The Honeywood Files (19 page)

Spinlove is a conscientious fellow and we may sympathize with his predicament. It is more than humiliating for him to scrap the strings, etc., for to do so will probably cost about £30. We know, too, that he was not satisfied with the contract arrangement. On the other hand, Grigblay’s other proposals are all hand-to-mouth expedients or botches.

SPINLOVE TO GRIGBLAY

Dear Sir, 9.8.25.

I return drawing No. 27 amended. You will see the binder and bathroom floor are to be raised. It is a particular point of the plan that the servants’ bathroom should open off their own landing and not off the main corridor, and, as it is only for the servants, the step will not matter so much. [
Ahem!
]

I consider that the discrepancy should have been pointed out to me, as this is a duty specially placed upon you by the contract, and it must be clearly understood that no extra is involved by the making good which I consider to have become necessary owing to your oversight.

Yours faithfully,

Spinlove is pushing things too far. The mistake seems to be entirely on his shoulders.

SPINLOVE TO BRASH

Dear Sir Leslie Brash, 9.8.25.

Grigblay has applied for a further certificate for £3,000, which I have sent him.

I take this opportunity of enclosing particulars of my own fees, as arranged. The first item, 4 percent on £18,440 became due on the signing of the contract. The second item, 2 percent on £7,000 is the residue of the 6 percent on value of work done.

I hope you like the dining-room fireplace which the bricklayers are finishing. The bricks are specially made for this purpose, and Grigblay has imported a particular bricklayer to carry it out.

Yours sincerely,

Two or three months ago Spinlove asked for a modest £400 on account of fees, and after waiting six weeks was fobbed off with £250. As we remember, he then promised to put the matter “on a formal business footing so as to prevent further misunderstandings.” He now sends in an account for the fees which, by custom and under the Institute Scale, he is entitled to. The amount indicated is £876 less £250 already paid, or £626.

BRASH TO SPINLOVE

Dear Mr. Spinlove, 10.8.25.

You must permit me to convey to you that I did not at all anticipate that at this early period I should be requested to disburse so preponderant a proportion of your fees. I conceive I am correct in asseverating that professional gentlemen are, by habitual custom, paid their fees after the services they refer to have been performed and not previously thereto. The mansion is a considerable distance—a very considerable distance I am led to apprehend—from being completed, and yet I am now requested to disburse a sum approximating to 80 percent of the whole remuneration eventually accruing to you when the works have been satisfactorily completed and your engagement with myself terminated. I confess that I am amazed at a claim which is—if you will allow me permission to so express myself—most extravagantly preposterous.

Although it is not a matter to which I should, under happier circumstances, desire to make deviation, I, nevertheless, consider that you are under serious responsibilities and obligations towards myself which, as in all such monetary matters, have a financial signification. I observe that the contract document protects me with a not unsubstantial guarantee; that is to say, the sums I periodically disburse are amply secured to me by the value of the operations performed. It is on the face of it—if you will permit me to say so—an utterly anomalous conjunction of eventualities which gives me no such security against my architect, to whom I am requested to disburse—by clear demonstration—not 80 percent of, but more than double, the proportion of fees represented by the work accomplished.

I observe that the certificate, which you inform me has been transmitted to Mr. Grigblay, is for the augmented amount of £3,000. May I be permitted to remind you that £2,000 is the payment I am accustomed to anticipate disbursing on these occasions.

Yours sincerely,

Brash’s protest is not unnatural, and his reasoning would be sound if his premises were true. This is a very different letter from those he wrote to his young friend in the early days; in fact, it is such a letter as he might write to one of his own years and standing. Spinlove’s firm resistance to being bilked seems to have jolted Brash into a higher esteem of him. His wordy expostulation is a little pathetic.

GRIGBLAY TO SPINLOVE

Dear Sir, 12.8.25.

