Trial and Error Read Online Free PDF

told him I’d always admired your work and would like to ask you to lunch and have a talk. Instead of which, you very kindly asked me.”
    â€œWell,” said Furze, “the thing I don’t understand is why the devil you want my advice at all. This is the sort of thing a man has to worry out for himself. Why ask me to take the responsibility of advising you on anything so crazy?”
    Mr Todhunter leaned across the table, his head poised in front of his bony shoulders, more like that of a tortoise than ever.
    â€œI’ll tell you,” he said earnestly. “Because I’d formed the opinion that you aren’t afraid of responsibility. Nearly everyone is. I am myself. And furthermore, I believed that anything a little crazy, as you describe it, might appeal to you.”
    Furze gave a sudden shout of laughter, startling a waiter. “By Jove, I believe you’re right there too.”
    â€œAnd thirdly,” pursued Mr Todhunter seriously, “because you’re one of the few people I know of who are really doing some good in the world.”
    â€œOh, nonsense,” Furze contradicted. “There are plenty of people working in a quiet way, without any thanks or recognition. You’d be surprised.”
    â€œI should,” said Mr Todhunter drily. “In any case, I know through Chitterwick what you’ve been doing ever since the war, for the Middleman’s League-oppressed middle classes and so on. And I know how much solid good you’ve done, if all these things like insurance for blackcoat workers and so on that they’ve been putting through Parliament lately are chiefly due to you, as Chitterwick says. So you seemed to me the obvious person to advise me on my own position and tell me if there’s any way I can use it for the general good,”
    â€œThat’s all nonsense of course. There are dozens of us working on this tack alone and still more trying to get things done on sensible lines for the unemployed. There’s plenty of altruism about still, thank heaven, though goodness knows how long it will last. But as for your own case, if you really want me to advise you. . .”
    â€œYes?” said Mr Todhunter eagerly.
    â€œGo off and have as good a time as you can and forget all about Hitler and everyone else.”
    For a moment Mr Todhunter looked disappointed, and his head drew back as if into its shell. Then once again it shot forward.
    â€œYes, I understand. That’s your advice. And now tell me what you’d do if you were in my place.”
    â€œAh,” said Furze, “That’s quite different. But I think, if you don’t mind, that I won’t. After all, I’ve never met you before, have I? I’m sure Chitterwick is quite right in all he says of you, but I really can’t put myself in the position later of having been an accessory before the fact.”
    Mr Todhunter sighed. “Yes, I quite see your point. And of course the idea sounds quite fantastic. It was very good of you to listen to me at all.”
    â€œNot at all. Most interesting. You’ll have cheese, won’t you? The green cheddar here is usually quite eatable.”
    â€œNo, thank you. I’m afraid cheese invariably disagrees with me.”
    â€œReally? That’s a pity. By the way, are you interested in cricket? I was at Lord’s last Wednesday, and--”
    â€œHow very odd. So was I. A magnificent finish, wasn’t it? And that reminds me, you and I once played against each other.”
    â€œIs that so?”
    â€œYes. I was in the Valetudinarian team that came down to Winchester the year you were keeping wicket, during the war.”
    â€œThe old Crocks? Were you really? I remember that match very well. Then you must have known Dick Warburton?”
    â€œVery well indeed. We went to Sherborne the same year.”
    â€œOh, you were at Sherborne? I’ve got a young cousin there now.”
    There are