TIME PASSESto do with them? They had the moth in them —Mrs. Ramsay’s things. Poor lady! She would neverwant them again. She was dead, they said; years ago,in London. There was the old grey cloak she woregardening (Mrs. McNab fingered it.) She could seeher, as she came up the drive with the washing, stoop-ing over her flowers (the garden was a pitiful sightnow, all run to riot, and rabbits scuttling at you outof the beds) — she could see her with one of the chil-dren by her in that grey cloak. There were boots andshoes; and a brush and comb left on the dressing-table, for all the world as if she expected to come backto-morrow. (She had died very sudden at the end,they said.) And once they had been coming, but hadput off coming, what with the war, and travel beingso difficult these days; they had never come all theseyears; just sent her money; but never wrote, nevercame, and expected to find things as they had leftthem, ah dear! Why the dressing-table drawers werefull of things (she pulled them open), handkerchiefs,bits of ribbon. Yes, she could see Mrs. Ramsay asshe came up the drive with the washing.

'Good-evening, Mrs. McNab,’ she would say.

She had a pleasant way with her. The girls allliked her. But dear, many things had changed sincethen (she shut the drawer); many families had losttheir dearest. So she was dead; and Mr. Andrewkilled; and Miss Prue dead too, they said, with herfirst baby; but every one had lost some one theseyears. Prices had gone up shamefully, and didn’tcome down again neither. She could well rememberher in her grey cloak.

'Good-evening, Mrs. McNab,’ she said, and told159
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