A Friend in Need

Maugham in his short story “A Friend in Need” was telling about Mr.Burton and his namesake who came to his office to ask for job. Young Burton was down and out at that moment. But, in spite of that fact, old Burton didn’t want to hire him, because young Burton used to play cards and drink a lot. 

Then old Burton asked him what he had been doing his whole life. To which young Burton replied that he had swum for his university when he was young. Mr.Burton soon realized that he could make his namesake die. He knew that young Burton was in pretty bad shape. So, as a result, old Burton decided that young Burton should swim round the beacon and land at the creek of Tarumi. When Mr.Burton got to the creek of Tarumi, he realized that his namesake would never turn up, because he had been drowned. The currents had been more than he could manage. When author asked If Mr.Burton had known that his namesake would be drowned, he said that he hadn’t had a vacancy then. 

When I was reading this story, I had strongly mixed and strange emotions. I didn’t expect that turn of events.