Fable, A - William Faulkner [136]
'Indubitably, Madame,' the old general said. 'Your spoon-'
'It vanished. Dont ask me where. Ask them. Or better: have some of your corporals and sergeants search them. It's true there are two of them beneath whose garments even a sergeant would not want to fumble. But none of them would object,'
'No,' the old general said. 'More should not be demanded of corporals and sergeants beyond the simple hazard of military life,' He spoke the aide's name.
'Sir,' the aide said.
'Go to the scene. Find the gentlewoman's spoon and return it to her,'
'I, sir?' the aide cried.
'Take a full company. On your way out, let the prisoners come in.-No: first, the three officers. They are here?'
'Yes sir,' the aide said.
'Good,' the old general said. He turned to the civilian; when he did so, the civilian began to rise from his seat with a sort of startled and diffuse alacrity. 'That should take care of the spoon,' the old general said. 'I believe the rest of your problem was the complaint of the three strange women that they have no place to sleep tonight,'
'That; and-' the mayor said.
'Yes,' the old general said. 'I will see them presently. Meanwhile, will you take care of finding quarters for them, or shall-'
'But certainly, General,' the mayor said.
Thank you. Then, good night,' He turned to the woman. 'And to you also. And in peace; your spoon will be restored,' Now it was the mayor who was swept, carried-the magpie this time in a flock of pigeons or perhaps hens or maybe geese-back toward the door which the aide held open, and through it, the aide still looking back at the old general with his expression shocked disbelief.
'A spoon,' the aide said. 'A company. I've never commanded one man, let alone a company of them. And even if I could, knew how, how can I find that spoon?'
'Of course you will find it,' the old general said. 'That will be the fourth miracle. Now, the three officers. But first take the three strange ladies to your office and ask them to wait there for me,'
'Yes sir,' the aide said. He went out and closed the door. It opened again; three men entered: a British colonel, a French ma-jor, an American captain, the two juniors flanking the colonel rigidly down the rug and to rigid attention facing the table while the colonel saluted.
'Gentlemen,' the old general said. 'This is not a parade. It is not even an inquiry: merely an identification.-Chairs, please,' he said without turning his head to the galaxy of staff behind him. 'Then the prisoners,' Three of the aides brought chairs around; now that end of the room resembled one end of an amphitheatre or a section of an American bleachers, the three generals and the three newcomers sitting in the beginning of a semi-circle against the bank of aides and staff as one of the aides who had fetched the chairs went on to the smaller door and opened it and stood aside. And now they could smell the men before they even entered-that thin strong ineradicable stink of front lines: of foul mud and burnt cordite and tobacco and ammonia and human filth. Then the thirteen men entered, led by the sergeant with his slung rifle and closed by another armed private, bareheaded, unshaven, alien, stained still with battle, bringing with them still another com-Wednesday Night pounding of the smell-wariness, alertness, just a little of fear too but mostly just watchfulness, deploying a little clumsily as the sergeant spoke two rapid commands in French and halted them into line. The old general turned to the British colonel. 'Colonel?' he said.
'yes sir,' the colonel said immediately. 'The corporal.' The old general turned to the American.
'Captain?' he said.
'yes sir,' the American said. 'That's him. Colonel Beale's right-I mean, he cant be right-' But the old general was already speaking to the sergeant.
'Let the corporal remain,' he said. Take the others back to the anteroom and wait there.' The sergeant wheeled and barked, but the corporal had already paced