JOHN FOWLES

The Collector - fragments
 

In one of the Sunday papers I saw an advert in capitals in a page of houses for sale. I wasn't looking for them, this just seemed to catch my eye as I was turning the page. "FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD?" it said. Just like that. Then it went on:
Old cottage, charming secluded situation, large garden, 1 hr. by car London, two miles from nearest village . . .
-- and so on. The next morning I was driving down to see it. I phoned the estate agent in Lewes and arranged to meet someone at the cottage. I bought a map of Sussex. That's the thing about money. There are no obstacles.
I expected something broken-down. It looked old all right, black beams and white outside and old stone tiles. It stood right on its own. The estate agent came out when I drove up. I thought he would be older, he was my age, but the public schoolboy type, full of silly remarks that are meant to be funny, as if it was below him to sell anything and there was some difference between selling houses and something in a shop. He put me off straight away because he was inquisitive. Still, I thought I better look round, having come all that way. The rooms were not much, but it was well fitted out with all mod cons, electricity, telephone and all. Some retired navy admiral or somebody had had it and died, and then the next buyer died unexpectedly as well and so it was on the market.
I still say I didn't go down there with the intention of seeing whether there was anywhere to have a secret guest. I can't really say what intention I had.
I just don't know. What you do blurs over what you did before.
The chap wanted to know if it was just for myself. I said it was for an aunt. I told the truth, I said I wanted it to be a surprise for her, when she came back from Australia and so on.
How about their figure, he wanted to know.
I've just come into a lot of money, I said, to squash him. We were just coming downstairs when he said that, having seen everything, I thought. I was even going on to say it wasn't what I wanted, not big enough, to squash him more, when he said, well, that's the lot, bar the cellars.

Elena Cigareanu

John Fowles
 

Intr-unul dintre ziarele de duminica am vazut un anunt scris cu litere mari la pagina Case de Vanzare. Nu cautam asa ceva in mod special ci doar mi-a atras atentia in timp ce dadeam paginile: DEPARTE DE LUMEA DEZLANTUITA?. Asa simplu. Apoi continua: „Cabana veche, situata la o departare incantatoare, cu o gradina mare, la o ora distanta de Londra cu masina, 2 mile departare de cel mai apropiat oras...”
- si asa mai departe. Dimineata urmatoare, eram in masina in drum spre ea. Ii telefonasem agentului imobiliar din Lewes si aranjasem sa ma intalnesc cu cineva la cabana. Am cumparat si harta Sussex-ului. Asa e cand ai bani. Nu exista obstacole.
Ma asteptam la ceva derapanat. Arata destul de invechita, dar era in ordine, barne negre si albe pe dinafara si tigla din piatra. Stateam bine pe picioare. Agentul imobiliar mi-a iesit in intimpinare. Mi-l imaginam mai batran, dar era de varsta mea, insa era tipul de baiat ce merge la scoala publica, plin de remarci prostesti ce se vor a fi amuzante, ca si cum nu tinea de el vanzarea si existau diferente intre a vinde case si a vinde ceva in magazin. M-a bagat imediat in casa pentru ca era destul de nerabdator. Camerele nu erau mare lucru, dar erau destul de bine dotate cu tot felul de aparatura moderna, electricitate, telefon si toate cele. Casa fusese a unui comandant naval pensionar care murise, iar apoi urmatorul cumparator a murit pe neasteptate asa ca acum casa era din nou scoasa la vanzare.
Repet faptul ca nu m-am dus acolo cu intentia de a vedea daca exista vreun locusor pe undeva unde as fi putut primi un oaspete secret. De fapt nu pot spune exact ce intentii aveam.
Pur si simplu nu stiu. Nu aveti uneori dubii asupra a ceva ce ati facut inainte?
Tipul voia sa stie daca voiam casa doar pentru mine. Am spus ca era pentru matusa mea. Am spus adevarul, am spus ca voiam sa fie o surpriza pentru ea cand se va intoarce din Australia si asa mai departe.
Mai voia sa stie cum stau cu banii.
Tocmai am dat peste o suma frumusica de bani, i-am spus asa, sa-l las perplex. Tocmai coboram cand mi-a spus ca am vazut aproape totul. Ma pregateam sa-i spun ca nu este chiar ceea ce-mi doream, ca sa-l uimesc si mai mult, cand mi-a spus: cam asta e in mare, dar ca mai exista celulele.