Giant’s Bread · Book I · VIII · Chapter 1 8 2

II

Little by little the Levinnes made headway. The church needed a new organ⁠—Mr. Levinne presented it with one. Deerfields was thrown open on the occasion of the choir boys’ outing, and strawberries and cream provided. A large donation was given to the Primrose League. Turn where you would, you came up against the opulence and the kindness of the Levinnes.

People began to say: “Of course they’re impossible⁠—but Mrs. Levinne is wonderfully kind.”

And they said other things.

“Oh, of course⁠—Jews! But perhaps it is absurd of one to be prejudiced. Some very good people have been Jews.”

It was rumoured that the Vicar had said: “Including Jesus Christ,” in answer. But nobody really believed that. The Vicar was unmarried, which was very unusual, and had odd ideas about Holy Communion, and sometimes preached very incomprehensible sermons, but nobody believed that he would have said anything really sacrilegious.

It was the Vicar who introduced Mrs. Levinne to the Sewing Circle which met twice a week to provide comforts for our brave soldiers in South Africa. And meeting her twice a week there certainly made it awkward.

In the end, Lady Coomberleigh, softened by the immense donation to the Primrose League, took the plunge and called. And where Lady Coomberleigh led, everybody followed.

Not that the Levinnes were ever admitted to intimacy. But they were officially accepted, and people were heard saying:

“She’s a very kind woman⁠—even if she does wear impossible clothes for the country.”

But that, too, followed. Mrs. Levinne was adaptable like all her race. A very short time elapsed before she appeared in even tweedier tweeds than her neighbour’s.

Joe and Vernon were solemnly bidden to tea with Sebastian Levinne.

“We must go this once, I suppose,” said Myra, sighing. “But we need never get really intimate. What a queer-looking boy he is. You won’t be rude to him, will you, Vernon, darling?”

The children solemnly made the official acquaintance of Sebastian. It amused them very much.

But the sharp-witted Joe fancied that Mrs. Levinne knew more about their friendship than Aunt Myra did. Mrs. Levinne wasn’t a fool. She was like Sebastian.