Lingard034

32

CHAPTER FIVE

Mrs Jackson was watching a film on television so she did not hear
Mrs Mullet coming inlto the house until she opened the kitchen
door

"I called out," she said ^{Mrs Mullet} "but you didn't hear me."

"I was watching the telly," said Mrs Jackson unnecessarily, her
eyes still on it. The film had reached an exciting point andsk
she was unwilling to put if off for the sake of Mrs Mullet whom
she was friendly enough with at times, but at others could have
^{she saw every day of her life. There were times when
she} wished the womaan lived on the far side of Belfast. She had the
longest tongue in the street and seemed to have little else to do
all day but lean against her door jamb and wait for passers-by to^with
exchange^{whom she could trade} bits of news. The news nearly always tended to be rumours ,
and usually scandalous. Mrs Mullet was frequently declaring herself
horrified.

She stood by their kitchen door now, in her high spiky-heeled
shoes, of the kind that ceased to be fashionable years ago. It was
not that Mrs Jackson was fashionable herself, but Mrs Mullet liked
to pride herself on her clothes sense.

"Can I^I'll take the weight off me feet?" she said. "Me legs are
killing me the day. I've never been off t^he go."

"Sit down for a minute then." Mrs Jackson got up and turned
down the sound of the television to a low mur^mur, but kept the picture
as it was.

Mrs Mullet collapsed into Mr McCoy's xa^Jackson's armchair and kicked off