The End of the Affair

by Graham Greene

‘There’s the insertion in The Times. We should have to put in a correction. People notice that kind of thing. It would cause comment. After all you aren’t unknown, Henry. Then telegrams would have to be sent. A lot of people will have had wreaths delivered already to the crematorium. You see what I mean, father.’ ‘I can’t say that I do.’ ‘What you ask is not reasonable.’ ‘You seem to have a very strange set of values, Mr Bendrix.’ ‘But surely you don’t believe cremation affects the resurrection of the body, father?’ ‘Of course I don’t. I’ve told you my reasons already. If they don’t seem strong enough to Mr Miles, there’s no more to be said.’ He got up from his chair, and what an ugly man he was. Sitting down he had at least the appearance of power, but his legs were too short for his body, and he rose, unexpectedly small. It was as if he had suddenly moved a long way off. Henry said, ‘If you’d come a little sooner, father. Please don’t think …’ ‘I don’t think anything wrong of you, Mr Miles.’ ‘Of me perhaps, father?’ I asked with deliberate impertinence. ‘Oh, don’t worry, Mr Bendrix. Nothing you can do will affect her now.’ I suppose the Confessional teaches a man to recognize hate. He held his hand out to Henry and turned his back on me. I wanted to say to him, You’re wrong about me. It’s not Sarah I hate. And you are wrong about Henry too. He is the corrupter, not me. I wanted to defend myself, ‘I loved her’, for surely in the Confessional they learn to recognize that e...

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