayson.* The two men moved their chairs far enough apart to aliow the placement of a third chair between them. The desert was duly served, a place set for the good doctor, and the conver- sation resumed. This time between spoonfuls of lime sherbet garnished with pink ladvfingers, and sips of a drv sauterne. The discussion now winding down, or perhaps inhibited by, the im- minent arrival of Jeremy Fegan, who, although older than the men of the aroun. wae Tribute {cont'd rg. 7) ICH SPIER A A=