Loving, Living, Party Going (33 page)

Bentley filled pipe.

'It's downright wicked' he said going on.

He lit pipe. Smoke from it went slowly up through bars of sunlight here and there which came between leaves of apple tree.

'Ah it's a fine crop' Mr Bentley said, changing tone, 'and it's a good thing for a man to get away in the evenings out into the air.'

As they went downstairs in to dinner he had been shouting to one in front – this was only but nervousness because her he was taking in was so pretty – so when they sat down and he turned to her it was first time he had spoken to her.

'Didn't we meet at dinner with the Masons about a fortnight ago before going on to somebody's dance' he said.

'Probably, I expect so.'

'Whose dance was it, I can't remember, I'm so bad at names. Anyway I know I've got to go on tonight to Lady Randolph's afterwards to pick someone up.'

'Isn't it Lady Radolph's we're going to?'

'Isn't that lucky? Think of it, going to the dance one's going on to.'

'But it may be boring, and boring waiting on so long.'

He thought why couldn't she say 'you' may be bored: flattery, he thought, flattery, you could count on fingers of two hands only the girls who flattered you at dinner and that surely he thought was next most important after champagne at dinner parties. Was danger these people they were dining with would not give champagne, he saw glasses did not look like champagne.

'Brilliant' he said letting no break in conversation, 'brilliant' thinking more of himself 'of course it will be ghastly waiting, and it was for two o'clock when we were going on to a little place I know of he said. 'But of course I can go away and come back again: you don't think that's rude do you?'

She thought what a priggish boy and hadn't heard more of what he said than his little place he knew of. Why speak like a serial she asked in her mind.

'It's done a great deal' he said after waiting for her 'I've done it but perhaps it's rude.'

She thinks it rude he thought, she's half witted and why not take up his quotation 'a little place I wot of he cried in his mind.

'D'you go much to the dog races?' he said changing conversation.

'Yes I do.'

'Isn't it astounding the crowds that go there.'

'Crowds' she said.

'And all you hear about the lower classes not being able to live decently when you see ten's of thousands there every night.'

'Perhaps that's why.'

'No I can't allow that' he said. 'If they really couldn't afford it they wouldn't go' he said.

'I don't know.'

'Well we've got a factory in Birmingham and I know if you really can't afford it there you don't go.'

He didn't know but why had she taken him up and he was desperate.

'Are you in business then?' she said.

'Yes I am worse luck.'

'Everyone's in business or in the Guards now' she said and, satisfied, he leaned back in chair and said to himself what incredible, incredible things you heard, he would tell it to Mary when they went on to Princes, she would laugh.

'Another thing I can't understand about the lower classes' he said 'is this business by which they pay 1d per week for all their lives and get a whopping £60 funeral at their end.'

'Well they tell me it's because they don't like their families to pay for it, you see, as it's hard on them after they're dead.'

Why be well informed at dinner he said to himself. And would be no champagne; it was claret. Would he tell her what wrong it was not giving champagne at dinner, but was she the hostess' daughter, anyway what was her name. Not even cards on the table he said to himself looking round, and saw she was talking now to next door neighbour and he turned to his left but that one talked also to neighbour next door, and he refused claret then, asked for lemonade, took water, was no lemonade in house.

Monday night Mr Craigan and Mr Gates in bowler hats went along
Coventry Road to public house. Mr Tupe saw them. He said to young man he was with was no man so deceitful as man he could see walking on other side of road if he looked. No man like it for deceit. And didn't he think a deal of himself for never saying much when that was easy as picking a tart up in this street. 'I could hold my gob for a day and a year if I so wanted' he said. 'Pity was they hadn't killed him when they nearly did.' Wire rope breaking had nearly caught him day or two ago. You never heard such a hullaballoo as there was over him. It might have been the gaffer himself that had been burnt alive in the boilers. He'd gone about with a look on his dial days after like 'hold it up where it hurts and let mammy kiss it.' 'Deceitful old bleeder' he said. 'Enough to make you go bald'eaded just seeing 'im go up the street.'

Tarver went down to tennis club. 'Hello Captain.' 'How are you Colonel, how's it going?'

Mr Tarver had in him feeling of expectation this evening, sinking feeling in his stomach. Standing behind row of deck chairs from which people watched the tennis he made violent swings with his racket. 'I say look out,' one man said Tarver's in form, men.' 'Boy' said Mr Tarver, imitating American slang he saw at the movies, 'if that old ball was our old manager, well, he wouldn't have much shape after I'd finished with him.' Then he went on, but spoke to himself, that already the old devil looked a bit lopsided already. No you couldn't go on like the old man went on, was some justice had got to overtake you. You couldn't victimize the people under you for ever and always, not you. That was a bright lad, Archer. That letter he'd got from Archer was a peach of a letter, a peach.

