快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部! 如果本书没有阅读完，想下次继续接着阅读，可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能！

　papers　that　had　somehow　been　scattered　as　she　gesticulated。

‘What　about　patient　confidentiality？’　shouted　Shirley。　‘Outrageous！　Absolutely　outrageous！’

Parminder　was　at　the　door　of　the　hall　and　striding　through　it；　and　she　heard；　over　her　own　furious　sobs；　Betty　calling　for　her　immediate　expulsion　from　the　council；　she　was　half　running　away　from　the　hall；　and　she　knew　that　she　had　done　something　cataclysmic；　and　she　wanted　nothing　more　than　to　be　swallowed　up　by　the　darkness　and　to　disappear　for　ever。

IX
The　Yarvil　and　District　Gazette　erred　on　the　side　of　caution　in　reporting　what　had　been　said　during　the　most　acrimonious　Pagford　Parish　Council　meeting　in　living　memory。　It　made　little　difference；　the　bowdlerized　report；　augmented　by　the　vivid　eye…witness　descriptions　offered　by　all　who　had　attended；　still　created　widespread　gossip。　To　make　matters　worse；　a　front…page　story　detailed　the　anonymous　inter　attacks　in　the　dead　man’s　name　that　had；　to　quote　Alison　Jenkins；　‘caused　considerable　speculation　and　anger。　See　page　four　for　full　report。’　While　the　names　of　the　accused　and　the　details　of　their　supposed　misdemeanours　were　not　given；　the　sight　of　‘serious　allegations’　and　‘criminal　activity’　in　newsprint　disturbed　Howard　even　more　than　the　original　posts。

‘We　should　have　beefed　up　security　on　the　site　as　soon　as　that　first　post　appeared；’　he　said；　addressing　his　wife　and　business　partner　from　in　front　of　his　gas　fire。

Silent　spring　rain　sprinkled　the　window；　and　the　back　lawn　glistened　with　tiny　red　pinpricks　of　light。　Howard　was　feeling　shivery；　and　was　hogging　all　the　heat　emanating　from　the　fake　coal。　For　several　days；　nearly　every　visitor　to　the　delicatessen　and　the　café　had　been　gossiping　about　the　anonymous　posts；　about　the　Ghost　of　Barry　Fairbrother　and　about　Parminder　Jawanda’s　outburst　at　the　council　meeting。　Howard　hated　the　things　that　she　had　shouted　being　bandied　about　in　public。　For　the　first　time　in　his　life；　he　felt　unfortable　in　his　own　shop；　and　concerned　about　his　previously　unassailable　position　in　Pagford。　The　election　for　the　replacement　of　Barry　Fairbrother　would　take　place　the　following　day；　and　where　Howard　had　felt　sanguine　and　excited；　he　was　worried　and　twitchy。

‘This　has　done　a　lot　of　damage。　A　lot　of　damage；’　he　repeated。

His　hand　strayed　to　his　belly　to　scratch；　but　he　pulled　it　away；　enduring　the　itch　with　a　martyr’s　expression。　He　would　not　soon　forget　what　Dr　Jawanda　had　screamed　to　the　council　and　the　press。　He　and　Shirley　had　already　checked　the　details　of　the　General　Medical　Council；　gone　to　see　Dr　Crawford；　and　made　a　formal　plaint。　Parminder　had　not　been　seen　at　work　since；　so　no　doubt　she　was　already　regretting　her　outburst。　Nevertheless；　Howard　could　not　rid　himself　of　the　sight　of　her　expression　as　she　screamed　at　him。　It　had　shaken　him　to　see　such　hatred　on　another　human’s　face。

‘It’ll　all　blow　over；’　said　Shirley　reassuringly。

‘I’m　not　so　sure；’　said　Howard。　‘I’m　not　so　sure。　It　doesn’t　make　us　look　good。　The　council。　Rows　in　front　of　the　press。　We　look　divided。　Aubrey　says　they’re　not　happy；　at　District　level。　This　whole　thing’s　undermined　our　statement　about　the　Fields。　Squabbling　in　public；　everything　getting　dirty　…　it　doesn’t　look　like　the　council’s　speaking　for　the　town。’

