He reflected afterward that he had been quite equal to
the occasion. He thought, too, that he had shown some
adaptability. Alec was not a person of fluent discourse,
and when he had inquired whether Hesketh was going to
make a long stay, the conversation might have languished
but for this.
"Is that Birmingham?" he asked, nodding kindly at the
spoons.
"Came to us through a house in Liverpool," Alec responded.
"I expect you had a stormy crossing, Mr Hesketh."
"It was a bit choppy. We had the fiddles on most of the
time," Hesketh replied. "Most of the time. Now, how do
you find the bicycle trade over here? Languishing, as it
is with us?"
"Oh, it keeps up pretty well," said Alec, "but we sell
more spoons. 'N' what do you think of this country, far
as you've seen it?"
"Oh, come now, it's a little soon to ask, isn't it? Yes--I
suppose bicycles go out of fashion, and spoons never do.
I was thinking," added Hesketh, casting his eyes over a
serried rank, "of buying a bicycle."
Alec had turned to put the spoons in their place on the
shelves. "Better take your friend across to Cox's," he
advised Lorne over his shoulder. "He'll be able to get
a motorbike there," a suggestion which gave Mr Hesketh
to reflect later that if that was the general idea of
doing business it must be an easy country to make money
in.
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