| II.3.058 |
|
The telephone rang on O'Grady's desk at the stockade. O'Grady was eating his lunch of
bread and cheese prior to his afternoon nap. 'Damn, accursed man. I was only up there two days ago. What on earth can he want?' O'Grady watched the phone, hoping it would stop which it eventually did but only because it had been answered by one of the Marshals in the adjacent office. There came a knock on O'Grady's door. 'Come in whoever it is and be quick about it!' 'Excuse me, Mr. O'Grady, Miss Bluemud's calling. Says will you speak?' 'Damn!' O'Grady assumed a breathless voice as if he had just rushed in. 'Mr. O'Grady here.' 'Mr. O'Grady... ' Elizabeth's voice was rather cold and imperious but what she had to say caused the Chief Foreman to smile broadly. 'Yes, Miss Elizabeth, that I will!' He slammed the telephone down. 'Buford, fetch that woman. We're getting rid of her at last!' Sister Helen stood beside Elizabeth at the open door of Mr. Bluemud's study. She was pale and a trifle queasy having had an hour to meditate upon this encounter as she collected her things and walked up to the house. 'Take it all,' O'Grady had said maliciously. 'I want no traces. You won't be let in here again, tomorrow.' Helen had replied, 'I'll take it. But remember, O'Grady, as long as you do the Devil's work you'll have me to contend with!' But now Helen was confronted by the Devil himself. The paneled door closed behind her with a click, a glow of coals was in the grate and a strange perfume pervaded the room. 'Sit in the armchair by the fire, Helen. This is my father. You've seen him before, of course. Don't be frightened.' Bluemud was seated in the armchair opposite. His legs were crossed but most of his body was hidden behind a large sheet of paper. This he gradually lowered until she could see his eyes: large, distorted by his reading spectacles, the very image, a mockery of a Pastor! Elizabeth drew up a chair between the two armchairs as Bluemud put the paper down completely. 'Well, Helen, let me tell you what this is all about. We're considering opening a school here. It'll be very modest, of course, we still have so very few children here, but we think, well, I think you would make a good teacher for it.' 'Can you teach, Helen?' The Devil's voice was loud and like the wind. 'I've never taught on my own sir. The Pastor wouldn't allow Sisters to teach until they were twenty.' 'How old are you now, Helen?' 'That's how old I am, sir. Twenty.' 'And you're fond of children, aren't you?' said Elizabeth. 'Some I like, some I don't Miss. There's some little brats up in that village. Spoilt, if you ask me.' 'And can you read English, Helen?' The Devil appeared irritated by Helen's expression of her personal opinion. 'A little, sir. I can read the Bible.' 'Pass me that Bible, Elizabeth. Let's see what she can do. Start here, Helen. ' Sister Helen read, somewhat haltingly : 'The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God. They have done abominable works. There is none that doeth good. The Lord looked down from Heaven to see if there were any that did understand and seek God. They are all gone aside. They are altogether become filthy. There is none that doeth good, no, not one. Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge who eat up my people as they eat bread and call not upon the Lord?' 'Very well, Helen, that will do. Do you understand that?' 'Yes, sir. It tells about a time long ago when people were very bad. That was when God decided He didn't love his people any more, that in the future they would have to earn His love and die for Him. He would not just forgive them if he asked them to.' The Devil smiled, 'that's very good, Helen.' 'Thank you, sir.' 'What is the purpose of education, Helen?' 'To teach people to read and write and add, sir.' 'YOU may think that!,' said the Devil triumphantly. 'I think you are wrong. What is education FOR?' 'I don't understand, sir.' 'The young are a great force for change, Helen. They have the sharpest eyes, the most acute senses. When contradictions exist they see them first. Some say they are naive, other idealistic but they are neither: they are just young. Do you believe in change, Helen? No! Let me tell you, you don't. That's because of the way you were brought up. You, and I myself, grew up in a rigid society, unchanging except for War. In a rigid society change is not required but it can only be prevented if the inquisitiveness of young people is suppressed. This is accomplished through education but that's not what I want. Don't worry, we won't make the same mistakes again and become like the people of that story but we will value change once more in our community and if you wish to be a teacher you will have to alter your way of thinking. Do you understand that?' 'I think so, sir.' 'Do you wish to teach, Helen?' 'Yes, sir. I would like that.' 'Good, it appears you might make a reasonable job of it.' 'There! That wasn't so hard was it?' Elizabeth smiled. 'Well, Helen, since we have no equipment our first tasks will be to prepare and collect materials and convert part of the Assembly Hall into a library. I've got some books and father will donate some too though I think they're a bit too complicated for anyone in the valley to read at the moment, but they'll be there for later on.' 'Books are important, Helen,' said the Devil. 'Books are knowledge, books are freedom. They are the greatest gift the people of this valley can have. They must learn to use them.' 'Yes, sir,' said Helen meekly. 'And father has promised me that he'll speak to Mr. O'Grady as soon as possible about organizing a gang of men next summer to built the school house. Of course, we'll have to have decided exactly what we want by then. Helen must have known my Tutor, you know father. He was a Pastor in Dentonsville, Helen. Ten years ago, I think it was. Do you remember the Reverend Alun Williams?' 'No, Miss Elizabeth.' 'The less said about that the better,' Bluemud drummed his fingers on the chair arm. 'Helen thought you were a pastor, father, didn't you Helen? I wonder why?' 'It's quite obvious, Elizabeth,' said the Devil irritably. 'What do you think of me NOW, Helen?' It occurred to Helen that she had allowed herself to be completely overawed by this Devil. She had called him "sir" at every opportunity. This was not the way to fight God's War! She must be brave. She said, 'I think you are the Devil, sir.' 'The Devil?' The Devil roared with laughter. 'What are you doing here then, helping me?' 'I didn't ask to be here, sir, but since God sent me I must do His work in the best way I can.' 'And what work is that?' 'Why, to defeat your evil purposes, sir. To try to save the people of this place and help them gain God's love.' 'You won't save me, Helen. I thought I was saving you!' 'I might save Miss Elizabeth.' 'You might, you might indeed. She may yet turn to religion and to God. Her mother was a religious woman, you know, I could never persuade her from it.' 'Father!' Elizabeth was shocked. 'I think it's about time we stopped this conversation.' 'Just a moment!' The Devil held up his hand. 'Is there anything else you need in your battle against me, Helen? I shouldn't like to think I was taking advantage.' Helen considered. 'Yes, sir. I should like to be allowed to hold services for the people of the village.' Bluemud got up. He went to the window then he turned and contemplated his daughter who was consumed with suppressed laughter at Helen's audacity. Elizabeth had suggested this before, for her mother's sake as much as anything but he had always adamantly refused. Now he said, 'I don't see why not. So long as you don't overdo it. Once a week shall we say? Just for the women and perhaps later on the foremen and their wives, but not the men.' 'I'll see you to the door, Helen,' said Elizabeth, still laughing. On the front porch she said, 'We'll start tomorrow. I'll meet you at the hall.' When Elizabeth returned to Bluemud he said, 'that girl has guts. Perhaps you'll learn more from her than she will from you, Elizabeth.' 'Perhaps I will,' she said. |
|
|
