The boots in the box
An original fiction passage set in the nineteenth century.
For seven weeks, the pair of boots had remained beneath the counter, wrapped in blue paper and tied with string. Thomas had polished them twice, although no dust could reach them inside their box. Beside the ledger, his master had left a note in a firm, sloping hand: ‘Mr Rooke’s account is to be settled before delivery.’ Thomas knew the words without looking at them.
Mr Rooke entered shortly before noon, accompanied by his daughter. He tapped the counter with his cane and asked for the boots at once, as his carriage would soon depart. When Thomas showed him the note, Mr Rooke smiled as if a child had attempted a joke. ‘You may tell Bell that I called for what is mine,’ he said, reaching towards the box.
Thomas placed both hands upon the lid. ‘It is not yours yet, sir.’ Mr Rooke’s daughter looked towards the door. Her father laid one guinea on the counter and promised the second on Monday, but Thomas pushed the coin back. Through the window, he saw two tradesmen pause outside. He lifted the box and carried it to the open doorway. ‘Two guineas,’ he announced, turning a page of the ledger. ‘Unpaid since autumn.’ One of the tradesmen raised his eyebrows.
Mr Rooke’s face darkened. In a lowered voice, he said there had been expenses in his household which Thomas knew nothing about. ‘I know what is owed here,’ Thomas replied, loudly enough for the men outside to hear. ‘Debts are always quieter than promises.’ Mr Rooke’s daughter asked if they might leave. Her father took her arm, and they walked away without the new boots.
Thomas watched them cross the street. For the first time, he noticed that the leather at the heel of Mr Rooke’s old boot had split and that each step made him lean upon his cane. His daughter slowed her pace to remain beside him. Thomas returned the new boots to their box. As he tightened the string, his thumb tore the blue paper. The note from his master still lay squarely beside the ledger. After a moment, Thomas turned it face down.
“The writer presents Thomas’s refusal as an act of principle, while also suggesting that he enjoys Mr Rooke’s humiliation.”
Evaluate how successfully the writer presents this idea. Support your judgement with detailed references to the passage.
456 exam-style questions on Edexcel GCSE English Language 1.3 Content: prose fiction study requirements, covering 1.3.1 Read challenging prose fiction for the unseen 19th-century extract. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.