"I'm worn out with the endless talk of civic matters! Perhaps we need a vacation in Folkestone?" he said.
"We can do so, Sir, although the weather is still chancy this time of year," Foljambe replied.
Georgie sighed. He knew the weather was a risk. Folkestone was much better entertainment when the people disembarking were not stumbling, blue in the face and cyanotic around the lips, and likely to regurgitate whatever remained in their stomachs. He looked out the window. The clouds appeared to be breaking up; perhaps it would be a nice spring day after all. He sighed again and walked downstairs to the dining room where his wife was reading her mail.
"Good morning, Caro," she said absently. There was a stack of papers at her elbow, papers affixed with seals and stamps: more Mayoral business.
"Good morning, Lucia," said Georgie, who was determined to be affable, for it was really unlike him to complain.
"Georgie, I have a very important Council meeting coming up. We're voting on new drains. So many points I need to make before the votes are cast. . ." Lucia began.
Georgie interrupted, "I've decided to take a nice long bicycle ride. I'm taking a picnic lunch along. So sorry that I won't be able to hear you out, but I am dreadfully in need of exercise." Lucia was too involved in her mail and her papers to hear what he said, so Georgie continued, "So I'll see you at tea this afternoon." He rapidly swallowed toast and tea and left the dining room.
In his sitting room, he rang for Foljambe. "Foljambe," he told her, "I'm taking a nice long bicycle ride."
"Yes, Sir, Cook is making up a picnic basket for you, and your sketching kit is already strapped onto you bicycle, along with your umbrella."
"Thank you, Foljambe!" Georgie was happy that she knew him well enough to anticipate his needs, but it would never do to take her for granted. He sometimes wondered how their friend Elizabeth Mapp-Flint managed to keep her household staff, so mean was she with compliments as well as wages.
The sun shone quite brightly as Georgie set out, waving at familiar tradesmen as he rode through Tilling, but he kept one hand firmly on the handlebars for fear that the bumpy cobbles would twist the wheel and cause him to fall. He left town and rode westward through neatly hedge-rowed fields and the copses. Springtime was far enough along that the leaves were light green and silver, but had not yet darkened into their summer colours. Leaving Tilling and his wife's endless civic duties had made Georgie feel lighter-at-heart. The pussy-willows are more willow and less fur, he noted as he rode across a bridge over a small stream, Spring is almost here! Georgie smiled widely at the sun and sky.
He planned a long ride west on Udimore Road, all the way to Broad Oak, where he would turn south to Brede, and then take Stubb Lane back around to where it met Udimore Road and so return to Tilling. There were lovely views on this route, which he had seen when being driven through the area. He was ready for sketching, and there were many places where he could stop and eat his picnic lunch.
As he rode along, he thought, Lucia's so annoying with all the blather about civic duty; civic is one thing, but I'd like to see whom I'm helping, not just a crowd of people. Civic leadership simply isn't my métier. My needlework, my clothing, my bibelots. all give me a sense of accomplishment but I'd like something more. He swerved neatly around a large rock laying in the roadside, Couldn't have done that a few months ago, he thought, Lucia often gives me, gives all of us, a start on some new stunt, and I'm glad bicycling has stayed popular. I'll look well in my white flannels and boater, cycling along; quite sporting, really.
All went well until he got past Brede; turning eastward, Georgie realized that the clouds had piled up and a strong wind was blowing those clouds rapidly toward him. Fickle Springtime had abandoned Georgie. Although he was rather hungry, the clouds were threatening enough that he decided to skip lunch and ride as fast as he could back to the safety of Tilling. He had barely made it back onto Udimore Road when the heavy rain began to fall in big fat drops. Foljambe had strapped his umbrella to the bicycle, but it was impossible to hold the ungainly and cumbersome umbrella and ride the bicycle at the same time in such strong wind. I'll just get wet, thought Georgie, I'm sure Foljambe will have a hot bath ready for me when I get back to Mallards House. The thought of warmth and comfort drove him on. And then his rear tyre burst.
The rain poured down, Georgie was drenched and stranded by the side of the road. He knew there were farmhouses further east, so he unfurled the umbrella and endeavoured to push his bicycle along the road. But the flat tyre made progress difficult, and the rain was beating upon him, and the wind was against him and it blew his umbrella inside out. Georgie struggled with the umbrella's ribs, trying to right it, when a sudden, violent gust pulled the umbrella out of his hands altogether and blew it up over the trees and out of sight. If Georgie were the sort of man to curse, he would have done so.
