The Magus - John Fowles [276]
about it. You... you know him pretty well?" "Oh I... met him a few times. I was actually never terribly clear about his position on the school committee." "What he told me, no official position. Just helping out. Jesus, his English is marvellous though." "Isn't it?" We sized each other up. He had a relaxed way about him that seemed inculcated by education, by reading some book on How To Be At Ease With Strangers, rather than by any intuitive gift. Nothing, one felt, had ever gone wrong in his life; but he had a sort of freshness, an enthusiasm, an energy that couldn't be totally cancelled by envy. Let him have his fall; but he made you hope to see him rise again. I analysed the situation. The natural coincidence of his appearing and my call to Much Hadham was so improbable that it was almost an argument in favour of his innocence. It might be simply Conchis's sense of humour at work; to make me doubt unnecessarily; or to make it so obvious I should doubt that I wouldn't. On the other hand Mrs. de Seitas must have deduced from my telephone call that I was undergoing a change of heart; and this was nicely timed to test my reliability, my preparedness to keep my mouth shut. Yet telling me about the cable made him sound genuinely innocent; and though I had understood that the "subject" had to be a matter of hazard, perhaps there was some reason, some unknown result of that summer, that had made Conchis decide to choose his next guinea pig. Faced with the guileless, earnest Briggs I felt a little of what Mitford must have felt with me: a malicious amusement, bedevilled in my case by a European delight in seeing brash America being taken for a ride; and beyond that a kinder wish, which I would never have admitted to Conchis or Lily de Seitas, not to spoil his experience. Of course they must have known (if Briggs was genuine) that I might tell him everything; and they would have some way of meeting the problem that would have caused--would make me out to be the "plant," the liar. Perhaps they even wanted me to tell him; but I did not think so. And once again I was standing with the cat in my hand, unable to bring it down. Briggs had pulled out a pad from the briefcase he had with him. "May I ask questions? I've got quite a list." And again: the coincidence. He was doing exactly what I had done only a few days before, at Dinsford House. His eager, deceitless face smiled up at me. I smiled back. "Shoot." He was terrifyingly methodical. Teaching methods, textbooks, clothes, climate, sports facilities, medicines to take, food, the size of the library, what to see in Greece, character sketches of the other masters--he wanted information about every conceivable aspect of life on Phraxos. Finally he looked up from his pad and the notes he had copiously pencilled and took up the beer I had poured him. "Thanks a million. This is wonderful. Covers everything." "Except the actual business of living there." He nodded. "Mr. Conchis warned me." "You speak Greek?" "Little Latin, less Greek." "You'll pick it up." "I'm taking lessons already." "And no women." He nodded. "Tough. But I'm engaged, so anyway." He produced a wallet and handed me a photo. A prettyish black-haired girl smiled rather intensely out at me. She had too small a mouth; I thought I detected the ghostly beginnings of the mask of the bitchgoddess Ambition. "Nice girl." I handed it back. "Looks English." "She is English. Well, Welsh, actually. She's studying drama right here in London." "Really." "I thought maybe she could come out to Phraxos next summer. If I haven't got the sack by then." "Did you... mention it to Mr. Conchis?" "I did. And he was really nice about it. Even said she might be able to stay in his house." "I wonder which one. He has two, you know." "I think he said in the village." He grinned. "Matter of fact he said he'd make me pay for her room." "Oh?" "Wants me to help him on this..." he made a kind of you-know gesture. "On this?" "Didn't you..." but he obviously saw from my face that whatever it was, I didn't. "Well, maybe.. "Oh good lord, you can tell me." He