Read Incidents in the Rue Laugier for Free Online

more, an outrage, an act of ungenerosity towards life itself. Yet here he was, stranded in an alien room, almost a prisoner, surveyinga rainy street through smeared windows, and apparently forbidden to journey abroad and to abandon this terrible place to its fate, which was surely extinction. He could shut it up, of course, go to Paris, forget it, and after a suitable interval put it on the market. The trouble was that no one would buy it, would pay to sit here surrounded by shelves full of Dornford Yates. He had a brief insight into the way in which Mr Sheed had spent his days. As he had no financial need to sell the books, always supposing that they were remotely saleable, he must have sat here and read them. That was the clue, of course, to Mr Sheed’s somnolent and wordless existence, his pale affections, his nostalgia for the simple life of his Sundays in Eastbourne, when he could evolve among like-minded adults who would do him no harm, adults so genuine and undemanding that they seemed like children. And in the background the voices of children … A shy man, nourished by romance, comforted by a fictional flourish, consoled by a neat ending. Harrison grinned suddenly, relaxed his tense shoulders, felt a flicker of affection himself; this, however, was soon dowsed by the dusty chirrup of the telephone, all the more startling since nobody knew he was here. A feeling of being harassed settled on him, although he had spent the interminable afternoon quite undisturbed.
    ‘Harrison,’ he said somberly.
    ‘Gillian here. I’ve got Mr Viner for you.’
    ‘Put him on.’
    ‘Mr Harrison? Viner. You’ve settled in, then?’
    ‘No, I just looked in.’
    ‘Just as well I caught you, then. Some rather tiresome news, I’m afraid. Your tenant has decided against taking the upstairs flat.’
    There was a pause.
    ‘Any particular reason?’ Harrison said finally. He couldhardly keep his mind on what was being said to him. He glimpsed endless arguments with this fussy solicitor, as soon as he attempted to put his plans to work for him.
    ‘He seemed to think it was rather dilapidated. He rather expected you to do a bit of decorating.’
    ‘I rather expected him to do that.’
    ‘A first impression, you know … Not too favourable. Perhaps if you were to clean the windows …’
    ‘I’m afraid I have no time to do that,’ he said firmly. ‘I’m off to France at the end of this week.’
    An enormous exhilaration swept through him as he said these words. He was not aware of having made up his mind. Clearly his mind was making itself up. His destiny was in control.
    ‘You’re not thinking of leaving it empty, I hope? Empty property is an open invitation to thieves, particularly in your area. The proximity to the station, you know.’
    ‘In that case I’ll put in a caretaker.’
    ‘Oh. Yes, that might be a good idea. But you won’t leave it empty for too long, will you? Will you want me to keep the spare keys? Until you take possession?’
    ‘No, I think I’ll collect them from you. I’m not sure of my plans.’
    ‘Very well. Gillian will keep them here for you to collect. Was there anything else? You’ll get in touch as soon as you return from France? How long do you think you’ll be away?’
    ‘I’m not sure.’
    There was a sigh at the other end. ‘Do be careful, Mr Harrison. You have a considerable asset there. Don’t let it go to waste. The site alone—’
    ‘Thank you, Mr Viner. I’ll be in touch.’
    He put down the telephone, thought for a moment, picked up the receiver and dialled a number in distant Worcestershire.He imagined the call travelling through misty shires, wolds, woodlands, coppices, demesnes, until it reached the home of Tyler, which he saw as palatial, a fit setting for the splendid presence of Tyler himself, whose actual physical embodiment Harrison saw as somewhat threatening. This he put down to the effort of looking up at Tyler’s great height, and marvelling despite himself