I
тАЬDo you mind just going over that once more, Mr.┬аFlemming?тАЭ
тАЬWillingly.тАЭ
Precise, dry, even, word after word fell from the old lawyerтАЩs lips. His meaning was clear and unmistakable! Too much so! It didnтАЩt leave a loophole for doubt.
Vernon listened. His face was very white, his hands grasped the arms of the chair in which he was sitting.
It couldnтАЩt be trueтБатАФit couldnтАЩt! And yet, after all, hadnтАЩt Mr.┬аFlemming said very much the same, years ago? Yes, but then there had been the magic words тАЬtwenty-oneтАЭ to look forward to. тАЬTwenty-oneтАЭ which by a blessed miracle was to make everything right. Instead of which:
тАЬMind you, the position is infinitely improved from what it was at the time of your fatherтАЩs death, but it is no good pretending we are out of the wood. The mortgageтБатАКтБатАжтАЭ
Surely, surely, they had never mentioned a mortgage? Well, it wouldnтАЩt have been much use, he supposed, to a boy of nine. No good trying to get round it. The plain truth was that he couldnтАЩt afford to live at Abbots Puissants.
He waited till Mr.┬аFlemming had finished, and then said: тАЬBut if my motherтБатАКтБатАжтАЭ
тАЬOh! of course. If Mrs.┬аDeyre were prepared toтБатАКтБатАжтАЭ He left the sentence unfinished, paused and then added: тАЬBut, if I may say so, every time that I have had the pleasure of seeing Mrs.┬аDeyre, she has seemed to me to be very settledтБатАФvery settled indeed. I suppose you know that she bought the freehold of Carey Lodge two years ago?тАЭ
Vernon hadnтАЩt known it. He saw plainly enough what it meant. Why hadnтАЩt his mother told him? HadnтАЩt she had the courage? He had always taken it for granted that she would come back with him to Abbots Puissants, not so much because he longed for her presence there, as because it wasтБатАФquite naturallyтБатАФher home.
But it wasnтАЩt her home. It never could be in the sense that Carey Lodge was her home.
He could appeal to her, of course. Beg her, for his sake, because he wanted it so much.
No, a thousand times no! You couldnтАЩt beg favours from people you didnтАЩt really love. And he didnтАЩt really love his mother. He didnтАЩt believe he ever really had. Queer and sad and a little dreadful, but there it was.
If he never saw her again, would he mind? Not really. He would like to know that she was well and happyтБатАФcared for. But he wouldnтАЩt miss her, would never feel a longing for her presence. Because, in a queer way, he didnтАЩt really like her. He disliked the touch of her hands, always had to take a hold on himself before kissing her good night. HeтАЩd never been able to tell her anythingтБатАФshe never understood or knew what he was feeling. She had been a good loving motherтБатАФand he didnтАЩt even like her! Rather horrible, he supposed, most people would say.тБатАКтБатАж
He said quietly to Mr.┬аFlemming: тАЬYou are quite right. I am sure my mother would not wish to leave Carey Lodge.тАЭ
тАЬNow, there are one or two alternatives open to you, Mr.┬аDeyre. Major Salmon, who, as you know, has rented it furnished all these years, is anxious to buyтБатАФтАЭ
тАЬNo!тАЭ The word burst from Vernon like a pistol shot.
Mr.┬аFlemming smiled.
тАЬI was sure you would say that. And I must confess I am glad. There have beenтБатАФerтБатАФDeyres at Abbots Puissants for, let me see, nearly five hundred years. Nevertheless, I should be failing in my duty if I didnтАЩt point out to you that the price offered is a good one, and that if, later, you should decide to sell, it may not be easy to find a suitable purchaser.тАЭ
тАЬItтАЩs out of the question.тАЭ
тАЬVery good. Then the best thing, I think, is to try and let once more. Major Salmon definitely wants to buy a place, so it will mean finding a new tenant. But I dare say we shall have no great difficulty. The point is, how long do you want to let for? To let the place for another long term of years is, I should say, not very desirable. Life is very uncertain. Who knows, in a few years the state of affairs may haveтБатАФerтБатАФchanged very considerably, and you may be in a position to take up residence there yourself.тАЭ
тАЬSo I shall, but not the way you think, you old dunderhead,тАЭ thought Vernon. тАЬItтАЩll be because IтАЩve made a name for myself in musicтБатАФnot because Mother is dead. IтАЩm sure I hope sheтАЩll live to be ninety.тАЭ
He exchanged a few more words with Mr.┬аFlemming, then rose to go.
тАЬIтАЩm afraid this has been rather a shock to you,тАЭ said the old lawyer as he shook hands.
тАЬYesтБатАФjust a bit. IтАЩve been building castles in the air, I suppose.тАЭ
тАЬYouтАЩre going down to spend your twenty-first birthday with your mother, I suppose?тАЭ
тАЬYes.тАЭ
тАЬYou might talk things over with your uncle, Mr.┬аBent. A very shrewd man of business. He has a daughter about your age, I think?тАЭ
тАЬYes, Enid. The two eldest are married, and the two youngest are at school. EnidтАЩs about a year younger than I am.тАЭ
тАЬAh! very pleasant to have a cousin of oneтАЩs own age. I dare say you will see a good deal of her.тАЭ
тАЬOh, I donтАЩt suppose I shall,тАЭ said Vernon vaguely.
Why should he be seeing a lot of Enid? She was a dull girl. But of course Mr.┬аFlemming didnтАЩt know that.
Funny old chap. What on earth was there to put on such a sly, knowing expression about?