The Sandcastle

The Sandcastle Read Free Page B

Book: The Sandcastle Read Free
Author: Iris Murdoch
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of this too, and it consoled him more than a little for failures in other
departments of his life.

Now, as he emerged through the glass doors of Main School into the warm
sunshine, a sense of satisfaction filled him, which was partly a feeling of
work well done and partly the anticipation of a pleasant evening. On an
ordinary day there would be the long interval till supper-time to be lived
through, passed in reading, or correcting, or in desultory conversation with
Nan. This was normally the most threadbare part of the day. But this evening
there would be the strong spicy talk of Demoyte and the colour and beauty of
his house. If he hurried, Mor thought, he would be able to have one or two
glasses of sherry with Demoyte before Nan arrived. She made a point of arriving
late, to the perpetual irritation of Handy. Then there would be wine with the
meal. Nan never drank alcohol, and Mor did not usually drink it, partly as a
lingering result of his teetotaller’s upbringing and partly for reasons of
economy, but he enjoyed drinking occasionally with Demoyte or Tim Burke, though
he always had an irrational sense of guilt when he did so.

Demoyte lived at a distance of three miles from the school in a fine Georgian
house called Brayling’s Close, which he had acquired during his period of
office as Headmaster, and which he had left to the school in his will. He had
crammed it with treasures, especially Oriental rugs and carpets on the subject
of which he was an expert and the author of a small but definitive treatise.
Demoyte was a scholar. For his scholarship Mor, whose talents were speculative
rather than scholarly, admired him without envy; and for his tough honest
obstinate personality and his savage tongue Mor rather loved him: and also
because Demoyte was very partial to Mor. The latter often reflected that if one
were to have him for an enemy Demoyte would present a very unpleasant aspect
indeed. His long period as Headmaster of St Bride’s had been punctuated by
violent quarrels with members of the staff, and was still referred to as ‘the
reign of terror’. A feeling of security in their job was a luxury which Demoyte
had not had the delicacy to allow to the masters of St Bride’s. If the quality
of an individual’s teaching declined, that individual would shortly find that
Demoyte was anxious for his departure; and when Demoyte wanted something to
occur it was usually not long before that thing occurred.

Demoyte had not been easy to live with and he had not been easy to get rid of.
He had persuaded the Governors to extend his tenure of power for five years
beyond the statutory retiring age - and when that time was up he had only been
in duced to retire after a storm during which the school Visitor had had to be
called in to arbitrate. Ever since Mor had come to the school, some ten years
ago, he had been Demoyte’s lieutenant and right-hand man, the intermediary
between the Head and the staff, first unofficially, and later more officially,
in the capacity of Second Master. In this particular role, Mor was sincere
enough to realize, he had been able to experience the pleasures of absolute
power without remorse of conscience. He had mitigated the tyranny; but he had
also been to a large extent its instrument and had not infrequently enjoyed its
fruits.

Demoyte would have liked Mor to succeed him as Head; but St Bride’s was a
Church of England foundation, and at least a nominal faith of an Anglican
variety was required by the Governors in any candidate for the Headship. This
item Mor could not supply; and a storm raised by Demoyte with the purpose of
changing the school statutes on this point, so as to allow Mor to stand, failed
of its object. Demoyte himself, Mor supposed, must originally have conformed to
the requirement; but by the time Mor first met him his orthodoxy had long ago
been worn down into a sort of obstinate gentlemanly conservatism. Under the
Demoyte régime not much was heard at St Bride’s

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