Geology Reference
In-Depth Information
brass goods, Chinese and Japanese fancy work, porcelain and
other knick-knacks from the Far East. The dark interior of the
shop filled with glittering goods created an impression of
Aladdin's Cave, something rather exotic and unfamiliar in 1920s
Newcastle. Furthermore, their prices were high and in the
months after Christmas 1923 business went very slack. Holmes
and Miss Graham worried about their long term prospects.
Times were hard in the industrial north east of England and few
people had spare money for knick-knacks.
Although Arthur had quite enjoyed playing shop-keeper when
times were busy, when they were quiet and no-one came in the
shop for hours on end, he became incredibly bored and thought
continuously about the research he had left behind, some four
years previously. How were things progressing on the age of the
Earth - and what about his long-term dream of developing a
geological time scale? Had anything changed while he had been
away, was anyone any closer to answering those questions? He
tried to keep in touch with latest developments, but it was
di~cult when he was not able to contribute anything himself.
Furthermore, Maggie, although now pregnant with their second
child, was undoubtedly still mourning the death of Norman.
With Arthur refusing to talk about Norman, and perhaps blam-
ing herself for his loss, Maggie felt isolated and lost. Insecure
and lacking in self esteem, she became increasingly un-
comfortable with the relationship building between Arthur and
his business partner, making life di~cult for him when he got
home, wanting to know exactly what had 'gone on' during those
hours when they were cloistered together in the shop with
nothing much to do. Pressured on all sides, Arthur longed for
the old days when he could bury himself in his work, and began
to despair at ever getting back into university life.
But in 1924 his luck finally changed. In February Maggie
gave birth to another son, Geo¬rey, which kept her very busy
and helped to ease the pain of Norman's death, and in May an
opportunity arose that was so unique it must have made Holmes
