Mister Johnson

By Joyce Cary

Meet Mister Johnson, loyal servant to His Majesty the King of England…

Probationary clerk to the District Officer at Fada, Nigeria, Johnson is fully alive to the importance of his office. He knows he has a duty to be well-turned out in the European manner, that his wife must wear English gowns whether she likes it or not, and that they are obliged as a couple to entertain lavishly on every conceivable occasion. Every tradesman in town knows how seriously Johnson takes these duties; every tradesman in town has a ledger full of his debts.

He may not spell too accurately, but he writes a beautiful hand. He may not file very well, but he replaces expertise with enthusiasm. Indeed, he may drive his employers wild with exasperation, but there is something about having Johnson around the place: his ingenuousness is so touching, his optimism so infectious. To the core he is an official of the British Colonial Service. 

How, though, to protect the Empire from its most devoted upholder? How, come to that, to protect Johnson from himself?