p on one eye but not on the other. And she hadn't noticed. And neither had Will. Something was wrong.
«Well…» she said, and stepped aside to make room in the narrow hall.
Will looked up and down the road before closing the door, and Mrs. Cooper saw how tightly Mrs. Parry was clinging to her son's hand, and how tenderly he guided her into the sitting room where the piano was (of course, that was the only room he knew); and she noticed that Mrs. Parry's clothes smelled slightly musty, as if they'd been too long in the washing machine before drying; and how similar the two of them looked as they sat on the sofa with the evening sun full on their faces, their broad cheekbones, their wide eyes, their straight black brows.
«What is it, William?» the old lady said. «What's the matter?»
«My mother needs somewhere to stay for a few days,» he said. «It's too difficult to look after her at home just now. I don't mean she's ill. She's just kind of confused and muddled, and she gets a bit worried. She won't be hard to look after. She just needs someone to be kind to her, and I think you could do that quite easily, probably.»
The woman was looking at her son without seeming to understand, and Mrs. Cooper saw a bruise on her cheek. Will hadn't taken his eyes off Mrs. Cooper, and his expression was desperate.
«She won't be expensive,» he went on. «I've brought some packets of food, enough to last, I should think. You could have some of it too. She won't mind sharing.»
«But … I don't know if I should … Doesn't she need a doctor?»
«No! She's not ill.»
«But there must be someone who can… I mean, isn't there a neighbor or someone in the family —»
«We haven't got any family. Only us. And the neighbors are too bu
«Well…» she said, and stepped aside to make room in the narrow hall.
Will looked up and down the road before closing the door, and Mrs. Cooper saw how tightly Mrs. Parry was clinging to her son's hand, and how tenderly he guided her into the sitting room where the piano was (of course, that was the only room he knew); and she noticed that Mrs. Parry's clothes smelled slightly musty, as if they'd been too long in the washing machine before drying; and how similar the two of them looked as they sat on the sofa with the evening sun full on their faces, their broad cheekbones, their wide eyes, their straight black brows.
«What is it, William?» the old lady said. «What's the matter?»
«My mother needs somewhere to stay for a few days,» he said. «It's too difficult to look after her at home just now. I don't mean she's ill. She's just kind of confused and muddled, and she gets a bit worried. She won't be hard to look after. She just needs someone to be kind to her, and I think you could do that quite easily, probably.»
The woman was looking at her son without seeming to understand, and Mrs. Cooper saw a bruise on her cheek. Will hadn't taken his eyes off Mrs. Cooper, and his expression was desperate.
«She won't be expensive,» he went on. «I've brought some packets of food, enough to last, I should think. You could have some of it too. She won't mind sharing.»
«But … I don't know if I should … Doesn't she need a doctor?»
«No! She's not ill.»
«But there must be someone who can… I mean, isn't there a neighbor or someone in the family —»
«We haven't got any family. Only us. And the neighbors are too bu
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