Are we making this too complicated? The gardener is Christ the God of
truth, the truth that Helen says 'is always best to tell' and that has been
denied by Helen and her neighbours (fallen mankind, if you like). He
speaks the word that none of them has ever uttered - 'your *son*'.
Mrs Harmsworth is more difficult, but I think it is important that she can
have no idea that Helen and she are in the same position. Maybe the last
thing that she expected was the almost wordless sympathy as Helen bowed her
head over the clasped hands.
Michael Healy
|