[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

alone. Your brother is old enough to choose his own
friends, and we should respect his decisions."
Her elder son nodded reluctant agreement. "If
that's what you want me to do, Mother, but I think
we'll be making a big mistake; one that we may all
regret in the end."
"That's a risk we'll have to take," she told him
quietly, picking up her book again; the Lady of
Shallot had no family to contend with, decided
Elizabeth, who felt the troubles of Tennyson's
heroine were becoming somewhat trivial in
comparison with her own.
"Well," began Daniel, later that evening when
Joseph had gone to bed and they were finally able
to relax over a glass of whisky and a cigar, "what
was it you wanted to speak to me about?"
Harrison hesitated, uncertain now how to begin.
His friend was proud and independent and the last
thing he wanted to do was to sound overbearing or
critical of him in any way.
"I would like you to listen to me properly before
you make any comment, if you will."
"Very well."
98
UUL
"My chief clerk isn't getting any younger,"
Harrison began.
"What does that & " Daniel, who had spoken
instinctively, fell silent again as Harrison's blue
eyes accused him of interrupting. "Sorry."
"I would like you come and work in my office,
with a view to taking Mason's place in a few years
time."
Daniel stared at him. "I am a conveyancing and
probate clerk," he said. "I know nothing at all about
business and contract law."
"You could learn; Mason would be a good
teacher." Harrison pressed home his argument. "It
would mean you wouldn't have to go to live in
Manchester, or Joe leave his school."
"Is that why you're doing this, because of
Joseph?"
"Partly - and partly because I think both of you
deserve some help." Harrison saw the look on
Daniel's face, and knew at once that he had said the
wrong thing.
"I told you, we don't need charity - not even
yours."
"Damn it, man, it isn't charity! I need a clerk; you
need a job - and Joseph needs to get a good
education if he's to make anything of his life."
Harrison paused. "But it isn't only Joseph I'm
thinking of," he continued quietly. "It's you. You
know Byrd will never give you a reference; what
kind of work do you think you'll get without one?
Whatever it is, you can certainly do better than
that."
"By accepting charity from you?"
99
"By accepting help from a friend who cares
enough to offer it." However it was clear from
Daniel's refusal to look at him that there would be
no further discussion about the subject tonight.
Harrison stood up and threw the end of his cigar
into the fire. "At least think about it," he urged.
When Daniel did not reply, however, he merely
collected his coat and left.
Alone again, Daniel stared into the fire. It would
make a good deal of sense to accept Harrison's
offer, but he did not want their friendship to be
based on need; there had to be equality between
them, or there was nothing.
Joseph, still awake, had heard their raised voices
and the door closing, followed by Harrison's
footsteps on the stairs. Now he crept across the
landing and into the parlour. "Dad?" he began,
nervously.
"You should be asleep, Joe."
Encouraged by the neutral tone of his father's
voice, the boy crept closer. "Were you and Mr
Calderwood fighting again?"
It was a good question, thought Daniel; lately, he
and Harrison always seemed to be on opposite
sides. Holding out his hand, he drew Joseph close
to him. "I don't know if we were or not; Mr
Calderwood wants me to go and work in his office."
Joe digested this news carefully. "What's the
matter? Don't you want to do it?"
"I've never been beholden to anybody before,"
his father informed him carefully, "and I'd rather not
be now."
100
UUL
"But Mr Calderwood's your friend," insisted
Joseph, obviously puzzled.
"That is all the more reason to be careful. I
wouldn't want to lose his friendship."
Joseph thought about this for a moment. "But
friends help each other," he said, still puzzled.
Daniel looked at his son; she may have phrased
it differently but that was what Judith would have
said, too. They needed help, Harrison wanted to
help - where was the problem? And which was more
important, his pride or his son's well-being and
future? In the end, after all, there really was no
choice.
"Don't worry. We weren't arguing properly; I just
didn't want to hear the things he was saying, that's
all. I promise, in the morning I'll see Mr
Calderwood and tell him I accept his offer."
Not usually demonstrative, Joseph hugged his
father in response to this. Daniel returned the
embrace; then ruffled his son's hair. "Come on, back
to bed with you," he told him kindly.
101
CHAPTER 9
Harrison awoke the next morning in no more
cheerful frame of mind than when he had finally
gone to sleep. Whoever it was who said things
always looked better in the morning, they clearly
didn't know what they were talking about!
He shivered slightly as he left his warm bed; he
was used to the chill of early morning, though, and
it wasn't worthwhile to have the fire lit when he was
going to be out all day. The familiar routine of
getting washed and dressed left him free to think
about the events of the previous night and he could
see now the mistakes he had made; there were
certainly better ways he could have dealt with the
issue, but the truth was that he had totally
misjudged Daniel's probable reaction to his
proposition and had no doubt placed far more faith
in their growing friendship than it warranted.
Growing friendship? Was that even the right
expression for it? Harper probably never wanted to
see him again, decided Harrison, closing his
leather dressing-case with a snap. His whole
instinct now was to go and see Daniel, to try to
persuade him to change his mind, but that would
almost certainly only make things worse between
them than they already were.
They were half-way through breakfast when
Grainger came into the dining-room. "A letter for
Mister Harrison, madam; the messenger said it was
urgent."
Harrison tore open the envelope and dropped it
102
UUL
onto the table as he read through the letter. "It's
from Daniel," he said. "He wants to see me later this
morning."
"What about?" asked Todd.
"I'll have to wait until I see him to find that out,
but I'll tell you all about it later."
Elizabeth recognised evasion when she saw it,
and fully expected Todd to challenge the statement,
but uncharacteristically for him he let it pass
without comment. Thankful to be able to have
breakfast in peace, therefore, she did not ask any
questions either.
Harrison put down his cup of tea and checked
his watch again; it was a quarter past ten. He
closed the case and returned the watch to his
waistcoat pocket. He could not decide whether to
wait a little longer or leave the café and go to the
shelter to seek out Daniel, since it appeared he
wasn't going to keep the appointment he himself
had proposed.
"Harrison."
He looked around at the sound of Daniel's voice,
surprised to see he had brought his son with him
since it was only Wednesday. "Hello Daniel, Joseph;
please, sit down."
Daniel remained where he was, so Harrison
spoke to Joseph. "No school today?"
"No, sir, special holiday; something to do with
the man who started the school."
Harrison looked up at Daniel. "Please sit down,"
he repeated. "Would you like some tea?" Not
waiting for an answer, he beckoned the waitress
103
over.
"We didn't come for tea."
"I see." Harrison kept the disappointment out of
his voice and took refuge in the calm neutrality of
his professional personality. "Then what do you
want?"
Daniel gazed down at him for a second or so,
obviously surprised by the change of tone.
"Nothing. It was a mistake, we shouldn't have come.
I'm sorry to have bothered you. Come on, Joseph." [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]