A circle of light, by Evelyn Rusk

An original short story extract set in the twentieth century.

Arnold Vowles sold lampshades from a narrow shop off the high street in 1968. Customers brought their lamp bases wrapped in towels, and he placed each one on a square of green felt before trying a shade. He never chose by colour alone. First he sat in the low chair beside the counter, then asked the customer to sit there too, so they could see whether the bulb would glare into someone’s eyes. Tall shades hung from hooks in the ceiling; small ones nested inside each other in a cupboard. Arnold wrote the measurements on paper labels and tied them to the frames with cotton. He gave torn shades to the art school rather than putting them in the bin. His own reading lamp had a crooked yellow shade which his son had made at eleven. When customers asked why he did not replace it, he switched it on and asked them what was wrong with the light.

List five things you learn about Arnold in this extract.