by Amy
He yanked open the heavy wooden door and entered the Literary and Historical Society, where the Anglos kept and filed and numbered all their ghosts.In the library Mr. Blake was just pouring himself a cup of tea and taking a cookie from the blue and white china plate on the long wooden table. He looked at Gamache and indicated the pot. Gamache nodded and by the time he’d taken off his coat and rubbed Henri’s feet warm and dry there was a cup of tea and a cookie on the table for him.
Gamache was reading about the Battle
of the Plains of Abraham. He was trying to reconstruct the events leading up to
the battle and the actions (or lack of action) of those involved. One would
think strategy and brave deeds would determine the outcome. It’s easy to
overlook inaction and words left unspoken. However, that’s where the key to
this particular battle seems to be.
“In my line of work you grow suspicious of coincidences. They happen, but not often. And when you see one you ask questions.”
“And this is a big one,” agreed Mr. Blake. “Two world-famous mapmakers fighting on opposite sides of the same battle in a far-flung colony.”
“And one of them hesitates, perhaps disastrously.”
“You think he did it on purpose, don’t you.” It wasn’t a question.“I think it’s possible they knew each other, had communicated. I think it’s possible Captain Cook, who was the more senior of the men, made a promise to Bougainville in exchange for a favor.”
“A hesitation. A pause,” said Mr. Blake. “It wouldn’t seem much, but it cost the colony.”
A hesitation. A pause.
There was a maliciousness
involved in the delay. At least there was in Gamache’s as yet unproven theory.
And Mr. Blake is right. It doesn’t seem like much.
If a “true” act of treason or
betrayal had been proposed, I doubt they would have agreed to it. To actively
kill your countrymen? Not likely. On the other hand, a subtle delay might have
been easier to stomach.
Old does something similar. He
never pointed to anyone else as the murderer. He never condemned anyone. He,
unlike both Olivier and David, didn’t intentionally try to lay the blame at
someone else’s doorstep. All he did was not
take action. He stood back and let them blame his friend. He allowed suspicion
to take hold, he allowed evidence to mount up, ultimately he allowed his friend
to be tried and convicted of a crime Old knew Olivier hadn’t committed. He was
the only one, aside from Olivier, who truly knew.
As I listened to this scene the
other day, I was struck by how easy it is to not act and not speak up and to
just let things happen. Things we might have avoided.
As the mother of a school-aged-super-hero-loving-boy,
I have been subjected to the Marvel universe frequently lately. Just yesterday
he was watching Civil War (yet again) and I overheard (yet again) Spiderman
explain his motivation to Ironman. He said something like (paraphrasing), “When
you can do what I do and you don’t and bad things happen anyway, then it’s your
fault”.
Lack of action isn’t always
innocent. Once you know you cannot “un-know”. And when you know for sure that
your action could have changed things, it’s harder to forgive yourself for not
acting.
If you have the means to act and
choose not to and bad things happen, then I suppose Spiderman is right. It’s
your fault.
Cookies
I might be accused of failing to act here. I did bake cookies, but I wasn't actively trying for a new recipe here...
We’re starting to run out of very
different – or very inspiring – recipes. Both Libby and I are having a harder
time choosing what to make and write about. Some are very similar to what we’ve
already done. Some we’re not yet inspired to tackle. Some are, in fact,
repeats.
This scene doesn’t specify the
kind of cookies and I’ve posted HERE about chocolate chip cookies in general.
In this recipe I included almonds (lots and lots and lots), oatmeal, and dark
chocolate chips.
As usual I added ginger and cinnamon.
I wish I had Gamache’s
self-control and could say I nibbled on a single cookie while I read. The truth
is I ate quite a few cookieS...
All quotes from Louise Penny's BURY YOUR DEAD
"Failing to act" is on my mind quite a lot this week. In pondering the great rage that has taken hold of people, born out of frustration and despair, I wonder if I have failed to act. Every time someone made a racist remark (and in the world I move in, that was rare, but it happens), or a sexist one, I've usually simply remained silent. I have never laughed at such "jokes" but neither have I rebuked the teller. I'm feeling very much that things have come to a head this past week, almost precisely BECAUSE so many of us just "let sleeping dogs lie". Turns out they weren't sleeping. As I decide how to move forward, I must come to terms with when and how to act. What to do now? I will find my way, but for now, I feel like I'm stumbling around in the dark.
ReplyDeleteI love this scene in the book, and when he "takes a cookie", in my mind it is a shortbread cookie, which all the older Anglo ladies would be adept at producing. Here is my recipe for lavender shortbread, adapted from my mother's shortbread recipe:
MOM'S SHORTBREAD
1 cup butter (2 1/4-lb sticks) at room temp.
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup icing sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups sifted, all-purpose flour
Sift the dry ingredients together. Mix in the butter with your hands (the heat from your hands melts the butter and makes the batter hold together better than if you mix with a spoon.) Roll into walnut sized balls and place on shiny, ungreased cookie sheets. Flatten with a fork or cookie press dipped in flour. (You can crowd them on the cookie sheet - they don't spread).
Bake at 325 for 20 minutes, or until they're as golden brown as you like them.
Makes about 2 1/2 dozen. Can easily be doubled.
To make the Lavender Shortbread, just crumble in a small handful of cooking-grade lavender (I buy mine at Whole Foods) before you start mixing in the butter.
Ooooh!
DeleteI will add lavender to my shopping list (must go to the grocery store quite soon) to try this. Thank you!
And failing to act has such implications doesn't it?
Hi Julie, it has been an extraordinary week and I understood the struggle you are experiencing. We all have to find our way to give expression to our beliefs and values, particularly in the face of challenges (which might seem a bit overwhelming for you at the moment) to them as they occur. Small steps. I wish you well in finding your way. Hugs!
DeleteI love shortbread! Thanks for sharing your Mum's recipe. That is so cool!
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