‘Ah. Indeed. Remarkable. Dr Crawford. I understand — You’re certain of your records, my dear chap?’
‘Certainly.’ Despard-Smith was frowning.
‘I think I must scrutinize them. I ought to make sure.’ Still standing, the old man held the list of votes two feet from his eyes, and checked each one beside the written slips.
‘I agree with you,’ he said genially to Despard-Smith. ‘Well done. Seven votes for Dr Crawford. I must declare him elected.’
For the last time, a hush fell in the chapel. Gay stood alone, smiling, serene and handsome.
‘Dr Redvers Thomas Arbuthnot Crawford,’ he called. Crawford rose.
‘Senior Fellow,’ he said.
‘I declare you elected this day Master of the college,’ said Gay.
He added, with a superb and natural air: ‘And now I give the college into your charge.’
‘I thank you, Senior Fellow,’ said Crawford imperturbably. ‘I thank the college.’
Without a word, Jago leaned across the table, shook Crawford’s hand, and walked out of the chapel. Everyone watched him go. It was not until the outer door swung to that chairs were pushed back and men surrounded Crawford. We all congratulated him. Nightingale smiled at him, admiringly. Chrystal said: ‘I’m very glad, Crawford.’ Brown shook him by the hand with a polite, formal smile. Crawford was good-humoured and self-assured as ever while people talked to him. It was strange to hear him for the first time called Master.
46: The Master Presides
I went away from the chapel with Roy Calvert, and we stood in the great gate, watching women bustle by to their morning shopping: the streets were full, the buses gleamed a brilliant red under the slaty sky.
‘Dished,’ said Roy. ‘Old boy, one never feels the worst until it happens. I’m deflated.’
‘Yes.’
‘Why does one mind so much about things which don’t matter? This doesn’t matter to us.’
‘It matters to Jago,’ I said.
‘Ought we to see him? I should be frightened to, you know. Did you see how he looked?’
‘I did.’
‘I should be frightened while he’s so wretched. It’s more in your line, Lewis.’ He smiled, mocking both me and himself.
Soon he left me to get some money for his journey, and I turned back into the court. There was a knot of people at the chapel door, and I went toward them. Gay, Brown, Despard-Smith, and Winslow were standing together, with the head porter a yard away: I. saw that they had been pinning a notice to the door.
‘What do you think of that, Nightingale?’ Gay greeted me.
‘Not Nightingale,’ said Brown.
‘What do you think of that?’ said Gay. ‘There’s a notice and a half for you. There’s no doubt about that. If they want to see who’s been elected, they’ve only got to come and read. And they can see my signature at the bottom. I like a good, bold signature. I like a man who’s not ashamed of the sight of his own name. Well, my friends, it’s all gone like clockwork. You couldn’t have a better election than that. I congratulate you.’
‘I’ve taken part in four elections,’ said Despard-Smith. ‘I don’t expect to see another.’
‘Come, come,’ said Gay. ‘Why, there is plenty of time for one or two more for all of us. I hope to do my duty at another one or two myself.’
He waved a jocular finger at Winslow.
‘And there’ll be no slackness, Winslow, my dear chap. Declarations in full, mind. I can see I shall have to keep you up to the mark.’
Winslow smiled caustically.
‘I still maintain I was right,’ he said. ‘I want it discussed. I’ve never believed in multiplying mummery—’
He flanked Gay on one side, Despard-Smith on the other, and they kept pace with his shuffle as they moved off arguing. ‘Good morning to you,’ said Winslow to Brown and me. ‘Good morning, my dear chaps,’ Gay shouted to us behind him.
I remained with Brown, and asked him what Roy had asked me: ought one of us to look after Jago? Would he go round himself?
‘I should be useless to him,’ said Arthur Brown. ‘I’m very much afraid that I shouldn’t be acceptable. I must reconcile myself to the fact that my company will distress him for a long time to come. He won’t want to be reminded of our disaster.’
Brown spoke evenly, with resignation but with deep feeling. His concern would not flag, would not be snubbed away: his was not a nature to forget. Yet it was like him to have stayed behind with Gay to make sure that the formalities were properly complied with. No one else of Jago’s party would have cared whether or not the notice was affixed: Brown could not help scrutinizing the ceremony to the end: even though Crawford was elected, the ceremonies must be performed, the college must be carried on. And now, standing by the chapel door, he said: ‘I suppose everyone will want to drink some healths tonight. I’d better see that they’re not forgetting to have a few bottles ready.’
For the rest of the day, until dinner, I heard only one more comment. It was from Chrystal, whom I met as he was walking out of college after lunch.
He looked at me with bold eyes, and gave his brisk good afternoon. ‘I tell you what, Eliot,’ he said sharply, ‘I didn’t like Jago’s behaviour this morning. He oughtn’t to have gone off like that.’
‘He’s had something to put up with.’
‘I know what he feels. I shouldn’t like it myself. But one’s got to put a face on things.’
It was true, I thought: he did not know what it was like to be wounded.
‘It makes me feel justified in the line I took,’ said Chrystal. ‘I know you disagree with me. I wasn’t happy about it myself. But he’s not dependable enough. He’s a likeable man. But he wouldn’t have done.’
I did not want to carry on the argument.
Before we parted, he said: ‘You’ll come and thank me in time, Eliot. I shouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t turn up tonight. That won’t be so good.’
By custom, all fellows came in to drink the new Master’s health on the night of his election; it was to provide for this occasion that Brown had gone to the cellars.
Roy was busy packing and getting ready his notebooks for the Vatican library, so I spent the afternoon alone. I went out for tea in the town, and on my way ran straight into Mrs Jago. I began to tell her how distressed I was. She cut me dead.
In my rooms that evening, I kept thinking of that strange incident. It was easy to see it as a joke — but I had come to feel fond of her, and it was no joke at all. What state must she be in. How completely was she possessed? I tried to write her a note, but thought of the meanings she would read behind each word. I was more upset than I should have confessed even to Roy.
I went into the combination room some time before dinner, and found Crawford, Getliffe, and Nightingale already there. Nightingale had accepted a glass of sherry from Crawford, and was as coy with it as a girl over her first drink. He had not touched a drop, he was saying, since Flanders. Crawford asked me to have a drink with impartial cordiality, and spoke to us alclass="underline" ‘Speaking now as Master,’ he said, ‘I expect one will have to exercise considerable selection over the meetings one addresses. I don’t want to parade opinions which part of the college vehemently objects to but, speaking as a responsible citizen, I can’t remain entirely quiescent in times like these.’
The room was filling rapidly. Despard-Smith, Chrystal, Brown, and Winslow joined the group round Crawford. Francis Getliffe took me aside.
‘Well, it’s over,’ he said.
‘It’s over.’
‘I’m sorry if you’re too disappointed, Lewis.’
‘I don’t pretend to be overjoyed,’ I said.