something about them, and they looked so young. The sailor didn’t have much money, I could
tell.’
‘Go on,’ she breathed, pointing her cigarette at him.
‘I’d be as likely to overcharge if I saw someone I didn’t like,’ said Harry, adding wistfully. ‘It was the emeralds I liked best of all. There’s something
about them.’
‘Remind you of the sea, perhaps.’
‘Perhaps. But my son didn’t follow me into the jewellery business. That’s why I gave up. He’s in Africa, a surveyor. He’s got a big business over there. In
Bulawayo. He comes home quite a lot. Do you know Bulawayo?’
‘No, I can’t say that I know Bulawayo. Though I’ve a Boxer which I got from an African friend. I mean he’s really European of course. The way they’re treating Ian
Smith is scandalous, don’t you think? These blacks should be shut up somewhere. They’re not fit for human consumption.’
‘My son has three servants in Africa,’ said Harry. ‘They cost five shillings a week. All they want is bicycles, that’s all they want. Do you know what he said to me once?
He said one day he decided to raise the salaries of the Africans, and the Africans walked out. The whole lot of them. Do you know why?’
‘I can’t imagine.’
‘Well, I’ll tell you. They said that if they were worth that money they should have got it in the first place. What do you think of that?’ His lips pursed angrily.
‘They’re not like us at all. They’re not reasonable.’
‘Imagine that! Of course, I quite agree with you. Where are you going now? Home for your dinner?’
‘Pleased to have met you,’ he said, without answering her question. What a glorious day it was! Oh, to be young again and sailing the Seven Seas, away from women with dogs and
lorgnettes, and fat little boys running about with big balloons! For a moment he was stabbed by an incredible pain.
‘We will meet again no doubt,’ she said, avidly watching a little bald man who was making his way delicately across the sleeping bodies with which the strip was littered.
Harry headed for the pub.
‘Hi, Harry,’ said the barman who was a tall, skeletal and tough man, able by use of ju-jitsu to throw out on to the road the biggest bruisers of the town. He had a very small head
set on a spindly body, and he was wearing a black jacket and a violet, if slightly stained, bow tie.
‘How’s things, Harry?’
‘Oh, not so bad,’ said Harry, grinning broadly.
‘Got a car yet, Harry?’
‘Not yet. Looking around, you know.’
‘You do that, Harry, take your time. Reason I asked was you mentioned it. You should get a Cortina.’
Harry sat down in the corner seat which was upholstered in red leather. The place was a bit crowded with boys playing darts and gulping pies in between throws. They were in their shirt sleeves
and had the clicking scoreboard working. Students some of them, perhaps, like Robin had been. It was true he once had a shop, but it was a newsagent’s not a jeweller’s. Sarah was happy
in those days because she was kept busy, and there were always people to talk to. Also, people would look up to you if you had a shop. Only it had lasted for no more than three years and then it
had gone the way of so many other shops when the big firms and the supermarkets came in. Anyway, he had never been a bookseller and he didn’t know much about books. Robin used to work there
during the vacation though he was a bit ashamed of it. He had tried to get better books in and that had been the start of the trouble. In Harry’s experience most people wanted to buy westerns
and romances (especially about nurses and doctors). But, no, Robin had brought in the heavy books, and they lay on his hands. These students reminded him of Robin. In those days they had a car as
well. The barman was new, otherwise he would have known about that. But he had so many insults to put up with now: everyone thought they could say what they liked to him.
As he drank some
tell.’
‘Go on,’ she breathed, pointing her cigarette at him.
‘I’d be as likely to overcharge if I saw someone I didn’t like,’ said Harry, adding wistfully. ‘It was the emeralds I liked best of all. There’s something
about them.’
‘Remind you of the sea, perhaps.’
‘Perhaps. But my son didn’t follow me into the jewellery business. That’s why I gave up. He’s in Africa, a surveyor. He’s got a big business over there. In
Bulawayo. He comes home quite a lot. Do you know Bulawayo?’
‘No, I can’t say that I know Bulawayo. Though I’ve a Boxer which I got from an African friend. I mean he’s really European of course. The way they’re treating Ian
Smith is scandalous, don’t you think? These blacks should be shut up somewhere. They’re not fit for human consumption.’
‘My son has three servants in Africa,’ said Harry. ‘They cost five shillings a week. All they want is bicycles, that’s all they want. Do you know what he said to me once?
He said one day he decided to raise the salaries of the Africans, and the Africans walked out. The whole lot of them. Do you know why?’
‘I can’t imagine.’
‘Well, I’ll tell you. They said that if they were worth that money they should have got it in the first place. What do you think of that?’ His lips pursed angrily.
‘They’re not like us at all. They’re not reasonable.’
‘Imagine that! Of course, I quite agree with you. Where are you going now? Home for your dinner?’
‘Pleased to have met you,’ he said, without answering her question. What a glorious day it was! Oh, to be young again and sailing the Seven Seas, away from women with dogs and
lorgnettes, and fat little boys running about with big balloons! For a moment he was stabbed by an incredible pain.
‘We will meet again no doubt,’ she said, avidly watching a little bald man who was making his way delicately across the sleeping bodies with which the strip was littered.
Harry headed for the pub.
‘Hi, Harry,’ said the barman who was a tall, skeletal and tough man, able by use of ju-jitsu to throw out on to the road the biggest bruisers of the town. He had a very small head
set on a spindly body, and he was wearing a black jacket and a violet, if slightly stained, bow tie.
‘How’s things, Harry?’
‘Oh, not so bad,’ said Harry, grinning broadly.
‘Got a car yet, Harry?’
‘Not yet. Looking around, you know.’
‘You do that, Harry, take your time. Reason I asked was you mentioned it. You should get a Cortina.’
Harry sat down in the corner seat which was upholstered in red leather. The place was a bit crowded with boys playing darts and gulping pies in between throws. They were in their shirt sleeves
and had the clicking scoreboard working. Students some of them, perhaps, like Robin had been. It was true he once had a shop, but it was a newsagent’s not a jeweller’s. Sarah was happy
in those days because she was kept busy, and there were always people to talk to. Also, people would look up to you if you had a shop. Only it had lasted for no more than three years and then it
had gone the way of so many other shops when the big firms and the supermarkets came in. Anyway, he had never been a bookseller and he didn’t know much about books. Robin used to work there
during the vacation though he was a bit ashamed of it. He had tried to get better books in and that had been the start of the trouble. In Harry’s experience most people wanted to buy westerns
and romances (especially about nurses and doctors). But, no, Robin had brought in the heavy books, and they lay on his hands. These students reminded him of Robin. In those days they had a car as
well. The barman was new, otherwise he would have known about that. But he had so many insults to put up with now: everyone thought they could say what they liked to him.
As he drank some
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