To make up for that he now went out in the evenings much more than formerly, to play bridge with friends or in a café; in summer he spent his Sundays at the races. Mama was often left alone. She did not complain, but she hated housework and poverty was hard for her to bear; her nerves were always on edge now. My father gradually lost his even good-temper. They never really quarrelled, but they used to shout very loudly at one another over the merest trifles, and often vented their irritation upon my sister and myself.