We are unable to agree that the error in back staircase is a matter for which we are in any way accountable, as we had no means of knowing what your intentions re bathroom door were. We must ask you to note this, as we cannot accept any such responsibilities for oversights in joinery details, although we do our best to detect them. As the alteration now required is a small matter we will, however, in this instance make no charge, although we are entitled to do so.

Yours faithfully,

I judge this letter to have been dictated by Grigblay himself. He has no doubt had a sharp word to say to his shop foreman and to Bloggs, but as a matter of principle he finds it necessary to remind Spinlove that his bland assumption that the architect is not responsible for misdirections, and for discrepancies in his own thoughts, will not do at all.

SPINLOVE TO BRASH

Dear Sir Leslie Brash, 13.8.25.

Had I known you were not aware of the custom concerning payment of architects’ fees I would have explained the matter. I now enclose particulars of architects’ charges issued by the Royal Institute, from which you will see that two-thirds of the 6 percent fees—that is, 4 percent of the amount of the accepted tender—represents fees earned before the contract is signed. The remaining 2 percent is for general supervision and direction of the work, and is payable in instalments as the works proceed, so that the architect is in the same position as the builder in giving what you term “financial security.” At no time is the architect paid for what he has not done.

I shall be glad if you can make it convenient to send me a cheque. One has, of course, to get in one’s money.

Grigblay is entitled to £3,000. He would have been entitled to £2,000 several weeks ago had he applied for it. The contract states that certificates shall be for not less than £2,000.

With kind regards,

Yours sincerely,

Spinlove seems now to have got Brash’s measure in this matter of fees. He has knowledge, of course; but the letters also show him to be the stronger man. By comparison Brash appears to be—if I may be given permission to be allowed to so express myself—a flabby old jelly.

SPINLOVE TO GRIGBLAY

Dear Sir, 15.8.25.

I was on the site yesterday and was disturbed to see water standing 15 in. deep in cellar. Some months ago I noticed water, but supposed it was due to rain, only. There is no sign of its coming in through the walls above the standing level of the water, so that there must be a defect in the vertical damp course below that line. Your foreman says he pumped the cellar dry a fortnight ago, when there was nearly 2 ft. of water. I directed him to dig down outside and open up vertical damp course for my inspection. Please let me know directly the work is ready for me to see.

Yours faithfully,

GRIGBLAY TO SPINLOVE

Dear Sir, 16.8.25.

Our foreman has reported to us your instructions to open up vertical damp course; but this is a big undertaking and, as we are certain there is no defect in the damp course, we do not think any purpose will be served by opening up. We have directed our foreman to pump the cellar dry, and we will keep it under observation. In our opinion the water comes up through the floor.

Yours faithfully,

SPINLOVE TO WILLIAM WYCHETE
,
P
.
P
.
R
.
I
.
B
.
A
.

Dear Mr. Wychete, 18.8.25.

I am in difficulties with a cellar which lets in water; but where it comes from or how it gets in I cannot understand. The ground is perfectly dry; there was not a sign of water when the excavation was made, and the lower 7 ft. of excavation is in impervious clay. The vertical damp course of 1-in. thick waterproofed cement is continuous with the horizontal damp course which is below the level of the cellar floor. This is 4-in. concrete with 1 ½ ins. of 3 and I cement rendering trowelled to a polish, with skirting carried up 6 ins. and turned into joint of brickwork.

I went on site yesterday after the cellar had been pumped out and wiped dry. We could find no flaw anywhere, but after a time the whole surface of the floor became wet, and after a couple of hours water had collected in one part. The foreman says the floor is “sweating,” but does not explain what he means, and I don’t think he knows. Can you give me any idea what is wrong, and how I can make the place tight?

Yours sincerely,

WYCHETE TO SPINLOVE

My Dear Spinlove, 20.8.25.

I think the explanation of your scrape is that the impervious excavation holds surface water, which collects against the outside of the walls, like a tank. This gets under the foundations and through the footings, and floods the space under the floor—which, I assume, has 4-in. or 6-in. of loose filling—and the water is forced up by its standing head through the concrete. The probability is that this process began while the concrete and rendering were green, so that minute channels were then formed in it; but under the conditions stated the cellar could scarcely be a dry one, as the floor was not dampproofed.

