Now he had everyone’s complete attention: John was on his feet and frowning fiercely; Luke was grinning as usual; and his mother had set aside her book, calm as ever.

‘But why?’ his father asked. ‘You have a good brain, better than the rest of us, if the truth be told. You could end up as a professor.’

‘I don’t want to be a professor.’

‘Where did this sudden idea come from, Matt?’ His father looked perplexed.

‘It isn’t sudden,’ he explained. ‘I’ve thought about it very carefully. I want to leave university.’

‘If your mind’s made up, then I suppose we could find you a position with the bank.’

Matt sighed quietly. They had all been given freedom to choose their own careers, but, nevertheless, they were going to find this hard to understand. ‘No, thank you, Father.’

‘Well, what do you want to do?’

‘I intend to be a car mechanic.’

‘Don’t be ridiculous!’ John exploded. ‘What kind of a career is that?’

‘A very good one. Cars are the future. There will come a time when almost every family will own one.’

‘Haven’t you been listening to the news lately?’ John was now pacing up and down. ‘The Wall Street stock market has crashed and it’s being felt everywhere. There’s going to be a depression. The signs are all there. Who’s going to buy cars then?’

‘John!’ Their mother spoke firmly. ‘Raising your voice won’t solve anything.’

He threw himself back into his chair, looking thoroughly disgruntled. ‘He’s a blasted idiot, giving up the chance of an academic career for some ludicrous whim. Matt’s damned clever.’

‘I must agree with John,’ their father said. ‘This doesn’t appear to be a very sound notion, Matt.’

‘Maybe, but I’d like to give it a try. Give me two years, Father. If at the end of that time I can’t earn a living at it, I’ll go back to Oxford and pick up where I left off.’ It was a concession he didn’t want to make, but he had to be fair to his parents, and this would make them feel more at ease.

‘You’re determined to do this?’

He nodded to his father, and then glanced at his mother, who smiled her support.

‘I see.’ His father was now leaning on the mantelpiece with a glass of brandy in his hand. ‘I’ll buy you a garage to start you up.’

‘Father!’ John was up again. ‘You can’t do that. Our bank has weathered the crash better than most, but we’ve still lost money and must be careful.’

‘We’ve suffered some losses, but it’s nothing we can’t handle.’ He looked at his eldest son with pride. ‘It was your insistence that we spread our investments and not be swept up in the euphoria of the stock market chase for fast money.’