stress. If she does find being a librarian overly taxing, then she ought to consider whether she should continue. I consider myself totally innocent in this affair. Furthermore, I think you would be creating a serious precedent if you uphold the Head of Department’s warning to me. It would mean that any member of staff – either academic or non-academic – who did not want to do a particular job, could issue a formal grievance against the member of staff who made the request. Do you really want this to happen?”
“You can hear how arrogant he is,” said Sloth. For once he was fully awake. “How dare he suggest my wife should give up her job – that’s just typical of him! Rich and arrogant!” He realized he had gone too far and lapsed into silence.
“We are not here,” the Vice-Chancellor said with dignity, “to determine how I should manage the university. The question is whether Professor Gilbert behaved in an offensive fashion. The Committee will give its decision, and I will communicate it to you in writing.” He stood up and escorted Penelope and me to the door. He thanked us for coming, and slammed it shut behind us.
Forlornly I walked back to my office with Penelope. “That didn’t go very well, did it?” I said.
“They want to get rid of you,” she said. “You’re expensive, and they probably have someone in the wings. I know the signs. Keep a close eye on your graduate students.” Fleetingly I thought back to the scene of young Grundy with Wanda. I told myself I was being paranoid.
I found Magnus in the Senior Common Room. He was struggling with the Times crossword. “Damn difficult today,” he announced. “Can’t seem to make any sense of most of it. So, how was Barraclough?”
“Terrible,” I said.
“Didn’t go well then?”
“I didn’t have a chance. How could I, with Sloth running the show?”
“How were Randolph and Parham?”
“They just sat there. They didn’t even look at me.”
“Oh dear. Well, Harry, you’ll just have to live with an oral warning. It could be worse. You might have to teach summer school.”
Later in the afternoon, I had a brief note from Barraclough telling me that my appeal had been rejected. I wasn’t in the mood to do anything, but I had to attend the Talks Dinner Committee at the Acropolis at six. I caught the train and arrived a half hour late. Afterwards I stayed for dinner and sat at the Club Table. When I went up to the drawing room, I looked in the candidates’ book to see if anyone had supported Sloth. To my surprise the page with his name and supporters had been removed. I saw the secretary of the club standing by the bar and went over to speak to him.
“I was looking for a candidate’s name in the book,” I said. “But it seems to have vanished.”
“Who’s that?” he queried.
“Dr Sloth. He’s the Registrar of my university.”
“Oh yes,” he said. “He was a candidate. But his supporter and seconder have asked that his name be removed.”
“Really?”
“Yes, there seems to have been a problem about his page. I’m afraid someone defaced it. I think his supporters thought there might be opposition to his election.”
“Oh dear!” I said.
“Well, someone was certainly determined he shouldn’t be a member.”
This was cheery news. I felt much happier and decided to have a little celebration. I ordered a glass of champagne and took a bowl of peanuts to eat as I read the latest issue of the Church Times .
CHAPTER SIX
Better to Sleep Than to Fight
Over the next few days I looked at Pilkington’s party invitation on the mantelpiece. I was in no mood to attend, but Victoria was insistent. “If you don’t go,” she said, “it will look as though they’ve won. And I want to have another peek at their extraordinary decor. Don’t forget to use the downstairs loo so you can see what colour it is.”
“Really Victoria, you are a snob!”
“I am not! I love my friends in the Women’s Institute. It’s
“You can hear how arrogant he is,” said Sloth. For once he was fully awake. “How dare he suggest my wife should give up her job – that’s just typical of him! Rich and arrogant!” He realized he had gone too far and lapsed into silence.
“We are not here,” the Vice-Chancellor said with dignity, “to determine how I should manage the university. The question is whether Professor Gilbert behaved in an offensive fashion. The Committee will give its decision, and I will communicate it to you in writing.” He stood up and escorted Penelope and me to the door. He thanked us for coming, and slammed it shut behind us.
Forlornly I walked back to my office with Penelope. “That didn’t go very well, did it?” I said.
“They want to get rid of you,” she said. “You’re expensive, and they probably have someone in the wings. I know the signs. Keep a close eye on your graduate students.” Fleetingly I thought back to the scene of young Grundy with Wanda. I told myself I was being paranoid.
I found Magnus in the Senior Common Room. He was struggling with the Times crossword. “Damn difficult today,” he announced. “Can’t seem to make any sense of most of it. So, how was Barraclough?”
“Terrible,” I said.
“Didn’t go well then?”
“I didn’t have a chance. How could I, with Sloth running the show?”
“How were Randolph and Parham?”
“They just sat there. They didn’t even look at me.”
“Oh dear. Well, Harry, you’ll just have to live with an oral warning. It could be worse. You might have to teach summer school.”
Later in the afternoon, I had a brief note from Barraclough telling me that my appeal had been rejected. I wasn’t in the mood to do anything, but I had to attend the Talks Dinner Committee at the Acropolis at six. I caught the train and arrived a half hour late. Afterwards I stayed for dinner and sat at the Club Table. When I went up to the drawing room, I looked in the candidates’ book to see if anyone had supported Sloth. To my surprise the page with his name and supporters had been removed. I saw the secretary of the club standing by the bar and went over to speak to him.
“I was looking for a candidate’s name in the book,” I said. “But it seems to have vanished.”
“Who’s that?” he queried.
“Dr Sloth. He’s the Registrar of my university.”
“Oh yes,” he said. “He was a candidate. But his supporter and seconder have asked that his name be removed.”
“Really?”
“Yes, there seems to have been a problem about his page. I’m afraid someone defaced it. I think his supporters thought there might be opposition to his election.”
“Oh dear!” I said.
“Well, someone was certainly determined he shouldn’t be a member.”
This was cheery news. I felt much happier and decided to have a little celebration. I ordered a glass of champagne and took a bowl of peanuts to eat as I read the latest issue of the Church Times .
CHAPTER SIX
Better to Sleep Than to Fight
Over the next few days I looked at Pilkington’s party invitation on the mantelpiece. I was in no mood to attend, but Victoria was insistent. “If you don’t go,” she said, “it will look as though they’ve won. And I want to have another peek at their extraordinary decor. Don’t forget to use the downstairs loo so you can see what colour it is.”
“Really Victoria, you are a snob!”
“I am not! I love my friends in the Women’s Institute. It’s
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