United States or Poland ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
And I told him how Sir Anthony had thrown it unread into the fire. Gedge's nocturnal waylaying of him in my front garden was another unsuccessful attempt to tighten the screw. Like Randall and myself, he had no fear of Gedge. Of Sir Anthony he could not speak. He seemed to be crushed by the heroic achievement.
He watched for several minutes in silence until Gedge, considering he had exhibited his agility sufficiently, halted in his work, and with a passing shade across his face turned to his companion and said, "I say, isn't this a beastly place?" There was something in his voice and manner which struck Reginald. It was unlike a common workman, and still more unlike a boy of Gedge's size and age.
The mention of Gedge's name cowed Reginald in an instant, and in the sudden revulsion of feeling which ensued he was glad enough to escape from the room before fairly breaking down under a crushing sense of injury, mortification, and helplessness. Gedge was at the door as he went out. "Oh, Cruden," he whispered, "what will become of me now? Wait for me outside at seven o'clock; please do."
And don't you think Gedge's reason for holding his tongue very unconvincing? His fool hatred of our class, instead of keeping him cynically indifferent, would have made him lodge information at once and gloat over our discomfiture."
A mile or so away lay the group of islands they had seen before lunch, and close inshore a mass of floating débris bobbed among the waves. "Baskets, I think jettison of sorts. I'm going to get amongst it and go down with the tide, keeping the periscope hidden: it's an old dodge. You can just see the smoke of Gedge's bus coming over the horizon. We'll give him a little game of Peep-bo!"
At the moment I did not know whether he intended to tell Gedge's story to his wife. At any rate, hitherto, he had not done so. "All the same, my dear Edith," I replied, "Anthony may have a word to say. I happen to know he has no particular personal friendship for Boyce, who, if you'll forgive my saying so, has treated you rather cavalierly for the past two years.
And when the memory came swiftly back, I wondered whether, after all, Gedge's story from first to last had not been a malevolent invention. The man seemed so happy. Of course you will say it was my duty to give a hint of Gedge's revelation. It was. To my shame, I shirked it. I could not find it in my heart suddenly to dash into his happiness.
"He's an evil, dangerous man." That was all I could get out of her. If she had meant me to know the character of Gedge's turpitude, she would have told me of her own accord. But in our talk at the hospital she had hinted at blackmail and blackmailers are evil, dangerous men. I went to see Sir Anthony about it.
"Now, my dear," said I. "Now that you're married, become a real womanly woman and fill my empty soul with gossip." "There's no gossip at all about it," she replied serenely. "It's all sordid and romantic fact. The two men hold long discussions together at Gedge's house, Gedge talking anti-patriotism and Randall talking rot which he calls philosophy. You can hear them, can't you?
He confided to him all about Mr Durfy's tyranny, about his brother's work at the Rocket, and even went so far as to drop out a hint in young Gedge's favour. He told him all about Wilderham and his schoolfellows there, about the books he liked, about the way he spent his evenings, about Dull Street in fact, he felt as if he had known Mr Medlock for years and could talk to him accordingly.
Word Of The Day