The Strange Affair of Adelaide Harris by Leon Garfield

Author:Leon Garfield [Leon Garfield]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: RHCP
Published: 2013-09-30T04:00:00+00:00

Twelve

ONCE AGAIN MR. Brett had failed to tell Tizzy Alexander that he loved her madly and could not see his way clear to living without her. He had arrived back at the school from his successful visit to Dr. Harris still full of confidence in his powers, to discover that Tizzy had been waiting in the empty classroom for all of fifteen minutes. His mood being high and feeling his personality to be equal to anything, he’d put on an air of negligent gallantry and made a joke of his lateness. Unluckily Tizzy, who was somewhat on edge on account of the coming duel and her own responsibility for it, had not thought it funny to have been kept waiting and so was distinctly cool. Whereupon Mr. Brett made a further error of judgment by attempting to explain, a shade too carefully, what had kept him.

“It is of no importance,” she’d said, not listening. “I understand quite well that many matters must come before me. You don’t have to find excuses, sir. It’s perfectly all right with me if you choose to meet someone else in the town. These things happen, you know. Only I abhor excuses, so please don’t trouble yourself. After all, when all’s said and done, I know I’m only the arithmetic master’s daughter!”

With that she’d opened her book, fixed her shining eyes upon it—and Mr. Brett’s soaring spirits had dipped. The words of love he’d so dearly prepared were once again wrapped up and put away in his heart’s bottom drawer for some more propitious occasion. He fixed his mind on ancient history and tried to sail off into that golden time, but something warned him that Tizzy was in a different boat, so to speak, and from time to time, pupil and master glanced at each other with sad, puzzled eyes.

After the lesson he’d left the classroom in a mood of angry gloom, and collided with Major Alexander, at whom he stared with absentminded savagery.

“To me son,” mumbled the Major, awkwardly. He was holding a letter and was sure Mr. Brett had seen it and read the address. It was the very letter in which the arrangements for Mr. Brett’s dismissal were mentioned and the Major’s son invited to hasten to fill his place. Consequently the Major was particularly anxious not to invite interest by appearing too furtive about it. “Setting me affairs in order, y’know,” he explained, staring uneasily at Mr. Brett’s clenched fists. “Saturday. If I should fall, and all that . . . Sentimental nonsense, of course, but one never knows. Last farewells, eh?”

“Yes . . . yes . . . Saturday,” muttered Mr. Brett, and hurried on his way.

For several moments the Major remained, staring after him. He had never seen Brett look so angry and he could not help wondering if somehow he’d got an inkling of the private discussion with Dr. Bunnion.

He shook his head. He didn’t see how that was possible. If Brett had really suspected anything the Major felt sure that he’d have been rude enough to mention it.

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