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She tried to lift one end be

of the branch, but success, all the while cry ing,

"Father! at1" hen, of a sudden she was flying back te way she d come and yelling at the top be of her voice, Roie! Robbie!" be When she reai1 e road it was to see Char Fenwick the coall11 about to hump a sack onto nis be

back from the dray cart and she yelled, Mr Fenwic.

Mr Fenwick! Cofi qckly! Please! My father's been hurt! A tree fell o0 hinl father's been hurt!" bar

"What i it mis" iie two coaly hands came o0 her shoulders. at "you say, your father's bee hurt? Now, now, i" where is he?"'

'In the wood! 1dg the wood! Please come!

He's all

blood!" * , Still keeping t101" of he, the man tamed a" veiled "Mrs Anni1 s Annie!" And when Mrs An'

i to the gate, she exclaimed, "Oh my the matter, girl? Have you had a fa...?"' ii finish her sentence because the coalman his: her, saying, "She says her father's been tree fell on him. He's in the wood." It-nu him?"'

Jjlggity Her eyes screwed up again, Rosie was tes! Yes! Mrs Annie. He's all blood" I conWi. it."

*P right girl, it's all right. Let me get me coat. bar bar Charlie and let's go and see what's hap-

?"' reached the blood-covered prostrate figthe branch Charlie Fenwick exclaimed, "Oh What's happened here? Dear! Dear!" and he

*ness get this off him."

,ea.2i as gently as possible, they lifted the enand broken branches away from the man's J bar So seemingly reluctantly, Mrs Annie knelt *) the frozen earth and after turning the head

,"...A too muttered, 'Oh my God!" Then looking ."- said, here's a bit of a branch sticking in bar bar do better not touch it. We'll have to get the and... and some men from the house. I'll shout

- wall and get them. There's bound to be aiSo"

near," and turning to where Rosie was ,ness?

her hand across her mouth again and her i3So she said Come, me dear. Come. Charlie Scomwith him. Come on. Come on."

concci as if Rosie were rooted to the ground, s nme to pull her away while repeating, bex- will stay here with him. Come on now. Come

Rosie allowed herself to be led away. She felt cold strange. She wanted to be sick, really sick. Her chesggbar so heaving and she felt faint.

bar

Annie just managed to get her into the kitchen and bar to the shallow stone sink into which she actually vom bar ed, and she urged er: That's it, dear! Gt it upffbar Then sit by the fire; I've got to get help. You understand? You understand, girl? Well, do what I say, sit bar by the fire.

Annie now went out of the house and to the wood shed, where she grabbed a short ladder and, trailing bar it, she mad her way to the wall. Prom the top rn bar she could just see over the coping; and now, her voice I as loud as she could make it, and that was very loud she screamed, "Help! Help! Somebody come"

Help'i

Mr Steel's hurt in the wood." bar that was Willie Connor who first heard her shout H didn't know who it was, just that somebody was; calling for help somewhere in the shrubbery at yon bar end the garden. 1 When he reached the wall and saw Annie's tac

above it and heard what she was screaming at h said,

'Oh God in heaven! We'll be there."

Her last words to him were, "Bring something him on. And get the doctor." J

Rosie was still in Annie's kitchen, and she being yelled at by Robbie, standing in front of he e sat on the settle with Annies arm about her hoi ig her tightly.

Annie looed at her son and didn't interrupt a dg he was saying or check him for his manner, for he was actually gowling at Rosie. "Forget it".

*lTw Wallace in the wood. You saw no

?"'- wood. You were just going to meet your S hen the tree crashed down on him. "i anyway, the whole branch was rotten. R he have had anything to do with it?"' that. did! I saw him running. He was wait ll he was waiting for Father.

I tell you, And he had something trailing behind. I r? it was now, it was a rope. I tell you..."

tell me nothing, girl. Now liten to me, Rosii your mouth and say that you saw the you're going to cause such a snk in your r; you've never smelt before. And you'll " it out of your nostrils."

."...ddull??, to Annie now, saying, "He was waitI". I saw him beforehand, he was waiting is must have pulled that branch down jn. I tell you I saw him. I..." had his hands on her shoulders now. 'It's

hoodwinking you any more, miss, or letting your eyes closed Very likely it was Jackie. L and he had a reason, because you know It"" father had been?

He had just come back in bed with Jackie's mother.

Get that into : Listen!" He now caught her face between "com and held it stiffly as he stared into her eyes. IP" h J bn in bed with Jackie's comThat's where he often went, and the boy had be2"..."...r.

