Posted by Peter Hyland on October 09, 2013 at 00:34:22 user Peter_H.
In Reply to: Re: Ransome on the East Coast? posted by Mike Dennis on October 09, 2013 at 23:19:11:
Good points, Mike, but I can't understand why you say "why Nancy knew there was water for the flowers is still a mystery". I cannot see any mystery. The full context is:
"She [Nancy] was gone and back again in a moment with three glass vases for the flowers. 'Water in the bathroom', she said. 'I've got to keep an eye on Cook and the stores.'
Nancy is clearly (in her brisk Nancyish way) asking Dorothea to fill the vases with water so that the roses which D has picked will last longer. She is telling D that the nearest water is to be found in the bathroom. Nancy knows there is water there because she lives at Beckfoot and one can assume that she has been into the bathroom occasionally (although AR did not ever mention such functions). In any case, the clue is in the word "bath". (Tobe honest, I think Dorothea could have worked this out for herself, but Nancy had 'taken charge' and we know what that is like!)