When these four finished who had been playing he went on the court next with three others. Man served to Tarver. Tarver full of anger and victory against Mr Bridges leapt at the ball as it came and sent it back faster yet. He stood still and watched where it went and this man who had served ran after it, but he won't get to it said Mr Tarver. But this man did get to it, though he could only return it high and soft, like a harmonic.

'What' said Mr Tarver and rushed at this return and smashed it Indeed his shot went so fast over the net that those two opponents against him in this game could only stand and watch, it came by so fast They clapped hands who sat on chairs. Mr Tarver looked
round triumphant in young manhood. Bridges, he sang in his mind, what could Bridges do against him in the long run, he sang. You can't keep a good man down. You can fill him with pins like a pincushion but he will come up again. And at this moment ball came past him and he was not ready for it – he did not even know they had begun to play again. He could only stand and watch. 'Oh Mr Tarver!' said his partner and Mr Tarver said damn. One of the ladies heard that. 'Careful, ladies present y'know,' she said to him, archly smiling, and he blushed for shame, who was so careful always in his expressions.

Lily Gates was saying half smiling to Jim Dale it gave her creeps Mr Craigan always sitting at home of an evening. He listened to the wireless every night of the week except Mondays. And look what Sunday was, was as much as they could do to get him out to the Lickeys she said. No when you asked he said he would not come, and what for? all the morning listening to preachers in foreign countries, why when you didn't know the language she couldn't see what was in it, and the afternoon and the evening the same, right till he went to his room, she said.

And when it wasn't the wireless he was reading the works of Dickens, over and over again. 'Don't you ever read any but the works of Dickens?' she'd asked him once. 'No why should I?' he'd said. Always the same books, she was fond of a book now and again, but she couldn't do that. He was a wonderful old man.

' 'E's like the deep sea' she was saying, half smiling.

Mr Dupret 'pater' indeed had fallen on his shoulder after slipping on dog's mess and was in bed now: pretty young nurse read out of
The Field
to him lying in bed, and doctors had said he would be six weeks in bed seeing what he had done at his age. So he had said to his wife, 'Get me a pretty young nurse.'

At the club they said 'Dupret has fallen on his shoulder, that sort of thing is a perpetual menace at our age': at the works they said, 'the gaffer's fallen on 'is shoulder so they say, at 'is time of life you
don't get over it so easy as that,' and two men had quarrelled at dinner hour over his age.

So young Mr Dupret was left in charge of business. He came to the London offices early every morning and made great trouble with those who were late. Was all the others let him do. And he signed the cheques also.

Yet Mr Archer had in his pocket letter from Mr Tarver about Whitacre his fitter and this told also of one man suspended for two weeks while the other had nothing done to him though he was as guilty. This was the opportunity. The old man had fallen on his shoulder, young Mr Dupret would be wanting to do something, to assert himself. Now he would work in with young Mr Dupret, now young Mr Dupret could splash about, would want to. Would be rows when the old man came back over what had been done but it could be managed so to fall back on Tarver. Tarver was a fool and did not see whatever row he made was sure to come back on him. Also on young Mr Dupret. So Mr Archer thought and planned.

But he was sincere in his thinking the old place wanted a rouser and in his thinking he was always building, always building in his thinking.

' 'Ow you goin' Albert' Tupe asked storekeeper.

'Rotten, I'm all any'ow today.'

'I 'eard a good one yesterday Albert, there was a chap died, see, and when 'e was dead 'e went to 'eaven. Well after a day or two 'e went to the side like and looked to see if 'e could see any of 'is acquaintance down in 'ell. 'E sees one that 'e used to be friendly with and 'e calls down to 'im " 'Ow do Ben, 'ow be you goin'?" "Fine thanks Jim." "There wouldn't be no way of my getting down to where you works Ben would there" 'e says. " 'Ow's that Jim?" " 'Ow many hours d'you reckon to work down where you are Ben?" "Four-and-a-half with the weekends off." "Yus," 'e says, "and it's ten with us up in 'eaven, Sundays and all, there being so few on us to run the place on" that's why 'e wanted to change eh?'

'Yes' she said to Bert Jones 'yes when 'e said 'e was going to the concert in the City Hall' she breathed on H in Hall 'I said let you go and so 'ere we are again, the city orchestra 'ave begun for another season and now I'll be on my own again, Friday nights. I said to
'im, "Yes. But don't consider" I said, "that I'll be a stay at 'ome even if I 'ave to go out alone, no I can go and take myself out for a walk and get a mouthful of fresh air for myself thank you." Still who would've thought it, meeting you in the road like that, I don't know I'm sure.'

