Part 25 (1/2)
”Why not?”
”Why not, man! Nothing could ever stop you from getting patients--with that smile! You'll simply walk straight into anything you want.”
”You think so?” Charlie affected an ironic incredulity, but he was pleased. He had met the same theory in London.
”Well, you didn't suppose degrees and things had anything to do with it, did you?” said Edwin, smiling a little superiorly. He felt, with pleasure, that he was still older than the Sunday; and it pleased him also to be able thus to utilise ideas which he had formed from observation but which by diffidence and lack of opportunity he had never expressed. ”All a patient wants is to be smiled at in the right way,”
he continued, growing bolder. ”Just look at 'em!”
”Look at who?”
”The doctors here.” He dropped his voice further. ”Do you know why the dad's gone to Heve?”
”Gone to Heve, has he? Left old Who-is-it?”
”Yes. I don't say Heve isn't clever, but it's his look that does the trick for him.”
”You seem to go about noticing things. Any charge?”
Edwin blushed and laughed. Their nervousness was dissipated. Each was rea.s.sured of the old basis of 'decency' in the other.
THREE.
”Look here,” said Charlie. ”I can't stop now.”
”Hold on a bit.”
”I only called to tell you that you've simply got to come up to-night.”
”Come up where?”
”To our place. You've simply got to.”
The secret fact was that Edwin had once more been under discussion in the house of the Orgreaves. And Osmond Orgreave had lent Janet a s.h.i.+lling so that she might bet Charlie a s.h.i.+lling that he would not succeed in bringing Edwin to the house. The understanding was that if Janet won, her father was to take sixpence of the gain. Janet herself had failed to lure Edwin into the house. He was so easy to approach and so difficult to catch. Janet was slightly piqued.
As for Edwin, he was postponing the execution of all his good resolutions until he should be installed in the new house. He could not achieve highly difficult tasks under conditions of expectancy and derangement. The whole Clayhanger premises were in a suppressed state of being packed up. In a week the removal would occur. Until the removal was over and the new order was established Edwin felt that he could still conscientiously allow his timidity to govern him, and so he had remained in his sh.e.l.l. The sole herald of the new order was the new suit.
”Oh! I can't come--not to-night.”
”Why not?”
”We're so busy.”
”Bosh to that!”
”Some other night.”
”No. I'm going back to-morrow. Must. Now look here, old man, come on.
I shall be very disappointed if you don't.”