‘But　we　are；’　said　Shirley；　with　a　little　laugh。　‘Nobody　in　Pagford　wants　the　Fields　–　hardly　anyone。’

‘The　article　makes　it　look　like　our　side　went　after　pro…Fielders。　Tried　to　intimidate　them；’　said　Howard；　succumbing　to　the　temptation　to　scratch；　and　doing　it　fiercely。　‘All　right；　Aubrey　knows　it　wasn’t　any　of　our　side；　but　that’s　not　how　that　journalist　made　it　look。　And　I’ll　tell　you　this：　if　Yarvil　makes　us　look　inept　or　dirty　…　they’ve　been　looking　for　a　chance　to　take　us　over　for　years。’

‘That　won’t　happen；’　said　Shirley　at　once。　‘That　couldn’t　happen。’

‘I　thought　it　was　over；’　said　Howard；　ignoring　his　wife；　and　thinking　of　the　Fields。　‘I　thought　we’d　done　it。　I　thought　we’d　got　rid　of　them。’

The　article　over　which　he　had　spent　so　much　time；　explaining　why　the　estate　and　the　Bellchapel　Addiction　Clinic　were　drains　and　blots　on　Pagford；　had　been　pletely　overshadowed　by　the　scandals　of　Parminder’s　outburst；　and　the　Ghost　of　Barry　Fairbrother。　Howard　had　pletely　forgotten　now　how　much　pleasure　the　accusations　against　Simon　Price　had　given　him；　and　that　it　had　not　occurred　to　him　to　remove　them　until　Price’s　wife　had　asked。

‘District　Council’s　emailed　me；’　he　told　Maureen；　‘with　a　bunch　of　questions　about　the　website。　They　want　to　hear　what　steps　we’ve　taken　against　defamation。　They　think　the　security’s　lax。’

Shirley；　who　detected　a　personal　reproof　in　all　of　this；　said　coldly；　‘I’ve　told　you；　I’ve　taken　care　of　it；　Howard。’

The　nephew　of　friends　of　Howard　and　Shirley’s　had　e　round　the　previous　day；　while　Howard　was　at　work。　The　boy　was　halfway　through　a　degree　in　puting。　His　remendation　to　Shirley　had　been　that　they　take　down　the　immensely　hackable　website；　bring　in　‘someone　who　knows　what　they’re　doing’　and　set　up　a　new　one。

Shirley　had　understood　barely　one　word　in　ten　of　the　technical　jargon　that　the　young　man　had　spewed　at　her。　She　knew　that　‘hack’　meant　to　breach　illegally；　and　when　the　student　stopped　talking　his　gibberish；　she　was　left　with　the　confused　impression　that　the　Ghost　had　somehow　managed　to　find　out　people’s　passwords；　maybe　by　questioning　them　cunningly　in　casual　conversation。

She　had　therefore　emailed　everybody　to　request　that　they　change　their　password　and　make　sure　not　to　share　the　new　one　with　anybody。　This　was　what　she　meant　by　‘I’ve　taken　care　of　it’。

As　to　the　suggestion　of　closing　down　the　site；　of　which　she　was　guardian　and　curator；　she　had　taken　no　steps；　nor　had　she　mentioned　the　idea　to　Howard。　Shirley　was　afraid　that　a　site　containing　all　the　security　measures　that　the　superior　young　man　had　suggested　would　be　way　beyond　the　scope　of　her　managerial　and　technical　skills。　She　was　already　stretched　to　the　limits　of　her　abilities；　and　she　was　determined　to　cling　to　the　post　of　administrator。

