money is laundered through the entertainment account it allows him to be subsidised for a jaunt to Monte Carlo and no doubt Fishbane for nights of bliss with ladies from a call-girl agency.’
‘But why have disaffected members never revolted?’ asked Amiss.
‘Because the town members get an excellent deal and the residents get paradise. The only people who really know how rotten the whole set-up is are servants or residents, and servants are powerless and residents are enthusiastically in favour of the status quo . It takes a crusading type like the Admiral to find out what’s going on and retain the desire to do something about it.’ Milton got up and refilled their coffee cups and brandy glasses.
‘Well, what are you going to do now?’ asked Amiss. ‘Does the interview with the Admiral make any difference to anything?’
‘It strengthens my case, ’ said Pooley.
‘Hold on, Ellis,’ said Milton. ‘It doesn’t on paper. There is no new evidence that entitles us to start pulling ffeatherstonehaugh’s apart. I had hoped that the allegations of fraud might make our path easier on this one, but the Admiral himself admits that there really is no legal transgression that he can yet point to. I’ve got to have some new official piece of evidence before I can go in and start interrogating those old sods. The only good news I can tell you is that I would very much like to have the opportunity. I’m much less agnostic than I was, Ellis, when you first started to make an issue of this. Between you, the Admiral and Robert, I have become convinced that the timing of Trueman’s death was a mite convenient.’
‘I expect things will get stirred up pretty soon now that the Admiral’s back in town,’ observed Amiss. ‘I hope you’ve warned him that he’s the obvious next target.’
‘He knows that perfectly well,’ said Milton. ‘The one thing that worries me is that I don’t think he cares. He’s got his teeth into this, he’s angry and he doesn’t seem to have a lot to live for really. If you ask me, he’s one of those chaps whose marriage was so close and idyllic that he’ll never get over his wife’s death: he’s just passing the time as usefully as he can. Except when he had to go to sea, they were never apart during their whole thirty-five years together. She went everywhere with him unless forbidden by regulations and never went away on her own.’
‘How unlike the modern woman,’ said Amiss. ‘Take our advice, Ellis. When you decide to get married, fix yourself up with someone of the old school, not one of those feminist flibbertigibbets of the kind Jim and I have landed ourselves with – undomesticated, never there, eyes set on further career mountains to be climbed. I don’t know what the world’s coming to.’
‘Quite right, Commander,’ said Milton. He topped up Amiss’s drink.
The doorbell rang at midnight.
‘Ah!’ said Pooley. ‘That’ll be my taxi. I ordered it in advance to stop Robert trying to persuade me to stay on.’
‘You doubt your own will-power?’ asked Amiss.
‘I remember the hangover I had the last time I went on the tiles with you, and tomorrow I have to play squash at nine. D’you want me to give you a lift back to the club?’
‘Drop me at home instead,’ said Amiss. ‘I’ve been rather avoiding the flat except to call in once or twice to pick up mail, but I’d a letter this morning from Rachel. I must say, the diplomatic bag works extremely fast in both directions, so we are managing to keep up some kind of dialogue: she was insistent that I get out of ffeatherstonehaugh’s as much as possible. I suppose she’s afraid I’ll get as dotty as everybody there. So I thought I’d spend tomorrow at home clearing up and reading the newspapers and engaging in some spiritually uplifting reading. What d’you suggest? The Vanity of Human Wishes ? A bit of Milton? Pope?’
‘I told the chap two minutes,’ said Pooley, returning from the front
‘But why have disaffected members never revolted?’ asked Amiss.
‘Because the town members get an excellent deal and the residents get paradise. The only people who really know how rotten the whole set-up is are servants or residents, and servants are powerless and residents are enthusiastically in favour of the status quo . It takes a crusading type like the Admiral to find out what’s going on and retain the desire to do something about it.’ Milton got up and refilled their coffee cups and brandy glasses.
‘Well, what are you going to do now?’ asked Amiss. ‘Does the interview with the Admiral make any difference to anything?’
‘It strengthens my case, ’ said Pooley.
‘Hold on, Ellis,’ said Milton. ‘It doesn’t on paper. There is no new evidence that entitles us to start pulling ffeatherstonehaugh’s apart. I had hoped that the allegations of fraud might make our path easier on this one, but the Admiral himself admits that there really is no legal transgression that he can yet point to. I’ve got to have some new official piece of evidence before I can go in and start interrogating those old sods. The only good news I can tell you is that I would very much like to have the opportunity. I’m much less agnostic than I was, Ellis, when you first started to make an issue of this. Between you, the Admiral and Robert, I have become convinced that the timing of Trueman’s death was a mite convenient.’
‘I expect things will get stirred up pretty soon now that the Admiral’s back in town,’ observed Amiss. ‘I hope you’ve warned him that he’s the obvious next target.’
‘He knows that perfectly well,’ said Milton. ‘The one thing that worries me is that I don’t think he cares. He’s got his teeth into this, he’s angry and he doesn’t seem to have a lot to live for really. If you ask me, he’s one of those chaps whose marriage was so close and idyllic that he’ll never get over his wife’s death: he’s just passing the time as usefully as he can. Except when he had to go to sea, they were never apart during their whole thirty-five years together. She went everywhere with him unless forbidden by regulations and never went away on her own.’
‘How unlike the modern woman,’ said Amiss. ‘Take our advice, Ellis. When you decide to get married, fix yourself up with someone of the old school, not one of those feminist flibbertigibbets of the kind Jim and I have landed ourselves with – undomesticated, never there, eyes set on further career mountains to be climbed. I don’t know what the world’s coming to.’
‘Quite right, Commander,’ said Milton. He topped up Amiss’s drink.
The doorbell rang at midnight.
‘Ah!’ said Pooley. ‘That’ll be my taxi. I ordered it in advance to stop Robert trying to persuade me to stay on.’
‘You doubt your own will-power?’ asked Amiss.
‘I remember the hangover I had the last time I went on the tiles with you, and tomorrow I have to play squash at nine. D’you want me to give you a lift back to the club?’
‘Drop me at home instead,’ said Amiss. ‘I’ve been rather avoiding the flat except to call in once or twice to pick up mail, but I’d a letter this morning from Rachel. I must say, the diplomatic bag works extremely fast in both directions, so we are managing to keep up some kind of dialogue: she was insistent that I get out of ffeatherstonehaugh’s as much as possible. I suppose she’s afraid I’ll get as dotty as everybody there. So I thought I’d spend tomorrow at home clearing up and reading the newspapers and engaging in some spiritually uplifting reading. What d’you suggest? The Vanity of Human Wishes ? A bit of Milton? Pope?’
‘I told the chap two minutes,’ said Pooley, returning from the front
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