Memento Mori

Guy heard the clear boyish voice continue: ‘Is it Mr Percy Mannering who’s with you?’

‘That’s right,’ said Guy.

‘I’d like to talk to him.’

‘For you,’ said Guy, offering the receiver to Percy.

‘Me. Who wants me, what?’

‘For you,’ said Guy, ‘a youngster of school age I should think.’

Percy bawled suspiciously into the telephone, ‘Hallo, who’s there?’

‘Remember you must die,’ said a man’s voice, not at all that of a young person.

‘This is Mannering here. Percy Mannering.’

‘That’s correct,’ said the voice, and rang off.

Percy looked round the room with a bewildered air. ‘That’s the chap they’re talking about,’ he said.

‘Drinks, Tony,’ said Guy.

‘That’s the man,’ roared Percy, his eyes gleaming as with some inner greed.

‘Nice youngster, really. I suppose he’s been over-working at his exams. The cops will get him, of course.’

‘That wasn’t a youngster,’ said Percy, lifting his drink and draining it off, ‘it was a strong mature voice, very noble, like W. B. Yeats.’

‘Fill Mr Mannering’s glass, Tony,’ said Guy. ‘Mr Mannering will be staying for dinner.’

Percy took his drink, laid down the stick, and sank into a chair.

‘What an experience!’ he said.

‘Intimations of immortality,’ commented Guy.

Percy looked at Guy and pointed to the telephone. ‘Are you behind this?’

‘No,’ Guy said.

‘No.’ The old man drained his glass, looked at the clock and rose from his chair. ‘I’ll miss my train,’ he said.

‘Stop the night,’ said Guy. ‘Do stay.’

Percy walked uncertainly about the room. He picked up the magazine, and said,

‘Look here —’

‘There is a sheet of paper laid out for you to write your protest to the editor,’ Guy said.

‘Yes,’ said the old man. ‘I’ll do that tomorrow.’

‘There is a passage in Childe Harold,’ said Guy, ‘I would like to discuss with you. It —’

‘No one,’ stated Percy, ‘in the past fifty years has understood Childe Harold. You have to begin with the last two cantos, man. That is the SECRET of the poem. The episodes —’

Tony put his head round the door. ‘Did ye call me?’

‘No, but while you’re here, Mr Mannering will be stopping the night.’

Percy stayed the night and wrote his letter of protest to the editor next morning. He stayed for three weeks during which time he wrote a Shakespearean sonnet entitled ‘Memento Mori’, the final couplet of the first version being,

Out of the deep resounds the hollow cry,

Remember — oh, remember you must die!

 

The second version being,

But slowly the reverberating sigh

Sounds in my ear: Remember you must die!

 

The third being,

And from afar the Voices mingle and cry

O mortal Man, remember you must die!

 

and there were many other revisions and versions.

Eric Colston and Mrs Pettigrew were waiting for Godfrey’s return.

‘There’s something funny going on in the old man’s mind today,’ Mrs Pettigrew said. ‘I should judge it was something to do with a visit from old Warner this morning. He couldn’t have stayed long. I had just gone across the road for cigarettes and when I got back there was Warner on the doorstep. I asked him if he wanted to see Godfrey. He said, “I’ve seen Godfrey, thanks.” But I’ll find out what it’s all about — you just wait, I’ll find out. Then, when I got indoors Godfrey gave me a really wild grin and then he went out. I was too late to catch him. He didn’t come back to lunch, there’s his fish fingers lying on the table. Oh, I’ll find out.’

‘Has he signed the will yet?’ said Eric.