Snatched by Bill James Page B

meant a chillingly heightened chance of messy public crisis. Lepage dearly wanted to dodge anything of that sort, especially as he had also felt obliged to ask Dr Itagaki and Dr Kanda from the Japanese Arts and Culture Council, as well as the chairman of the local authority, two newspaper editors and several important broadcasting people. Any Hulliborn catastrophe tonight was sure of a good show.
    Itagaki and Kanda stood with him now, also gazing down. ‘Here is harmony, here is vibrancy!’ Kanda delightedly cried. ‘Could it be surpassed, could it even be paralleled in any other museum? One substantially doubts it.’
    â€˜Oh, yes, one substantially does,’ Itagaki said. Her big, blue-framed spectacles twinkled life-lovingly under the revolving coloured lights, brought in for the Ball. ‘Among the Hulliborn’s precious artefacts we see cheerful concord and general amity.’
    Maybe. The trouble was, revered tradition dictated that, along with all current staff, retired Keepers and Curators should be sent Ball tickets, to commemorate Lord Hulliborn of Nadle-and-Colm, creator of the museum in the nineteenth century. Since nothing had actually been proved against Nev, he could not be excluded. Naturally, an unpleasant debate had erupted about this at a Hebdomadal Conclave, with Angus Beresford, Entomology, sounding off so threateningly and coarsely, plus graphic stiff-arm mime, about Falldew’s alleged indiscretion in the Folk. Eventually, a request by Lepage for tolerance and customary Hulliborn saneness of outlook, made entirely against his better judgement, helped get Beresford’s case rejected. Ursula had willingly undertaken to police Neville from start to finish. Ursula was resourceful and tough, but could she really manage it?
    George had to hope so. As he watched the two of them now dancing together with full, funky energy in the marble surrounds of the Hulliborn Central Hall, he felt for several minutes that things might just turn out OK. Possibly, that warmth between Ursula and Nev would pick up yet again and provide him with some theme to life once more: a healthy and fruitful link with the Hulliborn, not that vile, crazed enmity. It had to be a heartening sign that Nev seemed to have taken the trouble to rent a reasonable tuxedo and mauve cummerbund. Studying Nev’s scant face, George Lepage could read no hint of planned mischief and violence against the museum. Perhaps Nev had come to realize that although he might have a grievance, it was not against the Hulliborn but against the philistine political view that the only organizations entitled to helpful treatment were those contributing in a measurable, concrete way to the country’s Gross Domestic Product. That was why the Hulliborn had to reduce expenditure. That was why Nev had been flung out of his job early.
    George waved and smiled to Nev in a way he hoped said that Hulliborn friendship still meant a bucketful. Falldew ignored this, as though too deeply immersed in private reverie or in the grisly music. Lepage took no offence and would have settled for nothing but private reverie from Nev all night, just as he would settle for the tuxedo and cummerbund, although the occasion was always white tie.
    â€˜I see below Lady Butler-Minton, I think,’ Itagaki said, ‘unceasingly elegant and goodly.’
    â€˜Oh, yes,’ Lepage replied. ‘All those with distinguished links to the Hulliborn are welcome on Founder’s Day.’
    â€˜We are greatly honoured to be in such a category, having, so far at least, not earned that accolade,’ Kanda said. ‘This is British generosity, this is
politesse
.’
    â€˜Dear Lady Butler-Minton,’ Itagaki said. ‘And are D.Q. Youde, Art, and James Pirie, Museum Secretary, still stoking her boiler turn and turn about, as during Sir Eric’s lifetime, and squabbling over her so feverishly, so wonderfully waspishly?’ She gave a little