On the Wednesday of that week Bobby received another letter. It was addressed in a foreign slanting handwriting. Its contents were somewhat surprising to the young man.
It was from the firm ofHenriquez and Dallo in Buenos Aires and, to put it concisely, it offered Bobby a job in the firm with a salary of a thousand a year.
For the first minute or two the young man thought he must be dreaming. A thousand a year. He reread the letter more carefully. There was mention of an ex-Naval man being preferred. A suggestion that Bobby’s name had been put forward by someone (someone not named). That acceptance must be immediate, and that Bobby must be prepared to start for Buenos Aires within a week.
‘Well, I’m damned!’ said Bobby, giving vent to his feelings in a somewhat unfortunate manner. ,Bobby!’ ‘Sorry, Dad. Forgot you were there.’ Mr Jones cleared his throat.
‘I should like to point out to you ‘ Bobby felt that this process – usually a leng one – must at all costs be avoided. He achieved this course by a simple statement: ‘Someone’s offered me a thousand a year.’ The Vicar remained open-mouthed, unable for the moment to make any comment.
‘That’s put him off his drive all right,’ thought Bobby with satisfaction.
‘My dear Bobby, did I understand you to say that someone had offered you a thousand a year? A thousand?’ ‘Holed it in one. Dad,’ said Bobby.
‘It’s impossible,’ said the Vicar.
Bobby was not hurt by this frank incredulity. His estimate of his own monetary value differed little from that of his father.
‘They must be complete mutts,’ he agreed heartily.
‘Who – er – are these people?’ Bobby handed him the letter. The Vicar, fumbling for his pince-nez, peered at it suspiciously. Finally he perused it twice.
‘Most remarkable,’ he said at last. ‘Most remarkable.’ ‘Lunatics,’ said Bobby.
‘Ah! my boy,’ said the Vicar. ‘It is after all, a great thing to be an Englishman. Honesty. That’s what we stand for. The Navy has carried that ideal all over the world. An Englishman’s word! This South American firm realizes the value of a young man whose integrity will be unshaken and of whose fidelity his employers will be assured. You can always depend on an Englishman to play the game ‘ ‘And keep a straight bat,’ said Bobby.
The Vicar looked at his son doubtfully. The phrase, an excellent one, had actually been on the tip of his tongue, but there was something in Bobby’s tone that struck him as not quite sincere.
The young man, however, appeared to be perfectly serious.
‘All the same. Dad,’ he said, ‘why me?’ ‘What do you mean – why you?’ ‘There are a lot of Englishmen in England,’ said Bobby.
‘Hearty fellows, full of cricketing qualities. Why pick on me?’ ‘Probably your late commanding officer may have recommended you.’ ‘Yes, I suppose that’s true,’ said Bobby doubtfully. ‘It doesn’t matter, anyway, since I can’t take the job.’ ‘Can’t take it? My dear boy, what do you mean?’ ‘Well, I’m fixed up, you see. With Badger.’ ‘Badger? Badger Beadon. Nonsense, my dear Bobby. This is serious.’ ‘It’s a bit hard, I own,’ said Bobby with a sigh.
‘Any childish arrangement you have made with young Beadon cannot count for a moment.’ ‘It counts with me.’ ‘Young Beadon is completely irresponsible. He has already, I understand, been a source of considerable trouble and expense to his parents.’ ‘He’s not had much luck. Badger’s so infernally trusting.’ ‘Luck – luck! I should say that young man had never done a hand’s turn in his life.’ ‘Nonsense, Dad. Why, he used to get up at five in the morning to feed those beastly chickens. It wasn’t his fault they all got the roop or the croup, or whatever it was.’ ‘I have never approved of this garage project. Mere folly.
You must give it up.’ ‘Can’t sir. I’ve promised. I can’t let old Badger down. He’s counting on me.’ The discussion proceeded. The Vicar, biased by his views on the subject of Badger, was quite unable to regard any promise made to that young man as binding. He looked on Bobby as obstinate and determined at all costs to lead an idle life in company with one of the worse possible companions. Bobby, on the other hand, stolidly repeated without originality that he ‘couldn’t let old Badger down’.