Chapter 4

I parked the car as close to the meadow as possible, and we carried the hamper between us. In my other hand I had the two boat chairs. They had carrying cases which unzipped completely to make a waterproof ground sheet, they were as light as modern manufacture could make them, but even so I was happy when we found a spot, with a good view of the stage, that had been erected in a natural shallow bowl in the parkland.

Having set up our chairs, we placed the hamper between us. Eve immediately offered me a choice of coffee, or wine.

"A glass of wine will go down well." She opened the hamper and I saw straight away why it was so heavy. Whilst appearing to be a normal wicker hamper, inside it was fully lined with insulating material. The top had small legs attached so that when opened fully it could act as a table. Very clever! "That's neat." I commented. Eve grinned.

"You know Aubrey. He has to have the best, even if he never uses it." I wondered if there was an innuendo there. She pulled out a bottle of Chardonnay, handing it to me. "Would you open this while I find the glasses?" The bottle was nicely cool, and had a screw top, I had opened it just as Eve handed me a cork pull. She looked at me with the open bottle and the cork screw in her hand.

"Oh!"

"It was a screw top." I explained. She looked perplexed, and then giggled.

"Aubrey would never, ever open a bottle of wine with a screw top. That wouldn't have class." I laughed with her.

"Well I'm downmarket. All the wine I drink comes from supermarkets, and has screw tops. Have you got the glasses?" Eve delved into the hamper and came up with two large goblets. She held them out and I poured. We raised our glasses. Eve looked curiously at me.

"No toast?"

"Well funnily enough, Shakespeare didn't cover the topic of drinking too well, so how about? To music and the company of good friends."

"That sounds right." Eve agreed with me and we drank.

"Nice wine." I commented.

"Thank you. I chose it myself. Not from Aubrey's cellar, but from the local shop."

"Your choice is impeccable."

The first half of the concert was thoroughly enjoyable, especially as when I glanced across at Eve, she was sitting spellbound the excitement plain on her face. Live music does tend to do that. When you see someone enjoying the spectacle as much as Eve was, it is contagious. It made me sad to think that she had been denied this pleasure for so long, and happy that I was the one who had facilitated her reunion with live music. At the finale to the first half she clapped so hard and so enthusiastically I was sure her hands would sting for minutes.

The hamper was opened and we set to the repast eagerly. With a mouthful of pate and salad I asked.

"So what do you think?" Eve's eyes sparkled.

"It was magic." Looking at me she continued. "I haven't enjoyed myself so much in years. I am listening to live music, in this lovely setting and with a truly gallant gentleman as company. What more could a girl wish for? I hope you are enjoying it as much as I, John?"

"Oh yes. But I doubt that I can match your delight. Your face gave you away. 'O! She doth teach the torches to burn bright'" I grinned at her bemused expression.

"Don't tell me." Eve smiled as she searched her memory for the source of the quotation. "I am sure I have heard it before, but can't place it." I opened my mouth. "No. Let me think." I returned to the pate and salad. "Ok, I give up. Where does it come from?"

"Romeo and Juliet."

"Of course. I should have remembered." She looked coyly in my direction. "That was another nice compliment. You could seduce a girl with those words you know." I had little to say.

In the second half the music took on a different air, stirring with marches like 'Liberty Bell' by Sousa, and everyone clapping along with the rousing refrain. Then towards the end we had 'Jerusalem' and 'Pomp and Circumstance No. 1'. It is a tradition that the words by Benson, 'Land of Hope and Glory', are only sung on the repetition of the melody, when the audience stand to sing. It was quite a sight on that summer evening when probably five thousand people rose as one and sang those words. Eve, emotional tears running down her cheeks, and I stood and sang along with them. The evening concert came to an end and the applause for the Conductor and orchestra, carried long after the Conductor had left his rostrum. To cheers he returned and picked up his baton again. I had no doubt that the encore was arranged well beforehand, as the orchestra easily went through the opening bars of 'Jupiter' from the Planet Suite. It has to be one of my favourite pieces. The combination of Holst's music and the lyric poem by Cecil Spring-Rice was haunting, and the audience was again on its feet to sing 'I vow to Thee My Country' a poignantly beautiful and most heartfelt of hymns. Surely this or 'Land of Hope and Glory' would be perfect anthems for this country, rather than the dirge we have. I have often envied the Americans their anthem, they have a pride in standing with the hands over their hearts to sing 'The Star Spangled Banner', whereas we in this country can only drone through ours looking to end it as soon as possible. The difference is that the American anthem is about an ideal, as is the French 'La Marseillaise'. Our anthem is to a person, when really it should be to our country and an ideal.

Unwillingly, and with sadness we packed the hamper and folded the chairs. As if by design a Church bell from the village which was a mile away started to toll. Grey's Elegy came to mind, and I recited "The Curfew tolls the knell of Passing day." Eve had the same thought and carried on with the second line, "The lowing herd winds slowly o'er the lea," I grinned and together we finished the first stanza, "The ploughman homeward plods his weary way, And leaves the world to darkness and to me." Eve came and hugged me.