Josh's, and he felt uglier than the hunchback of Notre Dame.
Josh and Murphy were dunking each other's heads under the water, jumping in and out on top of each other while the other boys splashed around, and after a while Sammy ventured cautiously in, too, but he was always on the outside of the group, always the observer. That was why it was so odd when later he claimed he didn't know what happened next that afternoon.
Sammy told his mother they had all been frolicking in the river and Josh and Murphy were daring each other on to even bigger and better dives, slapping each other on the back and laughing all the time. After a while the others grew tired and climbed out and were drying off on the bank. He said Murphy must have swum out from the pool into the river, mebbe to show off a bit more. Next thing they knew he was missing. It was two days before they found his body, tangled in the slimy green weeds on the opposite bank. His head was bashed in and they said he must have hit a rock when he dived.
When Annie asked Josh what happened he just shrugged without answering, but his gray eyes looked far- away and she could not read them. She told herself he was grieving and patted his shoulder comfortingly. "It's all right, Josh," she said, "there's nothing you could have done to help him, else you would have done it. I know."
Sammy and Josh had both worked for Frank Aysgarth since they had left school at fourteen. They had started at the bottom the way Frank had, climbing the scaffolding with a hod full of bricks, mixing cement and learning how to lay the bricks evenly. They had learned how to measure up, to put in a window frame, tile a roof, and plaster a wall.
Sammy loved the rough work, but Josh hated it, though he never dared complain to his father. But he had told Annie. Next to Sammy, she was the only one he confided in. His brothers were both married now with homes of their own and it was just Annie and Frank and Josh at home.
Annie's brown eyes were worried as she said, "Well, what do you want to do, Josh?"
He shrugged. "Mebbe I'd like to be a gamekeeper," he said lazily, "on a fancy estate. Or a farmer, looking after the cows and bringing in the harvest."
"Eh lad, you're a dreamer," she replied, laughing. "What do you know about gamekeeping and harvests?"
Sammy knew Annie worried about Josh. "Sometimes I don't know where he is," she confided to him, "or what he's doing. He just disappears."
"Don't you worry," Sammy reassured her, "I'll alius look after him."
He remembered how they had sworn when they were seven years old that they would always be best friends, always watch out for each other no matter what happened. And they had pledged their promise in blood, cutting their thumbs and squeezing them messily together, swearing their vow solemnly. He had kept his promise even though Josh had put him to the test a few times, ganging up with the others and leaving him on his own. But he had put Josh to the test, too, many a time, daring him on to things he would never do alone, like balancing on the parapet of the railway bridge or running across in front of the big thundering steam engine with seconds between them and certain death under its churning iron wheels. But what Sammy really could not stand was when Josh got interested in girls.
"Leave the lasses alone," he would say disgustedly as Josh smiled at a passing pair of pretty young ladies. And, "Why do you want to walk out with her?" when Josh picked up a rough, eager girl outside the Maypole grocery shop in Kirkgate. He felt that same jealousy burning him again, churning his guts till he thought he would die of the pain, and he told himself again it had always been just him and Josh and that's the way it was always going to be, no matter what.
Annie could not understand why it was that Josh suddenly became so moody. Each evening he would come home from work, wash himself and sit silently down to his tea, just the way his father did. Except that wasn't
Josh and Murphy were dunking each other's heads under the water, jumping in and out on top of each other while the other boys splashed around, and after a while Sammy ventured cautiously in, too, but he was always on the outside of the group, always the observer. That was why it was so odd when later he claimed he didn't know what happened next that afternoon.
Sammy told his mother they had all been frolicking in the river and Josh and Murphy were daring each other on to even bigger and better dives, slapping each other on the back and laughing all the time. After a while the others grew tired and climbed out and were drying off on the bank. He said Murphy must have swum out from the pool into the river, mebbe to show off a bit more. Next thing they knew he was missing. It was two days before they found his body, tangled in the slimy green weeds on the opposite bank. His head was bashed in and they said he must have hit a rock when he dived.
When Annie asked Josh what happened he just shrugged without answering, but his gray eyes looked far- away and she could not read them. She told herself he was grieving and patted his shoulder comfortingly. "It's all right, Josh," she said, "there's nothing you could have done to help him, else you would have done it. I know."
Sammy and Josh had both worked for Frank Aysgarth since they had left school at fourteen. They had started at the bottom the way Frank had, climbing the scaffolding with a hod full of bricks, mixing cement and learning how to lay the bricks evenly. They had learned how to measure up, to put in a window frame, tile a roof, and plaster a wall.
Sammy loved the rough work, but Josh hated it, though he never dared complain to his father. But he had told Annie. Next to Sammy, she was the only one he confided in. His brothers were both married now with homes of their own and it was just Annie and Frank and Josh at home.
Annie's brown eyes were worried as she said, "Well, what do you want to do, Josh?"
He shrugged. "Mebbe I'd like to be a gamekeeper," he said lazily, "on a fancy estate. Or a farmer, looking after the cows and bringing in the harvest."
"Eh lad, you're a dreamer," she replied, laughing. "What do you know about gamekeeping and harvests?"
Sammy knew Annie worried about Josh. "Sometimes I don't know where he is," she confided to him, "or what he's doing. He just disappears."
"Don't you worry," Sammy reassured her, "I'll alius look after him."
He remembered how they had sworn when they were seven years old that they would always be best friends, always watch out for each other no matter what happened. And they had pledged their promise in blood, cutting their thumbs and squeezing them messily together, swearing their vow solemnly. He had kept his promise even though Josh had put him to the test a few times, ganging up with the others and leaving him on his own. But he had put Josh to the test, too, many a time, daring him on to things he would never do alone, like balancing on the parapet of the railway bridge or running across in front of the big thundering steam engine with seconds between them and certain death under its churning iron wheels. But what Sammy really could not stand was when Josh got interested in girls.
"Leave the lasses alone," he would say disgustedly as Josh smiled at a passing pair of pretty young ladies. And, "Why do you want to walk out with her?" when Josh picked up a rough, eager girl outside the Maypole grocery shop in Kirkgate. He felt that same jealousy burning him again, churning his guts till he thought he would die of the pain, and he told himself again it had always been just him and Josh and that's the way it was always going to be, no matter what.
Annie could not understand why it was that Josh suddenly became so moody. Each evening he would come home from work, wash himself and sit silently down to his tea, just the way his father did. Except that wasn't
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