'The world's a small place.'

'Yes' she said 'me walking down the road and there you are. Well!'

'I did use to be going out with a young lady but 'er parents 'ave just moved to London where her dad's found a job so she's up there now.'

'So we're both in the same boat, as they say.'

'Ah and it's a lonely kind of a boat ain't it? But you wouldn't be affected really seeing the orchestra only plays Friday nights.'

'Yes, but I got no use for someone that goes off at a moment's notice when I was just looking forward to the pictures for this evening. There's not many in front of us, we'll be inside within a half hour.'

'It kind of puts you out.'

'Yes it does, yes I like to know what I'm going to do of an evening. So when 'e went I said it's no use your sitting moping indoors alone, you go out to the pictures anyway, even if it is alone.'

'But wasn't there anyone in where you live?'

'No you see Mr Craigan was gone with Jim to the concert, 'e says girls can't understand music though I'm very fond of it myself, yes I am, and my dad was out of the 'ouse before you could say knife, soon as Mr Craigan was off to the concert.'

'It makes the evenings long when there's no one in the 'ouse.'

'Yes it does doesn't it. Yes the minutes seem like hours.'

'I like a bit of music myself. And it's pretty fair the music in this movie 'ouse.'

Why she said when they did get in, wasn't that strange what would've happened to the lights and girl in front turned round to her saying they had been up ever since she'd been in. Lily said with the film going on and all, wasn't it hard on the eyes she said and Mr Jones said he didn't understand it, he'd never known it before like this. Yes man in front said turning back to him, yes all the evening but people in front cried ssh: band was playing softly, softly.

A great number were in cinema, many standing, battalions were
in cinemas over all the country, young Mr Dupret was in a cinema, over above up into the sky their feeling panted up supported by each other's feeling, away away, Europe and America, mass on mass their feeling united supporting, renewed their sky.

'They're always playing this tune 'ere' she said looking for opening in conversation.

'They are' he said carefully.

'D'you come to this one often then?'

'Before my young lady went up to London.'

'I think the music's lovely 'ere.'

Later they found seats. Sweetness of agitation in her, both her and he sitting bolt upright. So they continued sitting. And film came round again, that one, to where it was when they first came in.

'Shall we stay on a bit now the band's back again?' he said.

'I don't mind I'm sure.'

So still upright. But she tired.

'We might as well go' she said trembling. He did not see this.

He walked her home, neither said much to other. She no longer trembled and indeed was bored now. In the street they met Gates that was a little drunk. He wheezed, out of breath.

'They're only takin' those that are short of breath up in 'eaven now' he said 'they run short of trumpets there, 'arps is all the go now' he said.

'I'll wager that was Tupe you got that from' she said.

' 'Ow'd you know' said he.

'Everyone is in the Guards now or in business' repeated he to himself coming in to one of the private rooms in London office. He thought if she had said that as last night she had well then he need not be so humiliated. But he was, oh yes. Last night had been one of those nights, clearly had he seen then extent of tomorrow's humiliation. Aye and clearly had seen himself throwing up bastions around citadel of his personality now all of it retreated back, in state of siege, behind 'everyone now is a Guardee or in business'.

He threw away cigarette.

It was because, all of it, because she was so beautiful, he repeated to himself, so beautiful.

After all I work, repeated he to himself, I work, here I am in London offices of Dupret & Son, general engineers.

Why had they not brought the correspondence? He rang.

'Why hasn't Mr Sewell brought in this morning's letters?'

'He hasn't come yet Mr Dupret'

'He hasn't come' he said echo echo to Miss Wilbraham. That dreadful night he thought. Mary had been late – that other with fellows twirling small moustaches round about her, she laughing – and Mary, when she had come, furious, he could not find why. May have been she'd bought new hat. Bother bother. And here was whole day stretching out in front. What had been her name? A – a – Anne – Anya – Nunk – HANNAH GLOSSOP.

'It is not' Archer was saying 'it is not a thing I want to bring officially before you Mr Dupret, for instance I would never contemplate putting the facts before your father, sir, but I would like to bring it to your notice in a semi-official manner. Of course in your position you want to know everything that is going on and I know that you are already "au fay" with everything that goes on. I know that you have already noticed in the short time, comparatively short time you have been in the business that, all is not well at Birmingham. I mean this that it is not running smoothly. I always look on a business as a kind of machine Mr Dupret, one unit, I shall never forget my old employer old Mr March drawing my attention to that aspect of trade, and of course when one part is not running smoothly, wants oiling shall we say, then that machine or unit is not functioning to its full productive capacity. Well a few days ago I received this letter Mr Dupret which I should like to place before you. Of course before you read it I must say that the writer never intended it to be read by anyone but myself, Tarver is not the man to do anything behind another man's back, but in my opinion, for what it is worth, I am sure he is one of the most promising younger men in the Birmingham side. Of course this letter is in the strictest confidence sir, I'm sure Tarver would be most upset if he knew I was giving it to you to read and yet I am certain I would be failing in my duty if I didn't bring it to your notice.'