Instead, he stepped into the protection of the trees where there was less wind and rain and opened his vacuum flask. He feared that Cook had filled it with cool lemonade, but he was lucky: the bottle was full of hot tea. He drank it down and it warmed him. Then he resolutely began making his way eastward, pushing his bicycle along. In order to keep his spirits up, he said to himself, I shall wave down any passing vehicle and get a ride to anywhere I can telephone for Cadman to come and pick me up. His bicycle was rather new and beautifully chromed and he did not want to leave it behind, but he decided he would do so if necessary. "I can hide you," he spoke directly to the bicycle, "in the woods, and Cadman and I can come back and get you," he patted the seat in a proprietary manner.
He trudged on. The wind blew about him, but he had put on his tightest cap and settled it firmly on his head, and the gusty wind could dislodge neither the cap nor the toupet beneath it. Well, at least now I know my cap is safe to wear when it's windy! Still, I must look quite a sight! he thought, Not sporting or elegant at all.
Behind him he heard the hoot of a horn. A truck passed him, then slowed and stopped. Georgie hurried up to it. "Can you take me to a telephone?" he called to the driver. The driver did not reply but climbed down from the cab and grabbed Georgie's bicycle; he shoved the bicycle into the back of the truck, which was full of boxes of vegetables and fruit and other unidentifiable items. The driver then opened the passenger door of the truck's cab for Georgie, who gratefully climbed in. The heater in the truck's cab was labouring away and Georgie was happy for the little warmth that it offered. The driver had climbed back in behind the wheel. He took off his black rubber sou'wester hat. "Going to Tilling, then, Mr Pillson?" he enquired civilly.
"Yes, yes, thank you for stopping!" said Georgie breathily.
"Happy to help the Mayor's husband!" said the young man.
Georgie looked at him, "And I'm happy that you stopped and saved me!" He noticed that the young man's cropped hair was black and thick, and his eyes were tilted up at the corners--his saviour was Oriental!
"Mayor Pillson was very helpful to my family recently when we had to get licences for our restaurant on Tilling Quay, so I'm happy to return the favour!" Although the man was Oriental, his speech was English without a trace of accent.
"You speak English very well," ventured Georgie.
"Bred and buttered in North Woolwich," said the young man cheerfully. "Mum and Dad are from China, though. My name's Li-Qiang Huang," he said, "But call me Eddie. Eddie Huang. It's spelled H-U-A-N-G but pronounced 'Wang', as in 'Huang's Golden Dragon Restaurant.'"
Georgie vaguely remember Lucia mentioning a Chinese family opening a restaurant, but it was part of her civic talk, so Georgie had not paid much attention; he regretted that now.
The young man handed Georgie a vacuum flask. "Drink this. Hot-and-sour soup--it'll warm you up!"
Georgie carefully tasted the thickish liquor and found it was, indeed, hot and sour and quite warming. "Delicious!" he said, "Do you serve it at your restaurant?"
"We do, it's one of our staples," Eddie replied, "Very popular on a cold, wet day. I'll keep you from catching cold, too."
The two men chatted amicably about Huang's Golden Dragon Restaurant as they drove along. Georgie learned that Eddie's oldest brother, called Henry, was the cook; Eddie averred that Henry was a genius in the kitchen. Their mother kept the accounts, "Still uses an abacus, and her figures are as right as rain." An assortment of younger nephews and nieces and cousins worked in the kitchen and as servers. Then suddenly Eddie remembered his duties and asked, "Say, do you mind if I drop off my load at the restaurant before I take you home? It's just that I have meat back there and I don't want it to be out for too long."
"Of course. I can walk to Mallards House from the Quay, so you needn't be bothered about me."
"No, that won't do. Mum would never allow it. I'll just unload then drive you home."
"That's fine with me," said Georgie.
When Eddie pulled the truck up to the back of the restaurant, several Oriental people, young and old, came out. An older man gestured to Georgie in the cab of the truck, and Eddie explained his passenger; although Eddie spoke Chinese, Georgie knew the gist of what was said. A tiny elderly woman stood in the doorway. When Eddie had finished telling his family who Georgie was, the woman gestured for Georgie to come in. Reluctantly, Georgie climbed down from the cab as two men younger than Eddie and several children began to unload the viands.
