The annual rings

An original fiction passage set in the nineteenth century.

The timber merchant pointed to the oak trunk and told the customer it had grown slowly on the estate’s upper ground. Such wood commanded a higher price. His apprentice watched the customer count the rings at the cut end. Several were broad. The merchant turned the trunk slightly, presenting a smoother side instead.

The apprentice had helped fell the tree beside the stream. He knew it had not come from the upper ground. When the customer asked whether the rings confirmed the account, the merchant said the boy had kept the measurements and could explain them. The apprentice opened his notebook. On the page, the location was written above the figures.

He read both. The merchant said the stream’s bank rose towards the upper field and that descriptions need not be exact to the foot. The customer asked whether the price referred to a particular source or merely to suitable oak. The merchant reduced it, calling the reduction a favour. The apprentice kept the notebook open.

After the customer left, he was told to copy future measurements without unnecessary remarks. He did not answer immediately. That evening, he ruled a fresh column for location beside the numbers. The timber might still be good. He could not see why that required the place where it grew to become uncertain.

“The apprentice’s insistence on accurate detail is presented as valuable even though the timber may be useful.”

Evaluate how successfully the writer presents this idea. Support your judgement with detailed references to the passage.