‘If　Miles　is　elected—’　Shirley　began；　but　Maureen　interrupted；　in　her　deep　voice。　‘Let’s　hope　it　hasn’t　hurt　him；　this　nasty　stuff。　Let’s　hope　there　isn’t　a　backlash　against　him。’

‘People　will　know　Miles　had　nothing　to　do　with　it；’　said　Shirley　coolly。

‘Will　they；　though？’　said　Maureen；　and　Shirley　simply　hated　her。　How　dare　she　sit　in　Shirley’s　lounge　and　contradict　her？　And　what　was　worse；　Howard　was　nodding　his　agreement　with　Maureen。

‘That’s　my　worry；’　he　said；　‘and　we　need　Miles　more　than　ever　now。　Get　some　cohesion　back　on　the　council。　After　Bends…Your…Ear　said　what　she　said　–　after　all　the　uproar　–　we　didn’t　even　take　the　vote　on　Bellchapel。　We　need　Miles。’

Shirley　had　already　walked　out　of　the　room　in　silent　protest　at　Howard’s　siding　with　Maureen。　She　busied　herself　with　the　teacups　in　the　kitchen；　silently　fuming；　wondering　why　she　did　not　set　out　only　two　cups　to　give　Maureen　the　hint　that　she　so　richly　deserved。

Shirley　continued　to　feel　nothing　but　defiant　admiration　for　the　Ghost。　His　accusations　had　exposed　the　truth　about　people　whom　she　disliked　and　despised；　people　who　were　destructive　and　wrong…headed。　She　was　sure　that　the　electorate　of　Pagford　would　see　things　her　way　and　vote　for　Miles；　rather　than　that　disgusting　man；　Colin　Wall。

‘When　shall　we　go　and　vote？’　Shirley　asked　Howard；　re…entering　the　room　with　the　tinkling　tea　tray；　and　pointedly　ignoring　Maureen　（for　it　was　their　son　whose　name　they　would　tick　on　the　ballot）。

But　to　her　intense　irritation；　Howard　suggested　that　all　three　of　them　go　after　closing　time。

Miles　Mollison　was　quite　as　concerned　as　his　father　that　the　unprecedented　ill…humour　surrounding　next　day’s　vote　would　affect　his　electoral　chances。　That　very　morning　he　had　entered　the　newsagent’s　behind　the　Square　and　caught　a　snatch　of　conversation　between　the　woman　behind　the　till　and　her　elderly　customer。

‘…　Mollison’s　always　thought　he　was　king　of　Pagford；’　the　old　man　was　saying；　oblivious　to　the　wooden　expression　on　the　shopkeeper’s　face。　‘I　liked　Barry　Fairbrother。　Tragedy；　that　was。　Tragedy。　The　Mollison　boy　did　our　wills　and　I　thought　he　was　very　pleased　with　himself。’

Miles　had　lost　his　nerve　at　that　and　slipped　back　out　of　the　shop；　his　face　glowing　like　a　schoolboy’s。　He　wondered　whether　the　well…spoken　old　man　was　the　originator　of　that　anonymous　letter。　Miles’　fortable　belief　in　his　own　likeability　was　shaken；　and　he　kept　trying　to　imagine　how　it　would　feel　if　nobody　voted　for　him　the　following　day。

As　he　undressed　for　bed　that　night；　he　watched　his　silent　wife’s　reflection　in　the　dressing…table　mirror。　For　days；　Samantha　had　been　nothing　but　sarcastic　if　he　mentioned　the　election。　He　could　have　done　with　some　support；　some　fort；　this　evening。　He　also　felt　randy。　It　had　been　a　long　time。　Thinking　back；　he　supposed　that　it　had　been　the　night　before　Barry　Fairbrother　dropped　dead。　She　had　been　a　little　bit　drunk。　It　often　took　a　little　bit　of　drink；　these　days。

