Free The Soldier's Curse by Meg Keneally Page A
Authors: Meg Keneally
completely appropriate.
But outside of the daily fourteen hours Monsarrat gave to his employers, he turned his penmanship in a new direction. On thewalls of the offices hung many documents saying that this or that of the barristers had been called to the British Bar and had the right of audience in the higher courts â the House of Lords, the Court of Appeal, the High Court, Crown Court and county courts. In between other work, Monsarrat took rough notes of some of these âcall to the barâ documents. He also took notes when he could of the seal and wax and red ribbon with which the documents were encrusted. At night and on Sundays, he forged a wooden seal to make the right impression, and experimented with melted wax.
He left the law offices on the day his contract expired. He took with him no financial consideration in gratitude for his years of service, nor any verbal thanks. But he did take a document, perfect in every respect except for its authenticity, admitting Hugh Llewellyn Monsarrat to the Bar at Lincolnâs Inn.
Chapter 5
Monsarrat felt he had been virtuous in applying his best penmanship even to the sections of the majorâs report regarding Kiernan. He collected the papers and took them into the majorâs study, anticipating a pleasant half-hour with the Edinburgh Review . It was more liberal-minded than Blackwood âs, so he read the Edinburgh Review to confirm his opinions and the Tory Blackwoodâs Magazine chiefly to give himself the thrill of disagreeing. He took care to surround himself with the signs of business, so he might lay the magazine aside and look plausibly industrious should Captain Diamond come by.
The captain and Major Shelborne had served together in India and Ireland, and the major seemed to trust Diamond. It was a trust for which Monsarrat could see no foundation, and he could only assume it had been built from extremity, forged at the borders of human tolerance which could generally only be reached through war or captivity. That and the fact that the limited number and unpredictable flaws of regimental officers available in the colony meant that any request for a replacement would be considered frivolous and precious by the authorities in Sydney. The personnel of the garrison did not increase in the same way as the ever-enlarging numbers of convicts. So the major was leftto work with Diamond, who had none of Shelborneâs humanity, nor his appreciation for the nuances of life here, the understanding that accommodations and adaptations must be made to build a functioning settlement.
To the captain, anyone wearing a red coat was fully human, others less so. There were degrees, of course. Free men and women were better than convicts and natives, for example. But jumped-up convicts with a pretension bestowed on them by the ability to write a pretty letter and translate Latin were at the bottom of Diamondâs heap. So for Monsarrat, the ability to look busy was as much of a shield as the well-shaped ovals the Birpai excised from trees.
He would never have thought himself to be interested in Scottish kelp farming, but found the most recent Review had an article on the matter, and was toying with the idea of mentioning it to Spring when he heard footsteps crossing the courtyard. They werenât strident enough to belong to Diamond; nevertheless, he calmly laid the magazine aside and picked up his pen.
The man who entered, Edward Donald, was Dr Gonvilleâs convict orderly, an uncomplicated northerner who neither sought nor encouraged a fight, but who was quite happy to use his stout frame as a weapon if a fight couldnât be avoided. Monsarrat liked him â he spoke only when needed and didnât waste words on trivialities.
âMr Monsarrat,â he said, âthe surgeon has asked me to leave this report for the major on his return.â
âThank you, Donald. Iâll see it reaches him when he gets
But outside of the daily fourteen hours Monsarrat gave to his employers, he turned his penmanship in a new direction. On thewalls of the offices hung many documents saying that this or that of the barristers had been called to the British Bar and had the right of audience in the higher courts â the House of Lords, the Court of Appeal, the High Court, Crown Court and county courts. In between other work, Monsarrat took rough notes of some of these âcall to the barâ documents. He also took notes when he could of the seal and wax and red ribbon with which the documents were encrusted. At night and on Sundays, he forged a wooden seal to make the right impression, and experimented with melted wax.
He left the law offices on the day his contract expired. He took with him no financial consideration in gratitude for his years of service, nor any verbal thanks. But he did take a document, perfect in every respect except for its authenticity, admitting Hugh Llewellyn Monsarrat to the Bar at Lincolnâs Inn.
Chapter 5
Monsarrat felt he had been virtuous in applying his best penmanship even to the sections of the majorâs report regarding Kiernan. He collected the papers and took them into the majorâs study, anticipating a pleasant half-hour with the Edinburgh Review . It was more liberal-minded than Blackwood âs, so he read the Edinburgh Review to confirm his opinions and the Tory Blackwoodâs Magazine chiefly to give himself the thrill of disagreeing. He took care to surround himself with the signs of business, so he might lay the magazine aside and look plausibly industrious should Captain Diamond come by.
The captain and Major Shelborne had served together in India and Ireland, and the major seemed to trust Diamond. It was a trust for which Monsarrat could see no foundation, and he could only assume it had been built from extremity, forged at the borders of human tolerance which could generally only be reached through war or captivity. That and the fact that the limited number and unpredictable flaws of regimental officers available in the colony meant that any request for a replacement would be considered frivolous and precious by the authorities in Sydney. The personnel of the garrison did not increase in the same way as the ever-enlarging numbers of convicts. So the major was leftto work with Diamond, who had none of Shelborneâs humanity, nor his appreciation for the nuances of life here, the understanding that accommodations and adaptations must be made to build a functioning settlement.
To the captain, anyone wearing a red coat was fully human, others less so. There were degrees, of course. Free men and women were better than convicts and natives, for example. But jumped-up convicts with a pretension bestowed on them by the ability to write a pretty letter and translate Latin were at the bottom of Diamondâs heap. So for Monsarrat, the ability to look busy was as much of a shield as the well-shaped ovals the Birpai excised from trees.
He would never have thought himself to be interested in Scottish kelp farming, but found the most recent Review had an article on the matter, and was toying with the idea of mentioning it to Spring when he heard footsteps crossing the courtyard. They werenât strident enough to belong to Diamond; nevertheless, he calmly laid the magazine aside and picked up his pen.
The man who entered, Edward Donald, was Dr Gonvilleâs convict orderly, an uncomplicated northerner who neither sought nor encouraged a fight, but who was quite happy to use his stout frame as a weapon if a fight couldnât be avoided. Monsarrat liked him â he spoke only when needed and didnât waste words on trivialities.
âMr Monsarrat,â he said, âthe surgeon has asked me to leave this report for the major on his return.â
âThank you, Donald. Iâll see it reaches him when he gets