She supplied men when her poor man were' droving.

And all Jackie does is try to them off. He's set fire to haystacks, he's left (ltdLike he's done all kinds to frigten men off tJM.

But his mother is a whore. Do you know what a whore is? You don't know what a whore i do you? A whore is a loose woman who'll let sa man go with her for money, never for love, just l money. And your father was a rotten man.

Ask MamI here. Your poor mother went through it for years, but she had to put a face on it, to bring you all up re spectable like, not looked down on as the daughter ofi a woman-chaser." be Now Rosie was struggling in his grasp, but he did not let go of her. He was now holding her hands as I he said 'allyou're going to sit there and come to life, i come out of the little girl. I thought you had whe you took up with fancy Mr Golding. But even that didn't bring you into reality. Well, now you're in it Your father was a stinker in every possible way. And I'll tell you something else. Charlie Fenwick, the coalman there, he wasn't delivering this morning, not to your house, 'cos the bills haven't been paid for bar months and months. Oh! That's opened your eyes i more than the immorality has done. You can't believe 1 it can you? He owes everybody in the town. He's;

gambled and whored for years. Your grandfather paid bar his debts just because of your mother. Then there was a point when he, too, had to stop. He appeared to be a jolly man, didn't he, your grandfather? Well, let roe tell you, he had lived under a cover for years, just to preserve something called class respectability. Now greater-than now, my girl, you mention Jackie Wallace's name an all this will come out, and you'll have to live undr i And do you think your fiance, Mr Golding, will big enough to take it? He's in the Civil Servie, isn"

he? the Diplomatic side, and they're a very snooty lot they are. They don't like scandals.

They may hav

bar bar Tf Obsession 77 "iij themselves h,, ti

ieTre like your wen concealed . wth anyth1 of them be "g rather than have their class s

and sghteningup,

remember that n " e" and as t trying to k lad has 011 awae of tllgs frcm his Yet, S but hes a goo is the of es in Wallace.

He A qulet years diserve her. And that tolceepitfro11101111 and has her

visitors father'just by to Oh yes. he did managed it with a lot leant back agt i bement arm went arSo of ttle and

cold, right to the v dg g her close; but @.

never be wa vely heart of her she felt 1 she did be he eHeve

H feeling she had had expla*ind that old f And now she reca some time about her bar that made he w often her mother water she d

. passed her i11the tilne that wallooked at her. Sheh 1 and had laughed for her hat wasrt ought she must be miTffT5i part of her straight and she had bar 5t her father Mouse below her bs.

S suddenly she this oman ngaged herself from An-therine oson

nie's hold and said, p bett . to me, Robbie said, "All rihtp nce wil1 as the gate." He had ot adderi Isee you along as not there to greet me any more Because your father'8

l rom the carbide lamp picked out only the ay ahead as John pushed his bicycle slowly

" sr T T

1 * e was tired. He'd had a long day; he i from half-past eight when he took his

'yfSj" other person seemed to have either a ,"

cold or bronchitis, among the minor ail""

n there had been the business of Steel. ItUs on seven o'clock now and, following on

"*"'*r- .1 less-than -

" s afternoon, the ground was freezing l d llave to watch out; he had almost skidded E11 a little way back, and only his grabbing M1 had saved him.

- his head as a swinging lantern appeared bar will of the hill; and the bearer, when he comtti"" stopped and said, hat you Doctor?"' , hello, Mr Wallace.

It's going to be an-

" llace did not respond but said, 'allyou my lad about, have you?"' No. ell, what d'you mean?

Just lately, a of hours or so?"'

y t greater-than less-than

the darie. He's been missing all day. I had thou 'Hash would bring him back." bar "No been playing truant?"' bar so, bt -- He hasn't been to school for a week f "Oh; is because he wasn't feeling well." bar think of ow," John put in. Yes, when I coe see, it vt I have seen him. But it was... oh, letit bar by Bisho t have been round about four o'clock ov. down the Meadow. I wondered what he was doi old far"

Unless he was looking for stones from tht wouldn't11 I 1*1 telling myself, 1"

didn't ti looking for wood because what the fin bar

"Bisho he children did." bar four o'cl Meadow?

