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By Root 287 0

tall. The touch of the grand manner he had always had was more marked than when I last saw him. I was not at ease. His presence affected me in the usual way; but, with such obvious differences between us, the idea of contact, however obscure, seemed inappropriate and embarrassing. When he said coldly, 'It's no use forcing your way in here. I'm just leaving,' I felt confused, and could only repeat: 'I must speak to you first.' 'Impossible. I'm late as it is.' He glanced at his watch, started towards the door. 'Surely you can wait just a moment!' In my anxiety, I hurriedly stepped in front of him. I should have known better. His eyes flashed; he was angry; I had thrown away my one chance. I cursed myself for a fool. Perhaps my downcast expression amused him: at all events, his attitude suddenly seemed to change, he half smiled. 'I can't hold up the entire war just to talk to you. If there's something you must say, you'll have to come with me.' I was delighted. This was better than anything I had expected. 'May I? That's wonderful!' I thanked him enthusiastically. He burst out laughing.

The road to the airfield was lined with people waiting to catch a glimpse of him as we drove past. They stood six deep at the roadside, watched from gardens, windows, balconies, roofs, trees, hoardings, telegraph poles. Some of them must have waited a long time. I was impressed by the force of his immediate impact on the crowd.

Sitting beside him in the plane, I was conscious of curious glances from its other occupants. It was strange to look down and see the earth, not flat or gently curved, but as a segment of a round ball, the sea light blue, the land yellowish-green. Overhead it was dark blue night. Drinks were brought, I was handed a tinkling glass. 'Ice! What luxury!' He glanced my dilapidated uniform, made a grimace. 'You can't expect luxury if you insist on being a hero.' The words were mocking, but the smile had some degree of charm. He might even have been taking a friendly interest. 'May I ask why you have suddenly become one of our heroic fighters?' I knew I should have spoken about a job. Instead, for some reason, told him I'd had to do something drastic to cure my depression. 'Funny sort of cure. More likely to kill you.' 'Perhaps that's what I wanted.' 'No, you're not the suicide type. Anyway, why bother, when we're all going to be killed next week.' 'As soon as that?' 'Well, perhaps not literally. But certainly very soon.' I recognized the trick of blinking his eyes, making the bright blue pupils flash as if they reflected a dazzling blue light. It was the sign that something had not been said. Of course, he had secret information. He always knew everything before anyone else.

An enormous dinner was served. It seemed altogether too lavish, I could not eat half of it. I had got out of the way of eating big meals. Afterwards I tried again to say what I had come to say, but the sentences would not take shape in my head. I found myself thinking of him, and remarked on how little surprise he had shown over my arrival. 'I was almost expecting you.' His expression was rather odd. 'You have a way of turning up just before things happen.' He seemed to speak quite seriously. 'You really expect the catastrophe within weeks or days?' 'Looks like it.'

Blinds were drawn, shutting out the sky. A film was to be shown. He muttered in my ear: 'Wait till their attention's fixed on the screen. Then I'll show you something more interesting. It's supposed to be kept secret.' I waited, curious. We left our seats quietly, went through a door, faced an uncovered window. I was confused about time. It had been night overhead all along, but below it was still daylight. There were no clouds. I saw islands scattered over the sea, a normal aerial view. Then something extraordinary, out of this world: a wall of rainbow ice jutting up from the sea, cutting right across, pushing a ridge of water ahead of it as it moved, as if the flat pale surface of sea was a carpet being rolled up. It was a sinister, fascinating sight, which did not seem intended for human