If there is such a fall in the ground that you can drain the water away by connecting a pipe through the wall into the hard core under the floor, the cure is easy. If not, your only course, in my opinion, is to cover the floor with asphalt and put a concrete floor on top, to prevent the water forcing the asphalt up. This concrete, however, may not be necessary. It is important to dig a sump and keep the water pumped out until the whole of the floor is finished and perfectly set. The builder should have done this originally.

With best wishes to you,

Ever yours sincerely,

SPINLOVE TO WYCHETE

Dear Mr. Wychete, 21.8.25.

Many thanks for your letter. I understand the matter perfectly now. There is a sharp fall in the ground, so that there will be no difficulty in draining. Can I make the builder pay for this work? Also, would the District Surveyor be likely to object to the drain going under the walls? If so, perhaps it would be best to put an iron pipe through the wall and under the house, but the rest of the drain, I imagine, could be earthenware? Or could the whole be earthenware if care were taken to carry walls, etc., clear of it?

Yours very sincerely,

Spinlove is here so elated to find himself master of the awkward situation that he loses his head and acknowledges Wychete’s careful reply to his question by asking him a hatful of entirely idiotic and unanswerable ones. Needless to say, there is no reply from the great man.

LADY BRASH TO SPINLOVE

Dear Mr. Spinlove, 21.8.25.

Sir Leslie is so dreadfully sorry not to be able to have answered your last letter, but he has gone to The Moor quite suddenly! He did not in the least expect it, and asked me to write and tell you.

My daughter is expecting some young friends on Saturday, and we shall hope to see you in the afternoon.

How very close it has been to-day!

Yours sincerely,

maude brash.

Will you be my D.P. to Bingham’s and stay night? Biff has let me down. Split-tail behaviours. Phone early. P.

For “The Moor,” I read the moors; Brash has been invited north to shoot grouse. I do not know how Lady Brash manages to convey that her husband is a most unsafe gun, but she certainly does so.

As it is eight days since Spinlove wrote, this stampede to “The Moor” is an imperfect explanation of his getting no answer. The intimation that he lies heavy on his client’s conscience will, no doubt, hearten him.

It was “P,” by evidence of the handwriting, who wrote a footnote to an earlier letter! “P” must be the daughter.

GRIGBLAY TO SPINLOVE

Dear Sir, 27.8.25.

We enclose copy of letter from her Ladyship and await your instructions re same. We understand that the partition referred to is that between bedrooms Nos. 5 and 6, and is to be moved to increase size of dressing-room.

Yours faithfully,

(ENCLOSURE) LADY BRASH TO GRIGBLAY

Mr. Grigby (
sic
),

Lady Brash wants the wall in the other big room—not our room—moved nearer from the end as the big wardrobe must go in the dressing-room.

Sunday.

Grigblay knows better than to take instructions except through the architect, although inferior kinds of builders might not be so circumspect. Some might even welcome this opportunity of making hay of the contract and establishing an uncontrolled account for extras.

Lady Brash has here adopted the style of the great lady gratuitously, for this sort of thing has been far to seek since the war. One has only to consider that the person she addresses is superior to her in heart, in mind, in wisdom, in humour, and also—if the word is to have any right meaning—in education, to realize the absurdity of her assumption. We may imagine Grigblay, a middle-aged man, shouldering a pack in Flanders, while Lady Brash was hoarding provisions, decorating her car with flags of the Allies as if for a boat-race, and speaking of Grigblay and his kind as “Tommies.”

SPINLOVE TO GRIGBLAY

Dear Sir, 30.8.25.

I have written to Lady Brash. Please tell your foreman to get on with the work.

Yours faithfully,

Decisive but ambiguous! The manner of it expresses “Lady Brash be blowed!” but the sense is “Alter the partition as directed.”

SPINLOVE TO LADY BRASH