Oh, thank you Doctor. Abotj

"Ye . his

" t less-than *"

long before ould be that. Has he ever been away his

'ationo, ne I mean awav an day?"' I he said, less-than That like' Never!" Dave Wallace paused befiej

drove. I ven't been all that long back fro a:

died. He comanother pause- 't Mr Steel has 'allyes. V hit by a falling tree, I understand." backslash you kno Quite a tragedy. A rotten branch. Wll;

snap with * at they're like in this weather. They ca j

place on esar of g11 The most dg10; frost there is in a wood when there's the kind o";

"What tin s this morning." I "Oh, abo less-than iid it happen?"' asked Dave Wallac. "And in " the middle of the morning."

bar 'allyes. Ys. ood?"' bar

When t rlot far from your P1' the man tur as no response to this statement all j the swayi less-than 1 sharply away, John stood watcbil bar antern, indicating that Wallace ba j

tSB' which would take him into a field and 3 Meadow. He wanted to say, "Hold your nii and I'll come along with you;" but he he was hungry. There came to his mind *" m tne P which had happened to fc visitors; or at least, to their property. bar "to TS been coing from the direction of the Sli" boy had been missing all day, and Dave a tormented man. It all seemed to link left-brace it was no surprise to himself when he " *; voice yell out, "Hold your hand a minute, l come along with you."

iemoving the lamp from his bicycle he into te ditch, and jumped over it.

Can'.. did not slacken his pace, but when n up with him, he said, here's no need, ptSiES-LII all the same." 'ITS

to climb a stone wall to get into Bishop's .,. and then they were walking down the gentle *iif"disww where the bumt-out farmhouse had ,E greater-than less-than they approached it, John raised his lamp

l2 anc showed up a doorless scarred wall. of the roof had gone too, the slates likely "KIIK

some other fanner's house. When he i down the lamp again, Dave Wallace had alEvery through the opening, and John could y his lante had revealed: the boy crouched (fcj'i. He made no movement, but his eyes were , out of his head and his mouth was agape.

"i" seconds they were both kneeling by his side Wallace was saying, "It's all right, son. It's l It's all right. D'you hear?

It's all right."

1 now took one of the boy's wrists and began to check his pulse. The fingers were stiff and de cold, and so h chafed the hands. The boy's face was bar deadly pale, except for a blue tinge.

bar "I...I didn't mean it Dad." i

"It's all right, boy, it's all right. Don't talk." bar "But he's...he's dead. I..i didn't mean it, Dad." j "I know you didn't; I know you didn't." be

"Just... just to frighten... just to frighten him. TiBut branch was rotten. Wouldn't...wdn't hfflUs not...n really. Didn't mean it Dad." "Come along. Get up."

When they both now attempted to help the boy to his feet his legs buckled under him, so they laid i down again and began to rub the frozen limbs.

Did...didn't mean it."

'Shh! Be quiet now. Be quiet. Your father knows you didn't mean it," John said. bar It was as if for the first time the boy had becom j aware of the doctor, for his mouth opened wide and he gasped, "Don't.. disdon't take.. disdon't take me away. bar

'ationobody's going to take you away. The only thing is" comJohn was patting the boy's cheek now-

"liste to me. Don't talk about it. Do you hear?

Don't tattj about it. What did I say?"'

J "D-d-do... don't t-talk... about it." I hat's right. That's right. Nobody knows but yo"...J Your dad doesn't know, and I don't know, only yo bar so don't talk about it. It was a rotten branch. Everyo6 knows that. Do you understand?"' bar

'Don't... d-d-don't talk about it.

y-yes, Doctor l hot. I...I was cold.

I was cold for a long tie, D0 I was cold."

were

t soon be home, son. Come on now; get on His

" i1"

ni him up again, but his legs still wobbled

"lBut him out of the derelict house, then .: But ten minutes later when they reached the boy was walking unaided, although his bar fc drooped and his breath came in short gasps. Dave Wallace pushed the cottage door open iWt, John realised he was no longer the quiet FW-NOT led into the kitchen and there was his 'hn at one side of the table, and her head His?"'. she said, 'So you've found him, have you? "be" trouble, as usual.

And the doctor with him. il We have company this evenin", bar bar i we? What have we done to deserve this?"' " Wallace made o response to his wife's quip;

"pKnowledge if he hadn' t noticed her. But he guided his bar tilde John past the foot of the stairs in the middle

"nii. and through a door into a bedroom. i* he thrust the lante onto a low chest of drawleading his son to the bed. i[. boy had been capable of saying anything he have remarked that this was his father and greater-than bed; but he wasn't and so allowed his father y!