After breakfast Mrs Newton said to Arthur, 'You really ought to tidy your room. I should have cleaned it weeks ago but it's been impossible because of all your things all over the place'.
So Arthur went upstairs and began to sort out al his belongings. There were a lot of things that ought to have been thrown out ags ago. Among the things he found were some old school reports from St Mark's Grammar School where he was educated. They had been put into the drawers years ago and hadn't been taken out for ages. Arthur looked through these and thought about some of the boys and masters he used to know. Most of the boys had done much better than he had; they had all either got good jobs or were studying at university.
Arthur hadn't worked very hard, especially in his last two years at school. Instead he used to waste his time and everybody said he ought to have worked much harder. Unfortunately, he failed his A-level examinations and his parents were very diasppointed. In their opinion he should have become a doctor like his father.
When he left school, he found it very difficult to get a decent job. First of all, he became a clerk in an insurance company. This was a very boring job. He used to sit at a desk all day and copy figures from one piece of paper to another. He then got his job in the library.
'But I don't really like it there,' he thought. 'I oughtn't to stay there all my life. i should try and study again and get something good like some of the boys I shall see at the dance tonight. Now I ought to get on and tidy my room, I suppose.'
*** *** *** ***
- Well, here we are at last. Now where ought I to park, I wonder?
- Look, there'S a notice over there.
- Ok, that'll do.
- Hallo, Arthur! Haven't seen you for ages. How are you these days?
- Oh, all right, I suppose. One double ticket, please, Bill.
- Here you are, Arthur. That'll be 2 pounds. You know the way, I imagine.
- Who was that? Why didn't you introduce me?
- Oh, that's Bill Skeffington. He used to be captain of the First Fifteen in my last year. He always used to make fun of me, actually.
- Well, in any case you should have introduced me to him.
- Are you coming in then?
- Hang on a minute. I'm just going to the ladies. My hair's in a bit of a mess.
- Hallo, Arthur. I haven't seen you since the last term we were at school together. What are you doing these days?
- I'm working in a library, actually. What about you, Peter?
- Well, I finished at oxford last term and now I'm doing a postgraduate course in management.
- I see. What are you going to do after that?
- Well, I may go into one of the big firms like ICI.
- You're jolly lucky. I ought to have gone to university really. I should have done more work here, I suppose.
- Well, it's never too late, you know, Arthur. You shouldn't give up. How old are you now?
- I shall be 22 next birthday, actually. I wonder. Ah, there you are, Jennifer. This is Peter Knight.
