by H. E. Bates
But there was no sound. So quiet, so quiet it was. And he called again and again. ‘Ellen! Ellen Cape!’ No sound. With resolute steps he descended the white road. He’d make her come to, he’d make her speak, he wanted her. You couldn’t buy a wife like Ellen Cape for six thousand, he thought. And he’d given up his share for her! Didn’t he deserve her now?... He rehearsed his excuse to David. ‘Aunt Juley ain’t come. Mebbe there’ll be a letter in the morning. No … three men got out … that’s all. He entered the yard of the little white house. Predominately displayed, the yellow wheeled trap rested in its shafts like a chariot. He stood contemplating it. He should tell David what a waste it was, when that wheel could have been put on, easy! He should—
The door opened. David rushed out. ‘Ha! ha! Young Abel! Just come and see who’s a-visitin’. Just come in and see.’ He bellowed afresh, ‘Your Aunt Juley! Your Aunt Juley! Small wonder you missed her. Some young devil put her wrong!’
David went in. Outside young Abel paused, trembled, swore. Silence.
Suddenly from the thicket on the white road a sound descended, a shrill note, and he wondered, what was that?—an early owl? a jay? an animal?— a laugh?
A laugh? And, wondering, young Abel went in.
A Note on the Author
H. E. Bates was born in 1905 in the shoe-making town of Rushden, Northamptonshire, and educated at Kettering Grammar School. After leaving school, he worked as a reporter and as a clerk in a leather warehouse.
Many of his stories depict life in the rural Midlands, particularly his native Northamptonshire, where he spent many hours wandering the countryside.
His first novel, The Two Sisters (1926) was published by Jonathan Cape when he was just twenty. Many critically acclaimed novels and collections of short stories followed.
During WWII he was commissioned into the RAF solely to write short stories, which were published under the pseudonym ‘Flying Officer X’. His first financial success was Fair Stood the Wind for France (1944), followed by two novels about Burma, The Purple Plain (1947) and The Jacaranda Tree (1949) and one set in India, The Scarlet Sword (1950). Other well-known novels include Love for Lydia (1952) and The Feast of July (1954).
His most popular creation was the Larkin family which featured in five novels beginning with The Darling Buds of May in 1958. The later television adaptation was a huge success.
Many other stories were adapted for the screen, the most renowned being The Purple Plain (1947) starring Gregory Peck, and The Triple Echo (1970) with Glenda Jackson and Oliver Reed.
H. E. Bates married in 1931, had four children and lived most of his life in a converted granary near Charing in Kent. He was awarded the CBE in 1973, shortly before his death in 1974.
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For copyright reasons, any images not belonging to the original author have been removed from this book. The text has not been changed, and may still contain references to missing images.
First published in Great Britain in 1932 by Pharos Editions
‘The Laugh’ first published in Great Britain in 1926 in the New Leader
This electronic edition published in 2016 by Bloomsbury Reader
Copyright © 1926, 1932 Evensford Productions Ltd
The moral right of the author is asserted.
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eISBN: 9781448214921
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