Chapter 11. Artifice

There was a knock at the office door and a recruit entered.

He has an open intelligent face thought Gideon.

It was a game he like to play - trying to guess as much about a

prospective recruit before they handed him their papers.

Tall and well nourished. The product of affluent middle class

parents he guessed. " Finn, is it son?"

"Yes Sir." Finn replied.

''There'll be plenty of time for all that formal nonsense later,

Dr. Marchant will be fine for now."

Finn smiled and nodded.

Gideon began the sight and hearing tests and looked through

Finns papers. He had a vague sense that they had met before.

''You put your occupation down as a student. What are you studying?"

"Anthropology."

"If I hadn't gone into medicine, I would of chosen Anthropology.

It's a fascinating field. Which university are you at?"

"Oxford." Finn said.

"Oxford." Gideon repeated slowly. "Your Miriam Pages' son."

"It seems my mother's shadow follows me around wherever

I go."

"I have Aunts and nieces who are part of your Mothers' group.

They tell me that different views on the War are causing a bit of

a divide and tension in the suffragette movement."

"The War won't be a total waste then." Finn said.

Gideon laughed. "Have you told your Mother you're enlisting."

"No, and I don't intend to." Finn said.

"I'm going to St. Ives next week to tell my Father."

"Your parents lead separate lives then." Gideon said.

Finn nodded. "They have for some years now."

Gideon looked through Finns paper work.

"Lift up your shirt Finn. I'll have a quick listen to your chest,

then we're almost done."

"Can I ask you a question Dr. Marchant."

''Of course you can."

"How did you lose your arm?"

The question surprised him. He looked at Finns' face.

There was no artifice or social awkwardness intended.

Finn wasn't the type, he was sure of that. It was just a question.

"I was an army surgeon in the Second Boer War in Africa."

Gideon rubbed the stethoscope on his shirt to warm it.

"The field hospital I was attached to was being transported

by train closer to the front, when Boer guerillas decided to

blow up the rail bridge as we were crossing it."

He placed the stethoscope on Finns' chest.

"I came home to England. My arm and some other things stayed

behind in the Transvaal."

Gideon moved the stethoscope across Finns chest .

"What other things?" Finn asked.

''Mostly foolish ideas about the world and my place in it.

Now take a big breath in and hold it for me."

There was no reaction from Finn.

"Take a big breath in and hold it for me Finn."

There was still no movement.

Gideon pulled back and looked at Finn to see if something

was wrong. He was astonished to see Finn standing motionless -

eyes open, appearing as if he had somehow been caught between

one second and the next.

Even more confounding , was that he could see himself

standing with an outstretched arm listening to Finns' chest.

*