for yonks, and I wasn’t much good when I did them. Jeremy never asks me to do anything like that.’
Anthony couldn’t help smiling at the frantic concern on Edward’s normally cheerful face.
‘It won’t be so bad,’ he said sympathetically, wondering why on earth Edward was getting so worked up. ‘He’s a decent bloke. Tell you what. It’s half past four now. Whatever he gives you, he won’t expect you to do it this afternoon. Bring it to the bar at six and we’ll have a look at it together.’ Even though he ranked as a possible rival, Anthony genuinely liked Edward – one couldn’t help it – and was naturally ready to help him with things that Edward found difficult and Anthony found so easy.
‘Brilliant! I’ll buy you a pint!’ called Edward as he legged it up the stairs two at a time to Leo’s room.
Leo explained the salient facts of the case briskly and lucidly to Edward, to whom it all sounded far too brisk and not at all lucid. He kept nodding attentively, hoping this would pass for understanding. I can always read it up later, he thought. It was something to do with a steel cable snapping on a ship and hitting someone, and the someone’s family suing the ship – or, hold on, was it the ship or some insurance company? Leo was rattling on about something else now. Or maybe it was the chaps who made the cable that they were suing? He’d mentioned them at some point. Anyway, yes, it was a negligence claim against someone. Good, he remembered a bit about negligence pleadings. You just had to say things like, they were negligent in that they failed properly to tie up the cable, or provide a safe system of work, or—
‘So d’you think you can manage that?’ Leo was saying.
‘I’ll certainly give it my best shot,’ replied Edward, withconfident affability. ‘I’ll take the papers away and just go through them myself, shall I?’
‘Sure. Here, you can take this … and this,’ muttered Leo, thumbing through the documents. ‘Let’s see something on paper, say, tomorrow afternoon. OK?’ Leo knew little or nothing of Edward’s abilities, save that he was a relation of Sir Basil’s. Since he was a pupil at 5 Caper Court, no doubt he could handle the work. He gave Edward a smile and bade him goodnight.
Edward gulped as he glanced at the papers on the way back to Jeremy’s room. It looked fairly formidable. Still, Anthony would give him a hand. No point in reading these till he saw Anthony. He went back to his room to fetch his briefcase.
‘I’ll just take these papers that Leo’s given me to the library and – ah – look up a few cases,’ he said to Jeremy. Jeremy frowned.
‘I thought he wanted you to do some pleadings?’
‘Well, yes … but there’s a bit more to it than that.’
‘Hmmph. Monumentally busy, is he?’ Jeremy couldn’t help asking. Edward could think of no reply, smiled brightly, and headed off to the common room for a game of bridge before his drink with Anthony.
It was nearly a quarter to seven by the time Anthony got to the bar; his father had rung him (an unprecedented event) and asked him to call round later that evening, which didn’t leave much time for Edward.
By half past six, Edward had already consumed three large Scotches and was becoming quite hilarious withseveral of his friends. When he saw Anthony, he rose to greet him with outstretched arms.
‘Here he is, my saviour!’ he announced. ‘What’ll you have? I’ve got the papers here,’ he added, fumbling in his briefcase. ‘Oh, now, Tony, these are some people. This is Hugh, and Alex’ – Anthony nodded and smiled; he already knew their faces from one of the rowdier coteries – ‘and Julia.’ Anthony said hello to Julia. He had not met her before; he knew that if he had, he would not have forgotten. Curled up in one of the bar’s capacious old armchairs, she appeared quite diminutive, but it seemed to Anthony that she had the longest legs he had ever seen. Perhaps they
Anthony couldn’t help smiling at the frantic concern on Edward’s normally cheerful face.
‘It won’t be so bad,’ he said sympathetically, wondering why on earth Edward was getting so worked up. ‘He’s a decent bloke. Tell you what. It’s half past four now. Whatever he gives you, he won’t expect you to do it this afternoon. Bring it to the bar at six and we’ll have a look at it together.’ Even though he ranked as a possible rival, Anthony genuinely liked Edward – one couldn’t help it – and was naturally ready to help him with things that Edward found difficult and Anthony found so easy.
‘Brilliant! I’ll buy you a pint!’ called Edward as he legged it up the stairs two at a time to Leo’s room.
Leo explained the salient facts of the case briskly and lucidly to Edward, to whom it all sounded far too brisk and not at all lucid. He kept nodding attentively, hoping this would pass for understanding. I can always read it up later, he thought. It was something to do with a steel cable snapping on a ship and hitting someone, and the someone’s family suing the ship – or, hold on, was it the ship or some insurance company? Leo was rattling on about something else now. Or maybe it was the chaps who made the cable that they were suing? He’d mentioned them at some point. Anyway, yes, it was a negligence claim against someone. Good, he remembered a bit about negligence pleadings. You just had to say things like, they were negligent in that they failed properly to tie up the cable, or provide a safe system of work, or—
‘So d’you think you can manage that?’ Leo was saying.
‘I’ll certainly give it my best shot,’ replied Edward, withconfident affability. ‘I’ll take the papers away and just go through them myself, shall I?’
‘Sure. Here, you can take this … and this,’ muttered Leo, thumbing through the documents. ‘Let’s see something on paper, say, tomorrow afternoon. OK?’ Leo knew little or nothing of Edward’s abilities, save that he was a relation of Sir Basil’s. Since he was a pupil at 5 Caper Court, no doubt he could handle the work. He gave Edward a smile and bade him goodnight.
Edward gulped as he glanced at the papers on the way back to Jeremy’s room. It looked fairly formidable. Still, Anthony would give him a hand. No point in reading these till he saw Anthony. He went back to his room to fetch his briefcase.
‘I’ll just take these papers that Leo’s given me to the library and – ah – look up a few cases,’ he said to Jeremy. Jeremy frowned.
‘I thought he wanted you to do some pleadings?’
‘Well, yes … but there’s a bit more to it than that.’
‘Hmmph. Monumentally busy, is he?’ Jeremy couldn’t help asking. Edward could think of no reply, smiled brightly, and headed off to the common room for a game of bridge before his drink with Anthony.
It was nearly a quarter to seven by the time Anthony got to the bar; his father had rung him (an unprecedented event) and asked him to call round later that evening, which didn’t leave much time for Edward.
By half past six, Edward had already consumed three large Scotches and was becoming quite hilarious withseveral of his friends. When he saw Anthony, he rose to greet him with outstretched arms.
‘Here he is, my saviour!’ he announced. ‘What’ll you have? I’ve got the papers here,’ he added, fumbling in his briefcase. ‘Oh, now, Tony, these are some people. This is Hugh, and Alex’ – Anthony nodded and smiled; he already knew their faces from one of the rowdier coteries – ‘and Julia.’ Anthony said hello to Julia. He had not met her before; he knew that if he had, he would not have forgotten. Curled up in one of the bar’s capacious old armchairs, she appeared quite diminutive, but it seemed to Anthony that she had the longest legs he had ever seen. Perhaps they
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