Eddie explained, "Mum insists that you come in. I told her that you just want to get home, but she won't take no for an answer."
"I would be honored to meet your family," said Georgie politely. He carefully lifted his cap from his head (fortunately the toupet stayed in place) and bowed to the elderly lady. She folded her hands together and bowed in return, then she said something to Eddie.
"She says you've got to come in, and it's usually best not to argue with her," explained Eddie. After all his years with Lucia, Georgie was used to women who always get what they want and knew better than to waste energy protesting.
Georgie found himself pulled inside by several children and he was led up the stairs and into a small room. After a moment, one of the older girls came in with a bowl and jug of hot water, followed by a boy of similar age with stockings and slippers and several robes and a towel. The girl giggled when he thanked her and left the room quickly. The boy introduced himself as Henry, Eddie's nephew and the elder Henry's son. "Our grandmother says you must stay to tea and have something warm to eat. But Eddie says you want to get home. You can leave or stay as you wish, but if you leave, it will be considered rude. We all hope you will stay."
Georgie was torn between getting home and out of his wet clothes and staying to meet this family who was so strange, so kind, and so very interesting to him. Besides, Lucia might have more civic matters to discuss with him, and at this moment, dampness seemed more tolerable than Lucia's weighty drawl. "I'm happy to stay," said Georgie, "I would not want to offend the family of the man who saved me." After all, I did set out on an adventure, so I may as well have an adventure, he reasoned.
"Then strip off and change into these," Henry indicated the pile of clothing. "Socks and slippers, and pants, and three robes--you wear all the robes, one over the other. I'll wait outside."
So Georgie removed his outer clothing, washed his hands and face carefully, combed his hair (and that of his toupet), put on the loose pants of plain black silk, the socks and slippers, then he looked at the three robes, each made of brocaded silk. There was an pink robe brocaded with cherry blossoms; he put this on first, since it complimented his complexion. Then he pulled on the pale orange robe with chrysanthemums, and on top of it all he donned the black silk robe embroidered with golden dragons. Georgie felt quite conspicuous, but he opened the door and asked Henry, "Did I get it right?" indicating the clothing.
Henry smiled, "Perfect!" He led Georgie into a larger room in which all the family seemed to have gathered, and he was introduced to everyone and got quite muddled as to who was who, but remembered the elderly matriarch was called Mei (Georgie already had styled her "Madam Huang" in his mind, much like Lucia talking about her London friends as "Lord Tony" and "Lady Adele"), and her oldest son, Henry. Learning that the girl who had brought the warm water to him and was named Li-An but called Willow, and knowing Eddie and the younger Henry, Georgie felt he knew enough names to manage.
He was seated and Madame Huang served tea, not the black tea of India nor the green tea of Japan, but the oolong tea of China, hand picked and withered under the hot sun, and left to age and oxidate to the peak of flavour before being twisted. Georgie sipped the brew reverently and said, quite honestly, "Heavenly!" and smiled and nodded, for he enjoyed the slightly malty flavour of the tea. Then Georgie was served hot-and-sour soup, which he drank from bowl; the soup was followed by several different delicacies cooked by the elder Henry. Georgie got a nod of approval from Madame Huang when he picked up his chopsticks and managed them perfectly, something he had learned to do as a lark to amaze his sisters. Eddie did most of the talking and translating, for Madame Huang did not speak English at all and the elder Henry spoke little English beyond what was needed to run the restaurant.
Georgie was an appreciative guest, fascinated by the family, their home, their restaurant with it's red and gold interior design, and the exotic food. He was grateful that Eddie and young Henry told him what was in each dish served, and explained the red box on the wall, which held a burning stick of incense and the photo of a woman, the elder Henry's wife, who had died three years earlier and was now with the ancestors. Realizing that the children had disappeared, Georgie made bold to ask about them. They were the younger Henry's siblings and cousins, and they were preparing the food to be served in the restaurant. Georgie realized that he was keeping Eddie and Henry, both working men, away from their jobs, so he indicated gently that it was time for him to go.
