He was glad to leave school. It had not been unpleasant, he

had enjoyed the companionship of the other youths, or had

thought he enjoyed it, the time had passed very quickly, in

endless activity. But he knew all the time that he was in an

ignominious position, in this place of learning. He was aware of

failure all the while, of incapacity. But he was too healthy and

sanguine to be wretched, he was too much alive. Yet his soul was

wretched almost to hopelessness.

He had loved one warm, clever boy who was frail in body, a

consumptive type. The two had had an almost classic friendship,

David and Jonathan, wherein Brangwen was the Jonathan, the

server. But he had never felt equal with his friend, because the

other's mind outpaced his, and left him ashamed, far in the

rear. So the two boys went at once apart on leaving school. But

Brangwen always remembered his friend that had been, kept him as

a sort of light, a fine experience to remember.

Tom Brangwen was glad to get back to the farm, where he was

in his own again. "I have got a turnip on my shoulders, let me

stick to th' fallow," he said to his exasperated mother. He had

too low an opinion of himself. But he went about at his work on

the farm gladly enough, glad of the active labour and the smell

of the land again, having youth and vigour and humour, and a

comic wit, having the will and the power to forget his own

shortcomings, finding himself violent with occasional rages, but

usually on good terms with everybody and everything.

When he was seventeen, his father fell from a stack and broke

his neck. Then the mother and son and daughter lived on at the

farm, interrupted by occasional loud-mouthed lamenting,

jealous-spirited visitations from the butcher Frank, who had a

grievance against the world, which he felt was always giving him

less than his dues. Frank was particularly against the young

Tom, whom he called a mardy baby, and Tom returned the hatred

violently, his face growing red and his blue eyes staring. Effie

sided with Tom against Frank. But when Alfred came, from

Nottingham, heavy jowled and lowering, speaking very little, but

treating those at home with some contempt, Effie and the mother

sided with him and put Tom into the shade. It irritated the

youth that his elder brother should be made something of a hero

by the women, just because he didn't live at home and was a

lace-designer and almost a gentleman. But Alfred was something

of a Prometheus Bound, so the women loved him. Tom came later to

understand his brother better.




readonlinefreebook.com Copyright 2016 - 2024