Three Early Novels: The Old Boys, the Boarding-House, the Love Department by William Trevor

Author:William Trevor [Trevor, William]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780140284188
Amazon: 0140284184
Barnesnoble: 0140284184
Publisher: Penguin Books
Published: 2000-10-01T16:00:00+00:00

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18

‘Mr Bird’s will is being broken,' said Major Eele. ‘An attempt is taking place to defeat the ends of justice.'

All the residents except Mr Obd, who could not be interested in the crisis at the boarding-house, having a crisis of his own, sat in Major Eele's room. He had convened them there to pass on his news, which he now did.

‘I was informed by Mr Studdy that I should quit my room forthwith or on an agreed date. I was given my marching orders, and I protested at once; and later to Nurse Clock, thinking to find justice there.'

‘Yes?' said Rose Cave.

‘They are in league, these two, apparently. Nurse Clock said all that Studdy said.’

‘What were the grounds?” asked Rose Cave. "How could they request you to go, Major Eele? The will says no one must go, unless voluntarily.'

‘They said they were reading between the lines of the will. They said they had established its spirit.'

‘Established its spirit?' said Venables, holding back laughter.

Miss Clerricot sat silent, contained within herself, thinking, as she had for some time thought, that she was a woman who had suffered a little blow, and thinking too that it was she herself who had delivered it.

‘They are up to no good,' said Major Eele.

‘Did they give you no practical reasons?' Rose Cave demanded. ‘Did they just say go?'

‘No, it was not so simple. In fact, the more they spoke the more ominous it became. I stuck to my guns and in the end was offered the lordly sum of twenty guineas as compensation.’

Nurse Clock had said: ‘We cannot have people carried into the boarding-house by night. You must readily appreciate that.'

But he had replied that he did not so readily appreciate that and had added that he had a right to remain, under the will of-Mr Bird. He would not win in a court of law, according to Nurse Clock; since the law would not look kindly on drunken rowdyism at midnight. She was frightened to have him in the house, she declared, and made the point that a magistrate would soon see that. ‘I have friends at the police station,’ she added. ‘You would not stand a chance.’

‘This is all preposterous,' said Rose Cave.

‘Well, I thought I had better report the matter to all of you, since goodness knows who will be next on that list.’

‘Quite right,’ said Mr Scribbin. ‘Quite right to tell us.'

‘What can be done?' asked Rose Cave. She had feared this all along: she guessed there might be something in what the Major said, that they were all to go. The unexpected had happened apparently: Studdy and Nurse Clock had sunk their differences.

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