Madame Huang insisted that Georgie keep the clothing and, in fact, that he wear the sumptuous silks home, which Georgie found touching and embarrassing in turn: he was touched at the generosity and embarrassed at having to climb out of the truck in front of Mallards House in his Oriental finery. Further down West Street, Georgie saw Quaint Irene Coles squinting in his direction; he knew there would be questions later, so he waved to her. As Georgie was again thanking Eddie for stopping, Foljambe appeared and took charge of the bicycle and damp clothing. Georgie hurried inside as the truck pulled away.
At dinner that night, Georgie had a tale to tell of his adventure instead of discussing municipal matters. Lucia voiced her worry that he might catch cold, but he explained the wonders of hot-and-sour soup and stated he doubted he would be made ill by his adventure due to the soup's medicinal properties.
At shopping hour the next morning, Georgie was sought out by Irene and Diva Plaistow. Irene called out, "Hail and well met, Georgie! Was it you I saw yesterday, dressed as an Oriental potentate?" Georgie repeated the story to them, omitting his reason for undertaking such a strenuous bicycle ride, for he was still loyal to Lucia even when she was being quite irritating.
Diva's response was gratifying, "What an adventure!" she exclaimed, then hurried off to tell others about it.
Georgie got to tell his adventurous story for a third time at tea; Lucia had invited her Mayoress Elizabeth Mapp-Flint and Major Benjamin Mapp-Flint for tea and Bridge at Diva Plaistow's Ye Olde Tea House.
~~~~~~~~~~
It was over a fortnight later, with Springtime in her full glory, that Georgie found himself alone for luncheon; Lucia was attending a regional conference of mayors in Hastings, although she was disappointed that they did not accept her request to be keynote speaker. Georgie was certain that he would have to hear all about the Mayoral Conference at dinner, and to take his mind off this impending chore, instead of ordering luncheon Georgie decided it was time that he visited his friends at Huang's Golden Dragon Restaurant. After all, he frequently wore the robes and slippers he had been given, so it would not hurt to thank the family once again and to order more of the delicious Chinese delicacies for his meal.
When he got to the restaurant, Georgie was surprised at how few diners were there, Are they diners or luncheoners, he wondered in a flight of fancy. With Willow's help, he ordered a wonderful repast. An intelligent girl, thought Georgie, and she will be quite comely in a few years. Beautiful skin.
Eddie joined him at his table. Georgie once again thanked Eddie for saving him and expressed his gratitude for the wonderful robes and clothing. Eddie spoke kindly but seemed downcast; Georgie asked him if there was something wrong.
"It's ALL gone wrong," Eddie burst out, "I'm sorry, Mr Pillson, but we're not getting enough business. My older nephews are looking for extra work just to keep the family going. And I am responsible: 'Move south,' I said, 'Too many Chinese restaurants in London, less competition down south,' but I was wrong. We even hired a Chinese bartender who knows how to make all the latest cocktails; he moved all the way down here from London and now we may have to let him go."
As Georgie ate his meal, he thought. He recalled Lucia's foray into investing, her ledgers with their neat rows of figures, her trunk calls and telegrams to her broker Mammoncash, and how nice it was to make some money off of one of Lucia's "tips"; Georgie then realized what he disliked about the business--in spite of the money he made, the investment business was dreadfully impersonal--Lucia might talk about Mammoncash but no one had ever met him, and an investor put money into vast and sometimes shadowy businesses, some as far away as East Africa; an investor did not put his capital into the people who worked for those businesses. Here was a family, real people, who had been so very kind and generous to Georgie when he was in need; what could be more personal than that? he reasoned. He came to a decision. Although it was vulgar and he was not sure how, exactly, to put it, Georgie plunged ahead and said to Eddie, who had brought him a banana fritter sprinkled with powdered sugar and cinnamon for dessert, "Would you accept a silent partner in the business? I would be glad to make a small investment in order to help out. Then when you get up and going, you can buy me out."
Eddie looked at him for a moment then licked his lips. "You would do that?" Eddie asked.
"Yes," said Georgie firmly. "You saved me on that wet and windy day, and I believe that the hot-and-sour soup kept me from getting a most dreadful cold in the head. So, yes."
"I will talk to the family about it. Will you come back tomorrow afternoon, at tea-time?"
~~~~~~~~~~
Over dinner, Georgie allowed Lucia to explicate her Mayoral Conference without interrupting. Over coffee, he finally got to explain to Lucia that he had offered to invest in Huang's Golden Dragon Restaurant. "Do you think I did right?" he asked, for he had become concerned that his gratitude to Eddie Huang had led him to be over-generous.
