The office announcement

An original fiction passage set in the nineteenth century.

At noon, Mr Pritchard called the clerks away from their desks. Between two fingers he held the banknote that had disappeared on Monday. It had been found inside an envelope addressed to the wrong customer. “No blame can now attach to Mr Bell,” he said. Chairs shifted; someone at the back murmured, “Quite right.” Bell inclined his head as though Mr Pritchard had merely reminded him of an office rule.

Work began again. Bell sharpened his pencil, although its point was already fine. He entered a total in the ledger, drew a line through it and entered the same total beneath. Harris leaned towards him. “Well, that is finished,” he whispered. Bell smiled, but kept one hand over the figures until the smile had left his face.

At closing time, Mr Pritchard said, “You may forget the matter.” Bell thanked him and put on his coat. Outside, he stopped beneath the office window and opened his newspaper. The lamps were lit one by one above him. He did not turn a page. Only when the last lamp went out did he begin the walk home.

Analyse how the writer uses language and structure to present the complexity of Bell’s response to being cleared of blame. Support your answer with references to the passage.