“Now, Mr. Burgess, none of that sort of talk with the boys,” said Mr. Merry.
“Oh, I very seldom talk to the boys, Mr. Merry.”
“I hope no one has seen me talking to my undergraduates,” said Bumpus.
“No one has. Don’t boast, Dickie,” said Emily.
“We must be going,” said Theresa.
“So must we,” said Delia. “We ought to be quite ashamed of staying so long, oughtn’t we, Father?”
“It has been too great a pleasure for us to feel compunction about seeming to appreciate it,” said Mr. Bentley, his voice falling with an unfamiliar sound.
“Thank you for coming and bearing it all,” said Emily. “It has been a great thing for us to have such glimpses of family life. My brother and I are orphans, you know.”
“And I am half an orphan,” said Mr. Burgess. “So it is very suitable all round.”
“Now, look here, Mr. Burgess,” said Mr. Merry, in a low tone, “there is no need for you to be standing about, saying goodbye to everyone, you know. Now suppose you go off somewhere to have a smoke, you know.”
“Goodbye, Mr. Fletcher.” Mr. Merry took upon himself the duties of host. “No more prizes yet for you to give away. The lads like to work for their rewards, bless them. And Mr. Bentley. Ah, the two boys! I won’t tell you now what we think of them, because that must be kept for a day when we have had less pleasure.”
Mr. Merry returned to the sitting-room, rubbing his hands, and looking about him with much fondness, as if using up the residue of the feelings gathered for his guests.
“Well, we shall start off work tomorrow with quite a spurt,” said Miss Basden.
“Yes, Miss Basden,” said Mr. Merry. “Not that you are in much need of that.”
“Well, but it is an opportunity for you to get a hit at me, Mr. Merry,” said Mr. Burgess, strolling back into the room.
“Oh, Mr. Burgess! Get a hit at you! Why, you try to misunderstand me, unless you like to be treated as if you were seventy. Good night, Miss Herrick. And Mr. Herrick. Yes, Mr. Burgess. Are you coming up with us? Such a pleasure to us all. Not at all a trouble. I mean, what a pleasure in proportion to the little arranging, you know.”
Mr. Merry hastened after his wife, as if fearing to break his impression.
“Well, I have not much to boast of,” said Herrick, sitting down by the fire. “Seventy years old, and nothing before me, and nothing behind to count! Why, I could almost envy Merry, for being only fifty, and wanting nothing more than he has.”
“You should not talk about ‘almost envying’ Mr. Merry, as if he belonged to people like that,” said Emily. “And I don’t know about his not wanting more than he has. I don’t think he wants that much. And fifty isn’t such a good age as all that. And not much to boast of! With seventy years of safe life behind you, when most people have the risk of having so much less! And all the life in front of you, that people of seventy always have!”
“Yes, yes, Emily. I dare say I shall have a time yet. Time to do something in. It sometimes happens that the end of a man’s life sums him up. There is no great wrong about being an exception. Exceptions are more worthy of interest in a way. I don’t think I have ever been quite on the ordinary line.”
“No, I am sure you have not. It would have been dreadful of you.”
Colophon
Pastors and Masters
was published in 1925 by
Ivy Compton-Burnett.
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