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Part One Sunday

611 A casual vacancy is deemed to have occurred:

(a) when a local councillor fails to make his declaration of acceptance of office within the proper time; or

(b) when his notice of resignation is received; or

(c) on the day of his death

Charles Arnold-Baker

Local Council Administration,

Seventh Edition

Barry Fairbrother did not want to go out to dinner He had endured a thu to make a deadline for the local newspaper

However, his wife had been a little stiff and uncommunicative over lunch, and Barry deduced that his anniversary card had nothi It did not help that he had been writing about Krystal, whoh she pretended otherwise

'Mary, I want to take you out to dinner,' he had lied, to break the frost 'Nineteen years, kids! Nineteen years, and your mother's never looked lovelier'

Mary had softened and solf club, because it was nearby and they were sure of getting a table He tried to give his wife pleasure in little ways, because he had coether, how often he disappointed her in the big things It was never intentional They siht to take up most space in life

Barry and Mary's four children were past the age of needing a babysitter They atching television when he said goodbye to theest, turned to look at him, and raised his hand in farewell

Barry's headache continued to thump behind his ear as he reversed out of the drive and set off through the pretty little town of Pagford, where they had lived as long as they had beenstreet where the ance and solidity, around the corner by the irls perfor Technicolor Dreamcoat, and across the Square, where they had a clear view of the dark skeleton of the ruined abbey that do with the violet sky

All Barry could think of as he twiddled the steering wheel, navigating the familiar turns, were theto finish the article he had just eing in person, he found it difficult to carry his personality onto paper

The golf club lay a mere four minutes away from the Square, a little beyond the point where the town petered out in a final wheeze of old cottages Barry parked the people-carrier outside the club restaurant, the Birdie, and stood for a moment beside the car, while Mary reapplied her lipstick The cool evening air was pleasant on his face As he watched the contours of the golf course disintegrating into the dusk, Barry wondered why he kept up hiswas erratic and his handicap was high He had so many other calls on his time His head throbbed worse than ever

Mary switched off the er side door Barry pressed the auto-lock on the key-ring in his hand; his wife's high heels clacked on the tar systeht abate once he had eaten

Then pain such as he had never experienced sliced through his brain like a de of his knees as they smacked onto the cold tarony was excruciating beyond endurance, except that endure it he must, for oblivion was still a minute away

Mary screa fro to see whether either of the club's retired doctors was present A married couple, acquaintances of Barry and Mary's, heard the commotion from the restaurant, abandoned their starters and hurried outside to see what they could do The husband called 999 on his mobile

The a city of Yarvil, and it took twenty-five ht slid over the scene, Barry was lying round in a pool of his own vohts ripped, clutching his hand, sobbing and whispering his name