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By Root 5632 0

the docks. Dr Brownley, distraught, began to think of a matter which had occupied his mind almost exclusively for the past few days: walking with an innocent mind and a serene, untroubled expression on his face along the street his eye had happened to stray to Whiteaway’s window and there, alas, had found itself locked in the basilisk stare emitted by a certain article of an almost infinite desirability, agreed, but costing $985.50. How could a man afford such a price? Yes, but how could a man do without such an article? These were the horns of the Doctor’s dilemma. But first he would have to deal with this dreadful business of embalming old Langfield.

‘There’s only one way, it seems to me,’ said Matthew with a sigh, ‘in which our colonies could begin to get the benefits of their contact with us …’

‘And what’s that, I should like to know?’ came Walter’s forbidding voice from within, startling the two young men.

‘Oh, hello, Walter. Well, by kicking us out and running the mines and plantations for their own profit instead of ours. In other words, a revolution!’ He smiled wearily. ‘The only trouble with a revolution is that it seldom improves things and very often makes them worse.’

‘Obviously they too are subject to my Second Law,’ smiled Ehrendorf.

‘But it wasn’t that that I wanted to see you about, Walter. I wanted to ask for your help in another matter entirely.’

‘And what might that be?’ Walter did not sound encouraging. Matthew explained that he was trying to help Miss Chiang to leave Singapore because she would run a particular risk if the city fell to the Japanese. It seemed impossible, however, to get her the necessary passport and permit to leave. Perhaps Walter could do something …?

‘I don’t see how I can help,’ said Walter testily. ‘With all the red tape I can’t get anything done myself these days.’ Although there was some truth in this, Walter would not have felt inclined to help in any case. He considered it a sign of ‘the spirit of the times’ that Matthew should be seeking a favour for a Eurasian woman with little concern for propriety as if she were his wife.

‘I thought it might be easier to get her an exit permit if she were travelling with someone who had a British passport. Presumably Joan will be leaving soon? Perhaps she could go with Joan if you have no objection?’

‘That’s up to Joan,’ replied Walter shortly. ‘You’d better ask her and Nigel.’ From his tone it was plain that he did not want to discuss the matter further.

When the two young men had retreated, in silence this time, the way they had come, the Doctor cleared his throat. ‘I say, Walter, d’you think you could give me a hand in the dining-room for a few minutes. I can’t get hold of anyone to help me on account of these damned air-raids. This job shouldn’t be too difficult, fortunately, but I’ve never had to do it before … And by the way, please don’t let me forget to plug the anus, mouth and nostrils with cotton soaked in the embalming fluid. Oh yes, and what I wanted to ask you was this: do you think that the Langfield and Bowser shareholders will want to keep the body a long time? I mean, they aren’t thinking of keeping it in a glass case in the board-room or anything like that, are they? Because the thing is this: If they do want to keep it we shall have to rub it with plenty of Vaseline and bandage it to prevent it from drying out … I say, Walter, is anything the matter?’

57

‘I’ll make sure that she has money, of course, and take care of the ticket. We think it may be easier to get her an exit permit if she is employed, at least nominally, by someone with a British passport. She won’t be any trouble, Joan, I guarantee.’

‘Nigel,’ Joan called to her fiancé, invisible in the room behind her, ‘Matthew wants to know if we can take someone with us? I don’t think we can, can we?’

‘I don’t think you realize how urgent it is …’

‘A Eurasian girl, you say? An amah? A servant? Really, it’s impossible.’

‘Not a servant … a friend.’

‘I’m sorry.’

‘Joan, this isn’t just anyone. It’s someone you know. She’ll be in deadly danger if the Japanese