Assignments

1.Comprehension & discussion questions:

1. Why does the writer dislike long-standing engagements?

2. Why wasn’t Thomas Warton seriously taken by the critics?

3. What was peculiar about Mary Warton?

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Text 5

Harry Chandler

(From Bachelors

by H. Walpole¹)

Harry Chandler was of quite another kind: of middle height, red-faced, short brown moustache, brown hair cut close to his head, his eyes confident and unintelligent, his attitude that of a man who knows his world, takes many baths, and has no doubts about anything. He stood at the head of the sporting interest of S-, being president of the golf club and the cricket club, his interests were also apparently political, for he was a most important member of the Conservative Club that had its palatial apartments half-way down the High Street. He might be seen any morning of the week striding along in a tweed jacket and large and balloon-like knicker-bockers, his face very red, his eyes very wide and staring, his air that of a man who knows his power and values it. "Ha, Benson!" he would say, or "Ha, Rawlingsl" or even "Good-day to you, Bumpusl" and sometimes, when a local infant threatened his progress "Out of the way, little one, out of the way!"

People said, with considerable truth, that it was strange that two brothers, who were so continually together, should be so different, but when one knew Robin Chandler intimately one discovered that he had been endeavouring all his days to acquire some of his brother's habits and characteristics. He would try at times to be domineering, hearty and monosyllabic, and of course he always failed. He had the pleasantest of voices, but it was the voice of an amiable canary, and he never could express himself without using a great number of words. That Robin worshipped his brother was one of the items of natural history treasured by the city of S-.

He had worshipped him from that day, so many years ago, when a lonely little boy of ten, he had been informed that he was henceforth to have a companion in life.

He had been, always, from the first a submissive character who depended very much on other people's affection for happiness. It had been, the ladies of S- always said, a"shamefully one-sided affair.

Harry Chandler's attitude to his brother was one of indulgent tolerance. "Dear old fellow," he would call him. "He's an odd kind of chap, my brother," he would confide to a listening friend. "You'd never think we were brothers, now, would you? You should just see him try to play golf. Stands there with his legs apart, his body stiff as a rod, biting his lips, don't you know- serious as anything - and then he clean misses it, you know. He's a dear old fellow, but, between you and me, a bit of an old woman.

Robin was quite aware of his brother's attitude, but, indeed, no other seemed possible. He had watched, with wide-eyed wonder, his brother's growth. The things Harry could do was there anyone who played games with such confidence, anyone who could hold his own in a gathering of men with such assurance and success, anyone so fascinating in a drawing-room, anyone in the world with such captivating savoir faire? Robin, himself, was afraid of women, except very old and lonely ones. He had long ago been "horribly" in love, and she might, one imagines, have loved him in return had he pursued the matter; but what would Harry do without him? No, until Harry himself married, Robin must send the other sex to limbo. And through all these years what agitations there had been! For a long time it had seemed as certain that Harry would marry as that night must follow the day…

And yet, always Robin was delivered. Through all these years Harry had not been even engaged. Robin wondered at the women, but, from his heart, was grateful to them, and, with every year, the assurance of safety grew. Now, always, he put the terrible thought from him. Sometimes in the night it would leap out from the dark, with a mouth grin and widespread claws "What'll you do, my friend, if it does happen? It may, you know. Plenty of time yet... A nice kind of time you'll have alone" Well, that was a bad half hour, but at the end of it the grinning beast was beaten back to its lair.