Tom+Fennell


 * Tom Fennel ** was a little insignificant clerk in an accountant’s office.

 At the beginning of the novel we knew that Tom admired Julia tremendously and he was crazy to be introduced to her. He was not particularly good-looking, But he had a frank, Open face and his shyness was attractive. He had curly light brown hair, but it was plastered down. He had a fresh colour, a good skin and small well-shaped teeth. His clothes fitted and he wore them well. He looked nice and clean. One day Tom was invited by Michael to have the lunch with his family. In this way he was acquainted with Julia. Once, Tom sent Julia flowers with invitation card. He asked her to have a cup of tea with him.

 His house was in Tavistock Square. He lived in an old house that had been divided up into flats. His room was fairly large, But dingily furnished. On the table was a plate of caked and two cups, a sugar basin and a milk-jug. The crockery was of the cheapest sort. Julia noticed the pathetic attempts he had made to conceal the fact that it was a bedroom as well as a sitting-room. The divan against the wall was evidently his bed at night. He explained Julia that he had chosen Tavistock Square because it was central and he liked the trees.

 Tom told that his parents lived at Highgate, his father was a solicitor, and he had lived there too, but he wanted to be his own master and now in the last year of his articles he had broken away and taken this tiny flat. He was working for his final examination. He had seen Julia in every play she had acted in since he was twelve years old. He was sweet with his blue eyes and pale brown hair. He had a white skin and rather a high colour. His clothes were cheap he wore them well and he looked incredibly clean. There was a perfume of youth about him.

 At the day of their meeting Tom seduced Julia. After that they spent a lot of time together. Once they were introduced to a feast. Julia had never seen him in evening clothes before. He shone like a new pin. Though he was of no more than average height his slimness made him look tall. She was a trifle touched to see that for all his airs of the man of the world he was shy with the head waiter when it came to ordering supper. They danced and he did not dance very well, but she found his slight awkwardness rather charming. People recognized her, and she was conscious that he enjoyed the reflected glory of their glances. She hated to let him pay the bill, she had an inkling that it was costing pretty well his week’s salary, but she knew it would hurt his pride if she offered to pay it herself. Tom had pawned his watch in order to take her out to supper. Julia adored him. It was not till after that night when they had first supped together that Julia confessed to herself that she had fallen in love with Tom. She had realized already that Tom was a bit of a snob. She was shrewd and she knew very well that Tom was not in love with her. To have an affair with her flattered his vanity. He was a highly-sexed young man and enjoyed sexual exercise. From hints, from stories that she had dragged out of him, Julia discovered that since he was seventeen he had had a great many woman. He loved the act rather than the person. He looked upon it as the greatest lark in the world. And she could understand why he had so much success. There was something appealing in his slightness, his body was just skin and bone, that was why his clothes sat on him so well, and something charming in his clean freshness. His shyness and his effrontery combined to make him irresistible. It was strangely flattering for a woman to be treated as a little bit of fluff that you just tumbled on to a bed. What he’s got, of course, in sex appeal. Julia knew that his good looks were due to his youth. He would grow wizened as he grew older, dried up and haggard, that charming flush on his cheeks would turn into a purple glow and his delicate skin would go lined and sallow. He had the high spirits of youth and she lapped them up as a kitten laps up milk. But he was not amusing. Though he laughed when Julia said one himself. He liked parties. Tom was fond of dancing and she got him cards for balls. Julia knew that he was dazzled by the great, and she introduced him to eminent persons. Michael took a fancy to him. Michael liked to talk, and Tom was a good listener. He was very pleasant about the house. He would play backgammon with Michael, or patience with Julia and when they turned on the gramophone he was always there to chance the records. Everybody was sure that Tom was a nice friend for Roger. He had got his head screwed on his shoulders the right way, and he was a lot older than Roger. Tom ought to have a good influence on Roger.