Lanark_ a life in 4 books - Alasdair Gray [234]
The quiet man said quietly, “We aren’t interested in the detailed character stuff. We just want to convey that the right man has been found for the right job.”
“A new figure strides into the political arena,” said the reckless man. “Where does he come from?”
“From Unthank,” said Sludden. “He and I were close friends in our early days. We hung about sowing our wild oats with the same bohemian crowd, measuring out our life with coffee spoons and trying to find a meaning. I did nothing at all in those days but Lanark, to his credit, produced one of the finest fragments of autobiographical prose and social commentary it has been my privilege to criticize.”
“No use to our readers,” said the reckless man. The quiet man said, “We can use it. What happened then?”
“He entered the institute and worked with Ozenfant. Although a mainstay of the energy division, his qualities were not appreciated and eventually, sickened by bureaucratic ineptitude, he returned to Unthank: but not before registering a strong personal protest to the lord president director.”
“Room for a bit of dramatic detail here,” said the reckless man. “Exactly why did you quarrel with Ozenfant?”
Lanark tried to remember. At last he said, “I didn’t quarrel with him. He quarrelled with me, about a woman.”
“Better leave that out,” said Sludden.
“All right,” said the quiet man. “He returned to Unthank. And then?”
“I can tell you what happened then,” said Gilchrist amiably. “He devoted himself to public service by working in the Central Centre for Employment, Stability and Surroundings. I was his boss and I soon realized he was something of a saint. When confronted by human suffering he had absolutely no patience with red tape. To be frank, he often went too fast for me, and that is why he is exactly the lord provost the region needs. I can imagine no better politician to represent Greater Unthank at the forthcoming general assembly.”
“Good!” said the reckless man. “I wonder if Provost Lanark would care to say something quotable about what he is going to do at the Provan assembly?”
After thinking for a while Lanark said boldly, “I will try to tell the truth.”
“Couldn’t you make it more emphatic?” said the reckless man.
“Couldn’t you say, ‘Come hell or high water, I will tell the world the TRUTH’?”
“Certainly not!” said Lanark crossly. “Water has nothing to do with my visit to Provan.”
“Come what may, the world will hear the truth,” murmured the quiet man. “We’ll quote you as saying that.”
“Very good, gentlemen!” said Sludden, standing up. “Our provost is leaving now. It’s a very ordinary departure so you needn’t watch. If you want a photograph Mr. Gilchrist’s secretary can provide one. I’m sorry my wife was not here to offer you stronger refreshment, but you will find a bottle of sherry and a half bottle of whisky on the telephone-stand outside. Consume them at your leisure. Mr. Gilchrist will drive you back into town.”
Everybody stood up.
Sludden showed Gilchrist and the journalists out. The grey-haired lady sighed and said, “Communicating with the press is a science I will nefer understand. This briefcase, Mr. Lanark, holts passcart, identification paper and three reports relating to the Unthank region. Before you speak in Provan I advise you to master them. There is a seismological report on the effect of pollution upon the Merovicnic discontinuity. There is a sanitary report on the probability of typhoid and related epidemics. There is a social report cuffering all the olt ground—no region our size has so much unemployment, uses so much corporal punishment in schools, has so many children cared for by the state, so much alcoholism, so many adults in prison or such a shortage of housing. It is all very olt stuff but people should be reminded. The seismological report is the only von whose language is at all technical because it contains an analysis of certain deep Permian samples vich may haf a