Lucia became judicious, an attitude which usually Georgie found irritating, but since she was being judicious on his behalf, he now found her mien reassuring. "I think you are 'on to something,' as they say in the City. I judge it to be an good long-term investment. But you will need to put money into advertising, I think. Let everyone in East Sussex know they can get splendid Chinese food at Huang's, then you'll have plenty of custom."
Advertising. "You know," said Georgie thoughtfully, "I've been working on a petit-point that I designed from the dragon and flowers in the silk robes that Madam Huang gave to me. Perhaps I could adapt that into an advertisement."
"A good idea, Georgie!" said Lucia enthusiastically, "And I would suggest a better sign outside the restaurant. The street is very dark down there at night; perhaps a modern neon sign would help light the street as well as advertise Huang's."
"Lucia, you're a wonder! So thorough of you to know about the lighting at night on the Quay!" said Georgie, curious to know when his spousa had been on the Quay after dark; if she had, it was certainly without her husband in attendance.
"Quaint Irene," replied Lucia, answering Georgie's unasked question.
"Irene! Of course!" Georgie was happy that the mystery was solved. The avant-guard artist Quaint Irene Coles was a special friend of Lucia's; Irene gathered all sorts of information and reported back to her beloved Lucia. Irene would not worry about drunken sailors, especially with her six-foot-tall maid Lucy in attendance.
So it was that after dinner, Georgie sat down and began to draw.
Huang’s Golden Dragon RestauranT
On The quay in tilling
authentic Chinese cuisine
Prepared with the freshest ingredients
exotic cocktails
Room for private parties
telephone tilling 923
The next morning Georgie went to the bank to make sure all was ready for his investment, should it be accepted. Then he visited his solicitor, Mr Causton, for advice and was told that Causton could easily draw up the necessary papers.
At tea-time, Georgie entered the restaurant and was greeted by Eddie and his brother Henry, and Madam Huang. Georgie showed them his drawing, and explained about advertising and about the neon sign. The Huangs had decided to sell Georgie a one-third share in the restaurant and readily agreed to use half of Georgie's money for advertising. Madame Huang showed Georgie the ledgers, and Eddie translated as she explained. There were no hidden debts that might become Georgie's responsibility should the venture fail--the bank manager had warned him about such things.
Within a week, the papers had been signed and large advertisements appeared in the Tilling Gazette, the Hastings Chronicle, the Hampshire Argus; a smaller advertisement in the Times of London, with the addendum: "Visiting Tilling? Don't Miss Out! Visit Huang's Golden Dragon!"
The neon sign had been ordered. It depicted the titular golden dragon alone, "Rather like the famous dragon in front of Graumann's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood," he explained, "Just the dragon in green and gold, no letters--much more chic than adding the restaurant name," said Georgie to his partners. A smaller sign which spelled out "Huang's Golden Dragon" in red neon was ordered and would hang inside the front window. Georgie decided to hold a "lighting" party, as he explained to his new business partners, "like when they light up the Christmas trees but with a neon sign." For that purpose, he reserved the back room of the restaurant.
Georgie proposed to invite all of Tilling society to the restaurant. He told Lucia of his plan. Lucia, taking the broad view of which she was so fond, asked, "Why just our friends? I've checked with my Town Clerk who says the fire brigade will allow up to fifty people to be present, based upon the size of the room. So we should expand the guest list. Allow me to invite my political colleagues, and fellow board members, too, and I shall pay for it." Georgie wanted to agree, but it became apparent that Lucia wanted to turn the "lighting" into a political platform rather than a private party, he decided to pay for it himself and leave politics out of it as much as possible.
Georgie discussed the idea of expanding the party with the Huangs, who agreed. He issued many more invitations to the Corporation and the Parish Council, as well as the Boards of Directors of the Hospital, the Cricket and Football Club, and the Workhouse, and to many of the local tradesmen and memebers of the professional class. Fortunately, there was some overlap between all the groups or there would have been too many people.
During shopping hour, Georgie told of his planned party. Major Benjy, upon hearing the proposed guest list, facetiously suggested, "Pillson, you may as well invite the membership of the Golf Club!"
Lucia was with Georgie and knew how to handle such satirical comments; she chimed in, "Why, Major Benjy, what a good idea!" She turned to her husband, "I shall ring up the golf club and get the membership list!" She did so, and Georgie issued invitation to the few members of the golf club who had not already been invited. Dinner was ordered for forty-six people.