‘How　was　work？’　he　asked；　watching　her　undo　her　bra　in　the　mirror。

Samantha　did　not　answer　immediately。　She　rubbed　the　deep　red　grooves　in　the　flesh　beneath　her　arms　left　by　the　tight　bra；　then　said；　without　looking　at　Miles；　‘I’ve　been　meaning　to　talk　to　you　about　that；　actually。’
Ｚei8。电子书
She　hated　having　to　say　it。　She　had　been　trying　to　avoid　doing　so　for　several　weeks。

‘Roy　thinks　I　ought　to　close　the　shop。　It’s　not　doing　well。’

Exactly　how　badly　the　shop　was　doing　would　be　a　shock　to　Miles。　It　had　been　a　shock　to　her；　when　her　accountant　had　laid　out　the　position　in　the　baldest　terms。　She　had　both　known　and　not　known。　It　was　strange　how　your　brain　could　know　what　your　heart　refused　to　accept。

‘Oh；’　said　Miles。　‘But　you’d　keep　the　website？’

‘Yeah；’　she　said。　‘We’d　keep　the　website。’

‘Well；　that’s　good；’　said　Miles　encouragingly。　He　waited　for　almost　a　minute；　out　of　respect　for　the　death　of　her　shop。　Then　he　said；　‘I　don’t　suppose　you　saw　the　Gazette　today？’

She　reached　over　for　the　nightdress　on　her　pillow　and　he　had　a　satisfying　glimpse　of　her　breasts。　Sex　would　definitely　help　relax　him。

‘It’s　a　real　shame；　Sam；’　he　said；　crawling　across　the　bed　behind　her；　and　waiting　to　put　his　arms　around　her　as　she　wriggled　into　the　nightdress。　‘About　the　shop。　It　was　a　great　little　place。　And　you’ve　had　it；　what　–　ten　years？’

‘Fourteen；’　said　Samantha。

She　knew　what　he　wanted。　She　considered　telling　him　to　go　and　screw　himself；　and　decamping　to　the　spare　room；　but　the　trouble　was　that　there　would　then　be　a　row　and　an　atmosphere；　and　what　she　wanted　more　than　anything　in　the　world　was　to　be　able　to　head　off　to　London　with　Libby　in　two　days’　time；　wearing　the　T…shirts　that　she　had　bought　them　both；　and　to　be　within　close　proximity　of　Jake　and　his　band　mates　for　a　whole　evening。　This　excursion　constituted　the　entire　sum　of　Samantha’s　current　happiness。　What　was　more；　sex　might　assuage　Miles’　continuing　annoyance　that　she　was　missing　Howard’s　birthday　party。

So　she　let　him　embrace　and　then　kiss　her。　She　closed　her　eyes；　climbed　on　top　of　him；　and　imagined　herself　riding　Jake　on　a　deserted　white　beach；　nieen　years　old　to　his　twenty…one。　She　came　while　imagining　Miles　watching　them；　furiously；　through　binoculars；　from　a　distant　pedalo。

X
At　nine　o’clock　on　the　morning　of　the　election　for　Barry’s　seat；　Parminder　left　the　Old　Vicarage　and　walked　up　Church　Row　to　the　Walls’　house。　She　rapped　on　the　door　and　waited　until；　at　last；　Colin　appeared。

There　were　shadows　around　his　bloodshot　eyes　and　beneath　his　cheekbones；　his　skin　seemed　to　have　thinned　and　his　clothes　grown　too　big。　He　had　not　yet　returned　to　work。　The　news　that　Parminder　had　screamed　confidential　medical　information　about　Howard　in　public　had　set　back　his　tentative　recovery；　the　more　robust　Colin　of　a　few　nights　ago；　who　had　sat　on　the　leather　pouffe　and　pretended　to　be　confident　of　victory；　might　never　have　been。

‘Is　everything　all　right？’　he　asked；　closing　the　door　behind　her；　looking　wary。

‘Yes；　fine；’　she　said。　‘I　thought　you　might　like　to