CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Mr Bast came to tea the following Saturday. However, just as he had predicted, the conversation did not go as well as the time before.

After offering him some cake, Margaret asked, "Do you like your job?" She did not realize that he did not want to share his real life with them. He wanted to share his ideas and talk about the books they had read, not about his work.

"Fine, I suppose," he briefly answered.

"Well, we heard from a good friend that your company is in trouble," Helen said, going straight to the point.

Leonard's first reaction was to praise his company. But because he could not praise it very highly, the two sisters continued to doubt its stability.

"Our friend said that you should leave the job soon," Helen said, again not wasting any words.

Leonard began to dislike this 'friend' of theirs. He wanted to talk about books, but they kept throwing his life back at him. The more they talked to him about his work, the more his sadness and disappointment came back to him. He could not listen any longer and immediately began to talk about this book and that book. Author after author, character after character, story after story, he kept talking until a knock came at the front door. It was Mr Wilcox with his daughter and two little dogs.

Mr Bast took the opportunity to get up to leave while the girls were saying hello to the newcomers. But as he was going out the door Helen caught sight of him and mentioned that he should come again soon.

"I will not come back. What's the point?" he said sharply.

"How can you be so rude, Mr Bast," Helen said, feeling offended, "We're trying to help you."

"I don't need your help! I'm fine!" He shouted. Then turning to Mr Wilcox, "How would you like it if two women were sticking their noses into your private life?"

Mr Wilcox did not speak to Leonard, but turned to Margaret saying, "Have we come at a bad time?"

"Mr Bast, you ... you ... " Margaret said, getting angrier each time she attempted to speak, "You came to us talking about your adventures, and about getting away from the ugliness of London. Your talk gave us a little bit of hope about our own lives. But there is none of that in you today! We invited you here, not just to help you, but also to get help from you."

"I ... I'm sure you wanted secrets about the insurance company from me! I can prove it ... " and then he left the house.

"Oh, Helen, go after him!" cried Margaret, "We must try to make this silly man understand."

Helen ran out the door.

"I thought that you handled the man very well," commented Mr Wilcox, "I especially liked the part about 'hope'. Quite good!" Then suddenly, he changed his mood. "However, if I may be honest with you ... I think that you show these people too much kindness. You should not become friends with them. They are different from us. That's just the way the world is."

"But it's so clear that he is unhappy. He wants to break out of his class and enjoy the life of adventure. And we want to help him."

"Well, there is where you and I are different. People like me assume that common men are happy and can take care of themselves. You don't know him. Maybe he is happy."

"But he isn't happy. I'm sure of it. I've seen his horrible wife. She came here one day looking for him after he hadn't come home one evening."

"Ah, yes! He's an unfaithful husband. I know men like him," said Mr Wilcox, laughing.

"No, he's not that way. He was just out walking."

After this, Evie joined her father in the laughter.

"You don't understand. He's a true man, a real man."

Then the laughter stopped.

"I'd better go see how Helen's doing," she said, walking into the hallway. Helen was found alone in the library.

"I'm sorry, but I couldn't catch the poor fellow. I would have come back, but I just hate listening to Mr Wilcox."

"Well, they are our guests presently. Let's go back in there and not discuss this any further with them."

They returned to the Wilcoxes and easily changed the subject. After a pleasant talk, the Wilcoxes left them. While in the car, Mr Wilcox asked Evie how she liked the sisters.

"The pretty one's okay, but the one with big teeth, I can't stand her."

"Well, in any case, I think that we should visit them more often. They are not careful enough and should have someone looking after them."

(end of section)