in—?‘ Before he could finish, a movement at the front of the car took his attention: the soldier with the umbrella appeared to be examining the offside wing intently.
‘ ’Scuse me—‘ The little man caught his change-of-attention, turned towards its direction, and was out of the car like a ferret out of a bag ’—that wasn’t me! That was there ‘fore I sets orf, that was—someone else done that!’ The sound of his voice, raised to a protesting whine, entered the car with a wind-driven spatter of rain.
The umbrella-carrying soldier straightened up to his full height, the wind catching his umbrella and almost pulling it out of his hand. ‘Hughie, you’re an absolute and in-invvv— inveterate —liar. I checked the whole b-bloody car myself before you set out. And there wasn’t a mark on it. So now the Croc-Crocodile will have both our g-guts for … garters.’
Oh God ! thought Fred, the mists of half a year’s memory clearing instantly in the same instant as the umbrella soldier turned towards him. Then he knew that he must pull himself together, and confirm the hideous certainty which confronted him in the headlights.
The full force of the wind-and-rain hit him as he stepped out of the car. ‘Hullo there!’ Even as he spoke, he saw that things were as bad as they seemed. ‘David Audley, is it?’
‘It was them Yanks, Mister David—it must uv been them,’ whined the little man. ‘I ’ad to leave the major’s car, for a minnit—‘
‘It is. Or what’s left of him.’ Audley struggled with his umbrella. ‘Captain Fat-O’Rhiney, well met!’ He gave the little man a quick sidelong glance. ‘Hughie, I told you most particularly not to leave the car—remember?’ He came back to Fred. ‘Bad trip, was it?’ He gave Fred a friendly grin. ‘We’ve been expecting you these last three hours … At least, the CO has been.’
‘I ’ad to meet the major—I couldn’t let ‘im carry ’is bag now, could I?‘ The little man rolled an eye at Fred, hope and fear mixed in it equally.
‘It was a bumpy one.’ Faced with the truth, Fred temporized. ‘It’s not good flying weather. We went round three or four times before landing.’
Strangely, as he felt the rain on his face—or perhaps not strangely, as he observed Audley’s relative dryness—the need for truth evaporated. ‘But I’ve no complaints about my reception. And we certainly didn’t hit anything coming up here. Not even that bloody-great tank of yours, back there.’
Audley’s face contorted, from friendliness to its natural ugliness. ‘Not mine— yrrch!’ He drew a deep breath through his nose. ‘King Tigers … them I don’t need reminding of!’
The little man bobbed his head at Fred, and then at Audley. ‘I’d best take the major’s bag now, ’adn’t I, sir—so as Trooper Lucy can settle ‘im in, like?’ He wiped the rain from his face. ‘An’ the major is gettin‘ rather wet, sir … ’im bein‘ out in the open, like—?’
‘What?’ Audley looked from one to the other of them quickly. ‘Oh … very well, Hughie—’ He ended up looking at Fred ‘—you do that … and I will extemporize great lies about the Americans for the benefit of Major McCorquodale, if I must. And Major Fattorini will confirm them—right?’ He fixed his glance on Fred. ‘Shall we go in, out of the rain, Major Fattorini?’ He gestured towards the doors in the building directly ahead of them, which Driver Hughie— Hewitt , Fred remembered now—had indicated earlier. ‘Shall we go—?’
Fred followed him, and as Audley deflated his umbrella and opened one of the doors he caught sight of the three pips on the young man’s shoulders. ‘Congratulations … Captain Audley.’
Audley swung the door open, gesturing him through it. Temporary … but paid, thank God!‘ He grinned at Fred. ’Twenty-three shillings a day, plus sundry allowances—riches beyond the dreams of avarice, which are supposed to sunder us
‘ ’Scuse me—‘ The little man caught his change-of-attention, turned towards its direction, and was out of the car like a ferret out of a bag ’—that wasn’t me! That was there ‘fore I sets orf, that was—someone else done that!’ The sound of his voice, raised to a protesting whine, entered the car with a wind-driven spatter of rain.
The umbrella-carrying soldier straightened up to his full height, the wind catching his umbrella and almost pulling it out of his hand. ‘Hughie, you’re an absolute and in-invvv— inveterate —liar. I checked the whole b-bloody car myself before you set out. And there wasn’t a mark on it. So now the Croc-Crocodile will have both our g-guts for … garters.’
Oh God ! thought Fred, the mists of half a year’s memory clearing instantly in the same instant as the umbrella soldier turned towards him. Then he knew that he must pull himself together, and confirm the hideous certainty which confronted him in the headlights.
The full force of the wind-and-rain hit him as he stepped out of the car. ‘Hullo there!’ Even as he spoke, he saw that things were as bad as they seemed. ‘David Audley, is it?’
‘It was them Yanks, Mister David—it must uv been them,’ whined the little man. ‘I ’ad to leave the major’s car, for a minnit—‘
‘It is. Or what’s left of him.’ Audley struggled with his umbrella. ‘Captain Fat-O’Rhiney, well met!’ He gave the little man a quick sidelong glance. ‘Hughie, I told you most particularly not to leave the car—remember?’ He came back to Fred. ‘Bad trip, was it?’ He gave Fred a friendly grin. ‘We’ve been expecting you these last three hours … At least, the CO has been.’
‘I ’ad to meet the major—I couldn’t let ‘im carry ’is bag now, could I?‘ The little man rolled an eye at Fred, hope and fear mixed in it equally.
‘It was a bumpy one.’ Faced with the truth, Fred temporized. ‘It’s not good flying weather. We went round three or four times before landing.’
Strangely, as he felt the rain on his face—or perhaps not strangely, as he observed Audley’s relative dryness—the need for truth evaporated. ‘But I’ve no complaints about my reception. And we certainly didn’t hit anything coming up here. Not even that bloody-great tank of yours, back there.’
Audley’s face contorted, from friendliness to its natural ugliness. ‘Not mine— yrrch!’ He drew a deep breath through his nose. ‘King Tigers … them I don’t need reminding of!’
The little man bobbed his head at Fred, and then at Audley. ‘I’d best take the major’s bag now, ’adn’t I, sir—so as Trooper Lucy can settle ‘im in, like?’ He wiped the rain from his face. ‘An’ the major is gettin‘ rather wet, sir … ’im bein‘ out in the open, like—?’
‘What?’ Audley looked from one to the other of them quickly. ‘Oh … very well, Hughie—’ He ended up looking at Fred ‘—you do that … and I will extemporize great lies about the Americans for the benefit of Major McCorquodale, if I must. And Major Fattorini will confirm them—right?’ He fixed his glance on Fred. ‘Shall we go in, out of the rain, Major Fattorini?’ He gestured towards the doors in the building directly ahead of them, which Driver Hughie— Hewitt , Fred remembered now—had indicated earlier. ‘Shall we go—?’
Fred followed him, and as Audley deflated his umbrella and opened one of the doors he caught sight of the three pips on the young man’s shoulders. ‘Congratulations … Captain Audley.’
Audley swung the door open, gesturing him through it. Temporary … but paid, thank God!‘ He grinned at Fred. ’Twenty-three shillings a day, plus sundry allowances—riches beyond the dreams of avarice, which are supposed to sunder us
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