Gloom. So how was Eric coping after the death of Vernon?
At first by writing long letters to his parents and aunt, pouring out his
grief in a torrent of words, then gradually, becoming more reflective and
resigned. To his schoolfriends he said nothing and they never dared to
mention Vernon's name as it plunged him into the deepest melancholy.
..
A month after the start of the summer term he was writing to his aunt,
telling her how badly he had once fallen from grace, and of the terrible
things he had done at this time. This was a glorious first. As you can
imagine, he repented madly all over the shop and was just taking a
breather
when through the study door appeared a face he had hoped never to see
again.
..
'Hello, young sir,' said Billy with a ferocious leer. 'Will you be wanting
anything in my line today?'
Eric drew back, exhibiting all the symptoms of disgust and told him to go
away, at once!
'What business have you here?' Eric asked. What beastly insolence causes
you
to speak to me?'
Blimey! What a nasty little reformed sinner he is, to be sure. Ne could
have
just said no, and never again without being so rude. Mr Rose wouldn't have
spoken in that manner, I am sure.
'Ahhh,' said Billy tapping the side of his nose. 'What business? A lttle
matter of a few unsettled bills, sir, if you please...' And out came a
long
list which made Eric gasp in horror.
'But that was paid!' he objected, indicating one item. 'And we shared in
paying for that! And the dinner, we took a collection and gave the money
to
Brigson. You are trying to cheat me.'
'I got no money from Brigson,' Billy said with a leer. 'And if I remember
rightly you was the man in the chair, so cough up, I have waited for long
enough. I will see you next week and be sure not to fail me.' and he
sloped
off, cackling.
..
'Brigson is behind this,' Eric thought angrily. 'But I will have to pay
him
or he will go to the headmaster. What can I do?'
Ask his older friends? Never! The thought was too horrible to contemplate.
He told Wildney and Graham who were shocked but hurriedly pooled together
their money which came to three pounds of the six that Billy was
demanding.
Had Eric more moral courage he could have just said 'stuff you bill and do
your worst,' but he felt too ashamed of his past activities to even speak
of
them to others - even though they knew half of what he got up to?
..
The week passed and Eric grew desperate but eventually he had a decent
idea
and took himself off to see Mr Rose and told him all about it.
'Ah!' said Mr Rose looking wise. 'You see, sin and punishment are twins.'
'But I was trying so hard!' Eric wailed. 'This is so unfair.'
'You do not have the money between you? Then you must write off and ask
for
it.'
Lummy... Eric's long letter to his aunt contained a P.S. then?
But, the money arrived by return post and not of a word of reproach was in
the accompanying letter, just a comment that she had perfect confidence in
him to do what is right.
..
Oh, this reprieve bostered up Eric's desire to be a saint, all right. Oh,
how he would strive, every hour to tread the path of goodness and become a
****ning example of... Arghhh! Arghhh!
But true steel needs to be tempered by the fierce heat of the furnace a
few
times - and hammered to buggery and back - before it will flash and glint
in
the sunlight of, of... whatever, and although Eric might think all he as
to
do now is to continue the way he is going, and all will be well, he is in
for a nasty shock.
Oh, good.
..
That morning Eric marched off to the Jolly Herring, flung the money down
before Billy and demanded a receipt.
He should have been warned something was up by the docile way he was
received. He got a foretaste of things to come though because he just
could
not keep his trap shut as he turned to go.
'And if you ever attempt to speak to me again in my study i will get
Carter
to throw you downstairs!'
'Ho-ho-ho? Very high and mighty we are now, ain't we sir? You had your
pleasure, sir, and now you will go on paying the price. Har, har, har...'
Eric marched out, a bit unnerved.
..
But three weeks past and all was quiet on the Happy Herring front, then,
once again, Billy's ugly face appeared at his study door.
'Anything from me, today, sir?' he asked in a far-too innocent voice.
'Be off with you!' Eric yelled, bouncing up.
'Fine, fine... But you might like to read this before I go...'
He passed over a sheet of paper. It was an old thing... '£5.00 REWARD.
'For any information leading to the apprehension of the criminals who
stole
two pigeons....'
'Erk!'
'What's that got to do with me?' Eric asked unconvincingly.
'Five pounds....' Billy said thoughtfully.
'I know nothing about...'
'Five pounds... I'll be seeing you next week, then... Sir,' and off went
Billy leaving behind a very pale and shaken Eric.
..
Five pounds! An impossible sum! he couldn't ask his aunt for another sub,
they just didn;t have the cash to spare, and besides, what would be next?
Five pounds! Oh why did he ever agree to that stupid pigeon scheme? Five
pounds! he didn;t even dare own up to Mr Rose up because he was not alone
in
this and the others would be bound to... Five pounds?
Argh! Argh!
..
Enter temptation in the thought of the cricket funds. Eric had lost
interest
in cricket after Vernon's death but when he had been captain.. More than
five pounds, quite often. Montague was the captain of the cricket team now
and in seconds Eric was in his empty study and picking up the keys for the
locked box.
..
'Pur them down, Eric,' said his conscience. Put them down!'
'I only want to LOOK,' Eric replied but he did put down the box.... Only
to
look out of the window to see if the coast was clear though.
'Put it down, Eric!!!' his conscience was sounding a bit worried by now
but
Eric was counting out the silver and coppers inside.
'Six pounds ten... Which won't be needed until next term because they have
just bought new bats and balls,' he told himself. 'I can put it back long
before anyone notices it's missing...'
..
Thief! Thief!' bawled his conscience and he heard footsteps and voices! So
he tumbled the cash back into the box and hurried back to his own room and
in his haste to be gone he left the key in the lock of the cricket box.
Oh,
dear....
..
'Studying away?' asked Duncan in a cheerful voice as he walked past.
Eric kept his nose in his book. 'Umph,' he agreed.
'Alone?' asked Montague, as he passed. 'I was sure I heard footsteps as I
came up stairs...'
'Nobody here but me,' Eric said, and threw his book from him. 'Oh, I must
get some fresh air before I go mad!' and away he galloped, heading for the
shore where he threw himself on the sand and rolled about in an agony of
guit - and fear of getting found out.
..
'Oh, the key! the key!' he wailed. 'They will know it was me! That I
looked
in the box, and why would I so that, unless... Oh! Oh!'
As he rolled he felt a lump under him and investigating found, to his
horror, a golden sovereign in his waistcoat pocket.
Now he was surrounded by phantom voices. 'Thief! Thief!' and like a bloody
idiot he took the coin and flung it as far as he could into the sea.
..
You can imagine the state he was in when he crept back to school and he
felt
so unwell he begged leave of absence to go straight to bed.
Where he had bad dreams....
..
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