‘I need a music stand, a piano and a stool. I cannot work without.’
‘I’ll ring the General. He had a piano at one time, his mother’s.’
The General refused to part with the piano. ‘I’m not lending it to the enemy.’
‘Look here, old boy, he’s not the enemy. He’s a refugee working for us, I ask you.’
‘Call that work? Why doesn’t he join the Home Guard, not that they’d have him. Chap’s a spy, making a fool of you. Get him to do something useful. You heard what’s happened to the hounds.’
‘You put them down.’
‘So I did, but the farmers have collected others, formed their own pack, not going to be done out of their fun. It’s mutiny.’ The General laughed. ‘Rather enterprising. Showed the proper spirit, even had the nerve to ask me for a subscription.’
‘Did you give them one?’
‘Said I’d think about it. I’m rather in favour of a mounted Home Guard.’
‘What for?’
‘Get an allowance of corn. Be able to keep my horses. Damn good idea, if you ask me.’
‘What about that piano? It’s in a good cause.’
‘What good cause?’
‘Entertaining the troops, boost morale. Let me bring Erstweiler over to look at it. You never use it, it just sits in your house. There’s a war on, I ask you.’
‘Oh, very well,’ the General grumbled.
Max got the piano and had it tuned. The Rector found a music stand. Monika returned from the woods full of hope for the autumn crop of fungi to enrich their diet, but long before the autumn Cook left. Monika was making yoghourt. Cook went to Birmingham to work in a factory, a move she had been planning for months. Helena wrung her hands while Monika moved smoothly into the kitchen to produce Continental meals both delicious and nutritious and still found time to accompany Max on the piano when needed.
‘She’s taken over everything,’ Helena wailed down the telephone to Sarah in Bath. ‘I’m left with nothing but the shopping and driving the car.’
‘You should be thankful,’ said Sarah. ‘You hate cleaning and can’t cook. Consider yourself lucky. I wish I had some Erstweilers.’
‘But the drawing room’s become a music studio. I can’t go in without appearing to interrupt.’
‘You will find some solace. Our three minutes are up.’ Sarah, with no news of Oliver in Norway, had little sympathy for Helena. Where was Oliver? Dead or alive? News gleaned from the wireless was of retreat. Desperately anxious, she telephoned Calypso. Could Hector get news?
‘No, Aunt Sarah, he knows no more than you. Try Polly.’
‘What good would she be?’
‘She works in an office which is in the know—’
‘But she’s not allowed to tell.’
‘There is that. If I hear a whisper from any quarter I’ll give you a ring.’
‘If there’s any news he’ll get it to you, he loves you.’
‘I did get a letter,’ Calypso admitted.
‘What did it say? Quick, tell me.’ The line from Bath was faint but Sarah’s anxiety strongly conveyed.
‘Nothing much. It was censored. He just said, “This is worse than the Terror Run”.’
‘That game you all played? What does it mean, for God’s sake?’
‘I don’t know. Don’t worry, he’ll be back safe.’ Calypso knew well enough what the message meant. Oliver was afraid. She telephoned Polly. ‘Polly, Aunt Sarah’s having kittens about Oliver. Have you any tit-bit of news in your office?’
‘Nothing good.’ Polly was cagey.
‘The radio says they are retreating and Hector is pretty glum about it.’
‘I can’t tell you anything, it’s no use asking me. I don’t know and if I did I couldn’t tell you.’
‘Damn and blast!’
‘Come round and have supper. Are you doing anything?’
‘Twiddling my thumbs.’
‘Come to supper. I’ve got a friend here who wants to meet you.’
‘Would I like him?’ Calypso was doubtful.
‘Yes. Light entertainment. Just the job.’
‘All right,’ said Calypso, ‘but I can’t stay late, Hector said he’d be
‘I’ll ring the General. He had a piano at one time, his mother’s.’
The General refused to part with the piano. ‘I’m not lending it to the enemy.’
‘Look here, old boy, he’s not the enemy. He’s a refugee working for us, I ask you.’
‘Call that work? Why doesn’t he join the Home Guard, not that they’d have him. Chap’s a spy, making a fool of you. Get him to do something useful. You heard what’s happened to the hounds.’
‘You put them down.’
‘So I did, but the farmers have collected others, formed their own pack, not going to be done out of their fun. It’s mutiny.’ The General laughed. ‘Rather enterprising. Showed the proper spirit, even had the nerve to ask me for a subscription.’
‘Did you give them one?’
‘Said I’d think about it. I’m rather in favour of a mounted Home Guard.’
‘What for?’
‘Get an allowance of corn. Be able to keep my horses. Damn good idea, if you ask me.’
‘What about that piano? It’s in a good cause.’
‘What good cause?’
‘Entertaining the troops, boost morale. Let me bring Erstweiler over to look at it. You never use it, it just sits in your house. There’s a war on, I ask you.’
‘Oh, very well,’ the General grumbled.
Max got the piano and had it tuned. The Rector found a music stand. Monika returned from the woods full of hope for the autumn crop of fungi to enrich their diet, but long before the autumn Cook left. Monika was making yoghourt. Cook went to Birmingham to work in a factory, a move she had been planning for months. Helena wrung her hands while Monika moved smoothly into the kitchen to produce Continental meals both delicious and nutritious and still found time to accompany Max on the piano when needed.
‘She’s taken over everything,’ Helena wailed down the telephone to Sarah in Bath. ‘I’m left with nothing but the shopping and driving the car.’
‘You should be thankful,’ said Sarah. ‘You hate cleaning and can’t cook. Consider yourself lucky. I wish I had some Erstweilers.’
‘But the drawing room’s become a music studio. I can’t go in without appearing to interrupt.’
‘You will find some solace. Our three minutes are up.’ Sarah, with no news of Oliver in Norway, had little sympathy for Helena. Where was Oliver? Dead or alive? News gleaned from the wireless was of retreat. Desperately anxious, she telephoned Calypso. Could Hector get news?
‘No, Aunt Sarah, he knows no more than you. Try Polly.’
‘What good would she be?’
‘She works in an office which is in the know—’
‘But she’s not allowed to tell.’
‘There is that. If I hear a whisper from any quarter I’ll give you a ring.’
‘If there’s any news he’ll get it to you, he loves you.’
‘I did get a letter,’ Calypso admitted.
‘What did it say? Quick, tell me.’ The line from Bath was faint but Sarah’s anxiety strongly conveyed.
‘Nothing much. It was censored. He just said, “This is worse than the Terror Run”.’
‘That game you all played? What does it mean, for God’s sake?’
‘I don’t know. Don’t worry, he’ll be back safe.’ Calypso knew well enough what the message meant. Oliver was afraid. She telephoned Polly. ‘Polly, Aunt Sarah’s having kittens about Oliver. Have you any tit-bit of news in your office?’
‘Nothing good.’ Polly was cagey.
‘The radio says they are retreating and Hector is pretty glum about it.’
‘I can’t tell you anything, it’s no use asking me. I don’t know and if I did I couldn’t tell you.’
‘Damn and blast!’
‘Come round and have supper. Are you doing anything?’
‘Twiddling my thumbs.’
‘Come to supper. I’ve got a friend here who wants to meet you.’
‘Would I like him?’ Calypso was doubtful.
‘Yes. Light entertainment. Just the job.’
‘All right,’ said Calypso, ‘but I can’t stay late, Hector said he’d be
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