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His eyes were angry. But was wrath the only thing that burned in their dark depths? Or was there hunger, too…?
Stop it!
‘Tell me right out,’ I hissed. ‘Tell me that I haven’t shown as much courage as any man in this building. Tell me that I deserve less, not because of what I am, but because of something you think I did wrong. Tell me that, and I’ll accept half. Tell me!’
Silence. And more silence. Mr Ambrose’s jaw worked as if he were chewing gravel soused in castor oil. His little finger drummed a staccato presto on the desktop.
‘You can’t, can you?’
More silence. The finger-tapping changed to a staccato prestissimo furioso.
‘Write me another cheque! One for the full amount!’
Sluggishly, crawlingly, abominably slowly, as if he had to pull mountains with his elbows, Mr Ambrose moved his arms forward and once more dipped the pen into the inkwell. A salamander in the middle of winter moved more quickly than the pen did over the cheque in front of him.[10] I watched him with burning intensity. Finally, crunching a little more gravel with his teeth, he severed the cheque from the chequebook, and slid it across the table towards me.
I pounced! But before my hand could grab the check, Mr Ambrose’s fist came down on one corner with a thud, holding the slip of paper in place.
‘If you take this money,’ he told me, his dark eyes capturing mine, ‘If you really wish to be my employee, fully and completely, you’ll have to accept the consequences. You’ll have to do whatever I say, go wherever I command. Do you understand?’
I didn’t hesitate, but snatched the slip of paper from his under hand.
‘Yes!’
Travel Plans
Ding-dong…
The department store assistant looked up at the sound of the doorbell. Her usual bright I-have-things-to-sell smile wilted a little when she saw the shabby looking young man who had entered the premises.
‘Sir? May I help you?’ The unspoken words ‘with leaving this place right away’ were clearly attached to the sentence.
The shabby young man, i.e. me, didn’t let herself be put off by that.
‘Yes! I have some money with me, and I would like to spend it!’
The smile returned to the assistant’s face in a flash. ‘Really? Well, if that’s the case, please follow me, Sir. What would you like me to show you?’
‘Watches! I need a pocket watch. Nothing special, but it has to be reliable, and with a… oh, what do you call this fancy new invention when a watch makes “ding-dong” at a certain time?’
‘Alarm?’
‘That’s it! A pocket watch with an alarm! I need to be at work every day at eight o’clock, punctually.’ My lips twitched. ‘Very, very, very punctually.’
‘I see, Sir. Please come with me. I think I have just what you need.’
Following the assistant, I could hardly believe what was happening. I was buying something! Not just buying something, but buying it with my own money! I couldn’t help a self-satisfied grin from forming on my face.
‘Here, Sir… what do
you think of this model?’
‘Too flashy.’
‘And that one?’
‘That looks a bit too delicate. It has to withstand a lot of strain.’
‘Like what, for example, Sir?’