"We must remember to tell Major Benjy just how grateful we are for his suggestion of inviting the Golf Club members," said Lucia. Georgie nodded--such a display of gratitude, especially in public, would embarrass Major Benjy and serve him out for his sarcasm.
~~~~~~~~~~
On the day of the party, the sign was delivered, wrapped in canvas, and was installed, with Georgie watching nervously. Quaint Irene Coles set up her easel and painted the workmen as they struggled with the large sign, and she swore to keep it secret when when she caught a glimpse of the dragon. After checking to make sure the light worked properly and explaining that a switch could be flipped to make it flash on and off, the men from the sign company obligingly rigged the canvas covering so that it could be pulled off at the right moment.
As the warm Spring day gave way to the chilly evening, the guests gathered in the street in front of the Huang's Golden Dragon Restaurant. The neon light in the window as turned on. Then the canvas was pulled off of the dragon and that sign was lit--Georgie was gratified by the "Oooohs" and "Aaahas" he heard; quite like at a fireworks show, he thought. There was much applause.
Georgie and Lucia led their guests into the restaurant; the hosts stationed themselves at the door of the private back room, with an exquisite Madame Huang in traditional Chinese finery of silk and jade beside them, so that they could greet the guests. Georgie shook hands with Mr Causton, the Twistevants, Dr Dobbie and his wife and his new young partner Dr Brace who had his beautiful but gaudy fianceé on his arm. Georgie greeted the Padre and Mrs Bartlett, the Mapp-Flints, Godiva Plaistow, Quaint Irene Coles, Mr and Mrs Wyse, Isabel Poppit, Inspector Morrison and his wife Bunty, Miss Greele the dressmaker, Mr Hopkins from the fish shop who was escorting Mrs Mapp-Flint's maid Withers as his guest (much to Mrs Mapp-Flint's chagrin), and many others.
There were several round tables and the guests were seated by various members of the Huang family. The seating arrangements had been so fraught that Georgie was happy to turn them over to Lucia, grateful that she volunteered to help.
Georgie, the foreman of the gasworks, and his brother Percy, who was employed as the Town Surveyor, were members of the combined Tilling Football and Cricket Club, of which Lucia was president; the jolly brothers had been enlisted to sit on either side of the Mapp-Flints, with Gasworks Georgie keeping Elizabeth Mapp-Flint entertained with his jokes and stories. Percy, who had had more than enough of Elizabeth as Mayoress and former Council member, refused to sit next to her and sat beside the Major instead. Percy had never observed Major Benjy's keenly honed drinking abilities first-hand; after this party, the members to the Tilling Football and Cricket Club referred to Major Benjy, affectionately as "The Merry Major" or more insultingly as "Blotto Benjy." As Percy later told his team members, "He went from tipsy to tanked, but it took an amazing amount of liquor to get him there--absolutely amazing."
Other than undertaking the seating arrangement, Lucia had felt rather left out, and in desperation she had contrived a surprise. Suddenly the lights dimmed, and a single unaccompanied voice, the voice of a valkyrie, began to sing a song from a Wagner opera. The room grew silent as everyone listened and the applause was thunderous; cries of "Brava!" and "Encore!" were heard; Olga Bracely laughed and said, "I'll sing again later, but you must feed me first! Delighted to be with you at the Golden Dragon Restaurant!" Tilling had just been afforded a musical treat for free, a treat that London regularly paid guineas to hear. Tonight was special indeed.
"I didn't know you were coming!" exclaimed Georgie Pillson.
"Lucia asked me 'specially, and I absolutely could not refuse her!"
"We are delighted to have you stay with us, of course," said Lucia graciously.
Olga smiled widely, "And I am gratified that you asked me! Delighted to be here!"
The food was delicious, and everyone's meal began with hot-and-sour soup. Georgie announced that it kept him from getting a horrid cold in the head after being caught in a terrible late-winter storm, and he advised everyone to drink well and deeply of it for medicinal as well as gustatory purposes.
"It does make my sinuses feel clearer!" acknowledge Major Benjy Mapp-Flint, drinking from his bowl and snorting a little. "Some of these Oriental medicines are a wonder!" He then accepted another glass of drink from the lovely Willow, who had explained to him that her Chinese name translated "Graceful Willow," and so she used Willow as her English name. Major Benjy was gratified that so young a woman was willing to converse with him, although his eye was on Dr Brace's fianceé, who was seated across the room.
