.

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ mutts,’ he agreed heartily.

      ‘Who – er – are these people?’

      Bobby handed him the letter. The Vicar, fumbling for his pince-nez, peered at it suspiciously. Finally he perused it twice.

      ‘Most remarkable,’ he said at last. ‘Most remarkable.’

      ‘Lunatics,’ said Bobby.

      ‘Ah! my boy,’ said the Vicar. ‘It is after all, a great thing to be in Englishman. Honesty. That’s what we stand for. The Navy has carried that ideal all over the world. An Englishman’s world! This South American firm realizes the value of a young man whose integrity will be unshaken and of whose fidelity his employers will be assured. You can always depend on an Englishman to play the game –’

      ‘And keep a straight bat,’ said Bobby.

      The Vicar looked at his son doubtfully. The phrase, an excellent one, had actually been on the tip of his tongue, but there was something in Bobby’s tone that struck him as not quite sincere.

      The young man, however, appeared to be perfectly serious.

      ‘All the same, Dad,’ he said, ‘why me?’

      ‘What do you mean – why you?’

      ‘There are a lot of Englishmen in England,’ said Bobby. ‘Hearty fellows, full of cricketing qualities. Why pick on me?’

      ‘Probably your late commanding officer may have recommended you.’

      ‘Yes, I suppose that’s true,’ said Bobby doubtfully. ‘It doesn’t matter, anyway, since I can’t take the job.’

      ‘Can’t take it? My dear boy, what do you mean?’

      ‘Well, I’m fixed up, you see. With Badger.’

      ‘Badger? Badger Beadon. Nonsense, my dear Bobby. This is serious.’

      ‘It’s a bit hard, I own,’ said Bobby with a sigh.

      ‘Any childish arrangement you have made with young Beadon cannot count for a moment.’

      ‘It counts with me.’

      ‘Young Beadon is completely irresponsible. He has already, I understand, been a source of considerable trouble and expense to his parents.’

      ‘He’s not had much luck. Badger’s so infernally trusting.’

      ‘Luck – luck! I should say that young man had never done a hand’s turn in his life.’

      ‘Nonsense, Dad. Why, he used to get up at five in the morning to feed those beastly chickens. It wasn’t his fault they all got the roop or the croup, or whatever it was.’

      ‘I have never approved of this garage project. Mere folly. You must give it up.’

      ‘Can’t sir. I’ve promised. I can’t let old Badger down. He’s counting on me.’

      The discussion proceeded. The Vicar, biased by his views on the subject of Badger, was quite unable to regard any promise made to that young man as binding. He looked on Bobby as obstinate and determined at all costs to lead an idle life in company with one of the worse possible companions. Bobby, on the other hand, stolidly repeated without originality that he ‘couldn’t let old Badger down’.

      The Vicar finally left the room in anger and Bobby then and there sat down to write to the firm of Henriquez and Dallo, refusing their offer.

      He sighed as he did so. He was letting a chance go here which was never likely to occur again. But he saw no alternative.

      Later, on the links, he put the problem to Frankie. She listened attentively.

      ‘You’d have had to go to South America?’

      ‘Yes.’

      ‘Would you have liked that?’

      ‘Yes, why not?’

      Frankie sighed.

      ‘Anyway,’ she said with decision. ‘I think you did quite right.’

      ‘About Badger, you mean?’

      ‘Yes.’

      ‘I couldn’t let the old bird down, could I?’

      ‘No, but be careful the old bird, as you call him, doesn’t let you in.’

      ‘Oh! I shall be careful. Anyway, I shall be all right. I haven’t got any assets.’

      ‘That must be rather fun,’ said Frankie.

      ‘Why?’

      ‘I don’t know why. It just sounded rather nice and free and irresponsible. I suppose, though, when I come to think of it, that I haven’t got any assets much, either. I mean, Father gives me an allowance and I’ve got lots of houses to live in and clothes and maids and some hideous family jewels and a good deal of credits at shops; but that’s all the family really. It’s not me.’

      ‘No, but all the same –’ Bobby paused.

      ‘Oh, it’s quite different, I know.’

      ‘Yes,’ said Bobby. ‘It’s quite different.’

      He felt suddenly very depressed.

      They walked in silence to the next tee.

      ‘I’m going to town tomorrow,’ said Frankie, as Bobby teed up his ball.

      ‘Tomorrow? Oh – and I was going to suggest you should come for a picnic.’

      ‘I’d have liked to. However, it’s arranged. You see, Father’s got the gout again.’

      ‘You ought to stay and minister to him,’ said Bobby.

      ‘He doesn’t like being ministered to. It annoys him frightfully. He likes the second footman best. He’s sympathetic and doesn’t mind having things thrown at him and being called a damned fool.’

      Bobby topped his drive and it trickled into the bunker.

      ‘Hard lines,’ said Frankie and drove a nice straight ball that sailed over it.

      ‘By the way,’ she remarked. ‘We might do something together in London. You’ll be up soon?’

      ‘On Monday. But – well – it’s no good, is it?’

      ‘What do you mean – no good?’

      ‘Well, I mean I shall be working as a mechanic most of the time. I mean –’

      ‘Even then,’ said Frankie, ‘I suppose you’re just as capable of coming to a cocktail party and getting tight as any other of my friends.’

      Bobby СКАЧАТЬ