There was a sudden silence that made him turn his head. Cora and Eva were looking at him They were no longer smiling. There was a look of suppressed rage and disappointment in Cora’s eyes that startled him.
“Do you like them?” he asked, with a catch in his voice. Little Ernie moved forward. “Wot’s hup?”
“Nothing,” Cora said viciously. “I might have known the fool was pulling my leg. What are you trying to do, George? Get even?”
George suddenly went cold.
“What do you mean?” he said, feeling the blood leave his face.
“What I say,” she said, pointing to the bundle on the bed. He pushed past her and turned the things over. At first he couldn’t believe what he saw. He held up one garment and stared at it stupidly. It looked like a pair of black combinations, only it had a long tail. He dropped it as if it had bitten him and stared down at the rest of the stuff.
“It’s a Mickey Mouse outfit,” Eva cried suddenly. “My God! It’s Mickey Mouse!”
Little Ernie started to laugh. Eva joined him Together they shrieked at George and Cora.
“Wot a card!” Little Ernie spluttered. “In the middle of the night! Stone me! ’Ad our Cora properly. Oh dear, oh dear, this’ll kill me!” He collapsed howling in an armchair
George turned away. He wanted to be sick. He wanted to die. He heard Cora say in a voice hoarse with frustrated rage, “Get out! Do you hear! Get out, both of you!" And when Little Ernie and Eva, roaring with hysterical mirth, had stumbled out of the room, Cora turned on George. "You rotten rat!” she said. “Do you think that’s funny? Do you think you can make a fool out of me?”