The Rise of Civilisation
Chapter 1
Mister Povondra Reads the Paper
There are people who collect stamps, and others who collect first editions. Mr. Povondra, the doorman at the house of G.H. Bondy, had long been unable to find any meaning in his life; he had been wondering for years whether to become interested in prehistoric graves or develop a passion for international politics; but one evening, without any sort of warning, he suddenly knew what he had so far been lacking, what would make his life worthwhile. Great events usually come without any sort of warning.
That evening Mister Povondra was reading the paper, Mrs. Povondra was darning Frank’s socks and Frank was pretending to study the tributaries on the left bank of the Danube. It was pleasantly quiet.
“I should have known,” muttered Mister Povondra.
“What should you have known?” asked Mrs. Povondra as she lifted a thread.
“About these newts,” said Father Povondra. “It says here that they’ve sold seventy million of them over the last three months.”
“That’s a lot, isn’t it!” said Mrs. Povondra.
“I should think so. In fact that’s an astonishing number, Mother. Just think, seventy million!” Mister Povondra turned to look at her. “They must have made a fortune selling all of them! And there’s all the work they’re doing now,” he added after thinking for a moment. “It says here that they’re claiming new land and building new islands everywhere at an amazing rate. - People can create as much new land as they want now, I should think. This is wonderful, Mother. I’m telling you, this is a bigger step forward than the discovery of America.” Mister Povondra thought about this for a while. “A new period of history, don’t you think? What shall we do, Mother, we’re living in great times.”
There was once more a long period of homely silence. Father Povondra suddenly started drawing harder on his pipe. “And just think, if it wasn’t for me it would never have happened!”
“What would never have happened?”
“All this business with the newts. This new period of history. If you look at it properly, it was actually me who put it all together.”
Mrs. Povondra looked up from the holes in the socks. “How’s that, then?”
“That it was me who let that captain in to see Mister Bondy on that day. If I hadn’t announced him there was no way the captain could ever have met Mister Bondy. If it hadn’t been for me, Mother, nothing could ever have come of it. Nothing at all.”
“Maybe this captain could have found someone else,” Mrs. Povondra objected.
Mister Povondra rattled indignantly on his pipe. “Now what do you know about that sort of thing? It’s only Mister G.H. Bondy who could do a thing like that. He has more foresight than I don’t know who. Anyone else would just have thought it was all madness or a confidence trick; but not Mister Bondy! He’s got a nose for these things, girl!” Mister Povondra considered this for a while. “That captain, what was his name again, Vantoch, he didn’t look much. Sort of fat old man, he was. Any other doorman would have told him he had no business knocking at the door, the master isn’t home, and that sort of thing; but, you listen, I had some sort of intuition or something. I announced him to Mister Bondy; I said to myself, Mister Bondy might be cross with me but I’ll take the responsibility on myself and I’ll announce him. I’ve always said a doorman has to be a good judge of character. There are times when someone rings at the door, and he looks just like a lord, and he turns out to be a refrigerator salesman. And there are other times when some fat old man turns up at the door, and look what can come of that. You need to be a good judge of character,” Father Povondra mused. “There you see, Frank, that’s the difference a man in a humble position can make. You take my example, always try your best to do your duty just like I’ve always done.” Mister Povondra nodded his head in pride and self congratulation. “I could have turned that captain away at the gate and saved myself the bother of going down the steps. Any other doorman wouldn’t have cared and shut the gate in his fac............