Domestic fiction; Sisters -- Fiction; Women -- England -- Fiction
The fame of this map, added to the box of compasses and Cyril's own
desire, pointed to an artistic career. Cyril had always drawn and
daubed, and the drawing-master of the Endowed School, who was also
headmaster of the Art School, had suggested that the youth should
attend the Art School one night a week. Samuel, however, would not
listen to the idea; Cyril was too young. It is true that Cyril was too
young, but Samuel's real objection was to Cyril's going out alone in
the evening. On that he was adamant.
The Governors had recently made the discovery that a sports department
was necessary to a good school, and had rented a field for cricket,
football, and rounders up at Bleakridge, an innovation which
demonstrated that the town was moving with the rapid times. In June
this field was open after school hours till eight p.m. as well as on
Saturdays. The Squire learnt that Cyril had a talent for cricket, and
Cyril wished to practise in the evenings, and was quite ready to bind
himself with Bible oaths to rise at no matter what hour in the morning
for the purpose of home lessons. He scarcely expected his father to say
'Yes' as his father never did say 'Yes,' but he was obliged to ask.
Samuel nonplussed him by replying that on fine evenings, when he could
spare time from the shop, he would go up to Bleakridge with his son.
Cyril did not like this in the least. Still, it might be tried. One
evening they went, actually, in the new steam-car which had superseded
the old horse-cars, and which travelled all the way to Longshaw, a
place that Cyril had only heard of. Samuel talked of the games played
in the Five Towns in his day, of the Titanic sport of prison-bars, when
the team of one 'bank' went forth to the challenge of another 'bank,'
preceded by a drum-and-fife band, and when, in the heat of the chase, a
man might jump into the canal to escape his pursuer; Samuel had never
played at cricket.
Samuel, with a very young grandson of Fan (deceased), sat in dignity on
the grass and watched his cricketer for an hour and a half (while
Constance kept an eye on the shop and superintended its closing).
Samuel then conducted Cyril home again. Two days later the father of
his own accord offered to repeat the experience. Cyril refused.
Disagreeable insinuations that he was a baby in arms had been made at
school in the meantime.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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