More frightful trouble Mr Dupret said to himself and took the letter.

Intrigue he cried in his mind, still sitting in private room in London office, intrigue and how horrible people are. Of course Archer was
working against old Bridges for Bridges ignored Mr Archer and only dealt with him through old Walters. Both these were old, old.' How horrible they all were and everyone too for that matter, loathsome the people in buses, worse in trams of course – he faintly smiled.

And when you went out anywhere, he went on in his mind about people, how rude everyone, and they did not laugh at your jokes. And when you sat sweating here in daytime when you might be dodging enemies in the Park or receiving rudeness impassively there, here you were dying of it, the badly managed intrigues, another's mistake so ignorantly exploited, mismanaged. They were like children in their intrigues, like little children, cried he in his mind and then casting back to Hannah Glossop, what figure must he have cut when she did not see point in 'a little place I know of.' He might have said 'I wot of and so it would have been worse, one should never be, he thought, facetious in conversation with a stranger. Still it would have been 'I know of,' yes must have been.

So stupid are they he said still going on, that there is no doing with them, and there his mind stopped and only kept on repeating then, 'no doing with them.'

Later temper began to come up gorgon-headed within him, he flagellated it, words hung across his mind – stupidity, and then – angry, and then – old men. We shall be ruined cried he in his mind, business will go bankrupt, 'to Siam, Siam,' 'not functioning to its full capacity for production': the old men are smashing it, he cried, something has got to be done, must.

'Who would it be?' Mrs Eames said, holding baby.

'Bentley 'is name is' said Mr Eames.

'So that's what you do when you go up to the garden, you stand talking to that class. You ought to 'ave more respect for your child.'

'Well I didn't tell 'im he was right did I?'

'And what's coming to the garden when you're standing there gossiping all the time?'

'It's staying there.'

'Oh gor blimey, you men it's enough to drive us women mad.'

'Well it is staying there isn't it?'

'You hadn't ought to stand listening to a man of 'is kind.'

'I'll do as I please' he said taking off spectacles to wipe them 'and
I'm not saying a good deal of what 'e said weren't true.'

'Lord I can't keep mad at you when you take your specs off. You 'ave a look about you of the lamp post outside.'

'I'm not saying a lot of what 'e touched on 'e wasn't justified in saying. To my way of thinking they didn't ought to keep the tackle in the way they do. The crane in our shop ain't safe now and Aaron Connolly driving it don't make it any safer.'

The lathes he said were all anyhow and any time now he said glass roof might fall in if gale of wind came.

'You'll give me fits' she said.

'And the government inspector's meant to look to all that but there's a woman comes to our place mostly and what can she know about it. And there ain't a girl in the whole factory. Old Bentley didn't mention that no nor did I for I thought 'e might never stop if I went suggesting things to 'im.'

'That's, right' she said 'don't get into argument with that sort.'

' 'E's a decent enough feller all right.'

'Don't you go talking with them.'

'Why shouldn't I?'

'It ain't going to do no good to your wife or child.'

'What ain't. You talk too much that's what it is. If Eve hadn't've started off clacking the serpent wouldn't 'ave caught 'er in his trap.'

'Oo began it, the serpent or her, tell me that.'

'Well I don't know if I remember for sure which of 'em it was.'

'You don't know the Bible, that's what's the matter with you my man.'

'Well what if I don't know, where's the Bible come into it anyway?'

'Never you mind.'

'What's Adam and Eve got to do with Bentley?'

'You begun that, I don't know.'

'I did not.'

'Why you know you did.'

'I did not.'

'I don't know I'm sure,' she said, 'but you did, I know that. Well anyway what's the use in arguing. I'm going to bed.'

'I'm about ready too.'

Halfway upstairs she turned round and said to remember to lock front door for turning then to baby in her arms 'love' she said 'they
might come in the night and steal you away. And what would we do then, and what would we do then?'

'Well when are you going to let us have some of that Bryson order?' asked Mr Walters.

'In a twelve month' darkly said Mr Bridges.

'Someone at it again?'

'The day I got the specifications from London I sent them to the drawing office and now I can't get anything. Everything's done that I can do. Seven days they've had 'em and not a thing on paper yet.'

'What's Tarver up to then?'

'I don't know' cried Mr Bridges 'don't ask me. But 'is nails take a long time paring.'

'We've got to have them' (Walters' voice today was dull as felt).