Read Online The Husband's Story by Norman Collins - Free Book Online Page B

matrimonial troubles. No personal loans. No change-of-base difficulties. No special allowance claims. Nothing. Mr Rawlings just gave up.
    For a moment, Stan felt apprehensive. At this rate, they’d have him out of the room again faster even than the birdman. But, so far, Dr Aynsworth had not spoken. Dr Aynsworth was a recent addition to these Appointments Boards, and he was by way of a refinement. Industrial psychology was his line, and he had his own skilled approach to staff interviews.
    Round-cheeked and spectacled, he lit up like a lantern whenever his turn came round. Stan was conscious that he was now being beamed on.
    â€˜Now if you had the choice,’ he began, ‘of being in charge of a small department, say half a dozen in all, or being number two in a big one, thirty or forty if you like, which one would you prefer? Don’t think about the money. Just think about the job.’
    Stan ran his tongue across his lips. This was one of those googlies that you could see coming at you from a mile off. And he didn’t intend to be bowled out by it. He pondered. But already Dr Aynsworth was at him again.
    â€˜It’s whichever you like, remember.’
    His voice was high and rather squeaky, Stan couldn’t help noticing: the more patient he was being, the more impatient he sounded.
    â€˜To be in charge,’ Stan told him.
    Dr Aynsworth bent down and made a little tick on his memo pad. It was not like all the other memo pads. He had squared his off in the manner of a chessboard.
    â€˜And suppose the small department wasn’t doing very important work and the big one was. Would that make you want to change your mind?’
    This time Stan was careful not to keep Dr Aynsworth waiting.
    â€˜I’d rather it was important,’ he replied.
    The beam flickered and went out for a moment. He made another mark on his memo pad. This time it looked like a circle.
    â€˜That isn’t quite what I asked you,’ he said, reprovingly. ‘But never mind. We can come back to it. Now tell me something else. Which would you rather do – work in a department where everything goes smoothly, or in a department where things keep going wrong and you’re the one who has to put them right?’
    Stan could see that Mr Miller was watching him.
    â€˜I don’t know,’ he replied. ‘I’ve never had to. Things don’t go wrong in Contracts Filing. Not usually, they don’t.’
    Dr Aynsworth drew another of his little circles.
    â€˜Not quite the answer to the question,’ he said. ‘But never mind. Now let me ask you something else. Would you rather be in a highly paid job where you didn’t like the work or in a less well paid one where the work interested you?’
    â€˜The less well paid one.’
    Dr Aynsworth had already begun to make his tick when Stan spoke again.
    â€˜That is, if it isn’t too badly paid, I mean. Not too much of a difference.’
    Dr Aynsworth’s pencil turned the tick into a cross.
    â€˜Would you call yourself an ambitious man, Mr Pitts?’ he asked.
    â€˜I suppose so.’
    â€˜Only suppose?’
    â€˜No. I mean ”yes”. I’m very keen to get on.’
    â€˜And if it was a choice between you and your best friend applying for the same job, would you do anything to spoil his chances, make it harder for him?’
    Dr Aynsworth was clearly enjoying himself, and the beam had grown brighter. His voice, too, had risen higher, squeakier. And he could hardly wait to hear the answer. He began tapping with his pencil.
    â€˜Well, I wouldn’t do anything mean,’ Stan told him. ‘Not like… like going behind his back, I wouldn’t.’
    Dr Aynsworth drew two more of the symbols that only he could understand. One was another circle, and the other a circle with a cross in the middle. He looked down at the result, and nodded. If he had been designing nursery wallpaper, he could not have