The drinks were suitably exotic, with the Zombie being a favourite. The bartender was Chinese and could not pronounce the zed in Zombie, and so pronounced it "Jombie": and the more Zombies you drank, the more amusing his pronunciation became; the bartender was good-natured and did not mind being laughed at, especially if you ordered more drinks and tipped well. This was the kind of crowd he liked to see in a restaurant! Of late, he had been worried that his move to Tilling was a mistake, but this party reassured him: he had made the right choice.
Within Willow's hearing, Elizabeth Mapp-Flint expressed dismay at the lack of "real" soup spoons and "proper" tea cups. Benjy explained the Oriental way of drinking tea, as he knew it. Then Gasworks Georgie, seated next to Elizabeth, suddenly stood, "Yes, Lord Ardingly, a wonderful party! And you must know Major Mapp-Flint, and Mrs Mapp-Flint, Tilling's Mayoress!?"
"Certainly!" lied Lord Ardingly adroitly; he took Elizabeth's hand and bowed, "Delighted to see you again! And you remember Lady Ardingly. . . ." With Lord and Lady Ardingly seated at that table, Elizabeth Mapp-Flint's complaints were muzzled--as Lucia knew they would be when she devised the seating plan--Elizabeth Mapp-Flint was forced to be smiling and sweet. Lord Ardingly, ever the diplomat, listened attentively to her opinions as Mayoress, then, ever the politician, he discarded her opinions immediately.
Georgie Pillson surveyed the crowd of friends and acquaintances and smiled widely. "Lucia, I didn't realize how wide your circle of friends extended!"
Lucia replied, "Yes, the scene reminds me of the painting of the Fête at Bermondsey, which hangs in Lambeth Palace; all the diverse strata of life, from farmers to royalty," she paused to wave at Diva Plaistow and received a return wave from both Diva and from Quaint Irene who was seated just in front of Diva in Lucia's line of vision, "And all because of your marvellous investment in this wonderful restaurant!"
"It's been absolutely ages since I had decent Egg Foo Yung," said Olga as she tucked in to that dish, "Now I'll know where to go to get it!"
"Anyway," said Georgie, who felt that his two best friends each held the wrong end of the same stick, "I invested in the Huang family more than in the restaurant and the food."
Olga teasingly replied, "Oh, so what you were saying about the hot-and-sour soup was piffle?"
Georgie blushed; once again, Olga had caught him out, but she exposed him in such a kind and genial way that he did not mind being caught out. "Piffle, indeed!" he laughed.
~~~~~~~~~~
Postscript
It was not many months later that the Huangs bought out Georgie's investment at a tidy profit to him, and they remained friends. As a gift, the Huangs presented Georgie with a small jade statue of Kwan Yin, a carving of surpassing antiquity, quality, and beauty. This statue ultimately became the possession of Olga Bracely, who refused all offers to buy the statue.
As Mayor, Lucia wrote letters which helped several of the younger Huangs get into good private schools. Li-Na (which she pronounced, "Lena, like Lena Horne," as she was a fan of the singer) Huang was the first recipient of the George and Emmeline Pillson Scholarship for Young Women; she attended Roedean and then Cambridge, where she became part of the faculty of East Asian Studies. The Pillson Scholarship, whose recipients are locally called "Pillson Girls," continues helping the female children of Tilling to this day. Many a mother in Tilling has been able to say proudly, "My daughter is a Pillson Girl!" Georgie was instrumental in the set-up of the fund and in choosing the recipients; he had, at last, found a way to personally invest in people.
Huang's Golden Dragon Restaurant closed early in August of 1939, initially as a mark of respect after Madame Huang died in her sleep, and finally because of the outbreak of War. Eddie, young Henry, and several of the Huangs, male and female, were killed in the War, and young Henry's remains were never found, although his heroic action under fire was long remembered by member of his squadron. The elder Henry enlisted in the Army and was made cook to a General who loved Chinese food; Henry survived the London Blitz, although he left London after the war because he could no longer tolerate loud noise; he settled with his youngest daughter in Royal Tunbridge Wells where he opened a small restaurant which was one of the first to offer take-away.
THE END
