Of those at present employed in manufacturing industry


in the eight London new towns about 40 per cent are


employed in engineering and electrical goods manufacture -


the proportion employed in both these groups combined


varies from about 30 per cent in Welwyn to 85 per cent in


Stevenage and 90 per cent in Hatfield .


These figures are much higher than the national


averages , and may be thought to indicate a


lack of balance in some of the towns . On the other


hand these groups offer fairly varied opportunities of


skilled employment and are highly diversified


as regards products , markets and methods of


manufacture . Consumer goods industries such as the


manufacture of food # and drink , tobacco , clothing


and footwear are under-represented in the new


towns generally though not in Basildon and


Welwyn .


The following table indicates the size of the


firms , some of them occupying more than


one factory , introduced or sponsored by


development corporations in the new towns : The


overall average for the factories sponsored by


development corporations is about 170 employees


per firm , and the average for each of the London


new towns is roughly the same except at Hatfield ,


where it is much lower , and Stevenage , where it


is much higher .


The position at Stevenage is accounted for by


the presence of one firm with 3,700 employees


and two others with over 1,000 employees .


About 32 per cent of all the workers employed


in factories sponsored by the development


corporations are employed by the eleven


largest firms and about 23 per cent by the next


group of firms employing between five


hundred and one thousand workers .


In factories sponsored by the London new town


development corporations the proportion of


female employees , expressed as a percentage


of all employees , varies from 23 per cent in


Welwyn Garden City and 24 per cent in


Hemel Hempstead to 35 per cent in


Basildon and 55 per cent in Hatfield


with an average of about 30 per cent


- rather less than in the country as a whole .


The figures for Corby and Peterlee


( where the prime need so far has


been to provide employment for


women and girls ) are 82 per cent


and 74 per cent respectively .


Shopping provision in the new towns


has generally been based on an


estimated need of about eight


shops for every thousand people ,


this being considered sufficient


to allow for shoppers coming


The figures for Corby and Peterlee ( where the


prime need so far has been to provide employment


for women and girls ) are 82 per cent and


74 per cent respectively . Shopping provision in


the new towns has generally been based on an


estimated need of # about eight shops


for every thousand people , this being


considered sufficient to allow for shoppers


coming into the town from surrounding


areas .


Distribution over the town as


a whole varies , the smaller


towns tending to rely mainly


on the town centres with a


few " pantry " shops in the


neighbourhoods and the larger


ones providing neighbourhood


centres of up to thirty or more


shops at the heart of the


residential areas , as well as


small sub-centres in outlying


Distribution over the town as a whole


varies , the smaller towns tending to rely


mainly on the town centres with a few


" pantry " shops in the neighbourhoods and


the larger ones providing neighbourhood


centres of up to thirty or more shops


at the heart of the residential areas ,


as well as small sub-centres in


outlying districts .


Some development corporations


have sought to attract private


investors by leasing part of the


shopping area to companies


experienced in commercial


development who have undertaken


the building and letting of the


shops . But corporations have generally


found it more satisfactory to build


themselves , leasing the shops


Some development corporations have sought


to attract private investors by leasing part


of the shopping area to companies experienced


in commercial development who have #


undertaken the building and letting of the


shops . But corporations have generally found it


more satisfactory to build themselves , leasing the


shops to traders , with breaks in the lease to


enable rents to be increased in scale with


the rising prosperity of the town .


This control over lettings also


secures a balanced distribution


of the type of shop , to meet the


convenience of shoppers , and a


reasonable degree of economic


security for the individual shopkeeper .


Timing has proved an important


factor in the success of the shops .


To many at the start may not


provide a living for the traders


This control over lettings also secures a


balanced distribution of the type of shop , to


meet the convenience of shoppers , and a reasonable


degree of economic security # for


the individual shopkeeper . Timing has proved an


important factor in the success of the shops . Too


many at the start may not provide a living


for the traders , but too few may result in


failure to attract custom and the habit of


dependence on mobile shops , essential in the


early stages , may be slow to break if carried


The establishment of open markets


in the town centres has helped to


bring custom to the shops and the


initial fears of some of the


shopkeepers that their trade


would suffer have proved un-


founded . Shopping on two levels


has been introduced in a number


of towns and has added to


the interest of the town centre


The establishment of open markets in the


town centres has helped to bring custom


to the shops and the initial fears of some


of the shopkeepers that their trade would


suffer have proved unfounded . Shopping on


two levels has been introduced in a number


of towns and has added to the interest of the


town centre .


All types of trader have been encouraged ,


from the large departmental store to the


small shoe-mender , with banks specially


sited on corners or in separate courts


to avoid breaking into the shopping frontage .


As in the case of factories and industrial


sites , the corporations' policy has been


to charge full commercial rents for


their shops and shopping sites . The


cost of town centre development has


been very high in some cases with ...


from the large departmental store to #


the small shoe-mender , with banks specially


sited on corners or in separate courts to avoid


breaking into the shopping frontage . As in the


case of factories and industrial sites , the


corporations' policy has been to charge full commercial


rents for their shops and shopping sites . The


cost of town centre development has been very


high in some cases with large paved areas


and pleasant amenities and decorative features .


The gross return on capital expendi-


ture on town and neighbourhood shopping


centres ranges from 6 to 13 per cent.


It is to their successful industries and


commercial development that the


corporations must look to recoup the


high costs of main sewerage and


drainage , main roads and other special


development expenditure .


These services develop at their own pace


in response to local demand , however ,


and little can be done to stimulate them .


In practice it has not proved possible


as yet to attract " head offices and


administrative and research establishments


including sections of government depart-


ments and other public offices " on the


scale needed " to establish the character


of the town from the outset as one


of diverse and balanced social ...


Except at Hemel Hempstead , large office


organisations have until quite recently shown


little interest in the new towns , probably because of


the difficulty in the early years in recruiting


suitable staff , especially junior staff , locally .


There is evidence of greater interest today ,


with nearly half a million square feet of


office space under construction - almost as


much as the total area so far completed .


This interest is likely to grow as employers become


aware of the advantages of setting up offices in towns


with a young and growing population and excellent


schools and technical colleges . Towards the end of


the year the Minister wrote personally to some two


hundred chairmen of companies with large offices


in central London , drawing their attention to the


opportunities offered by the new towns .


The development corporations have provided office


accommodation ( in addition to that included in factory


premises ) in the form of buildings specially designed to meet


the needs of particular organisations , and have also


erected some buildings as a speculative venture .


Despite some misgivings , these have readily let on satis-


factory terms , including in many cases a break clause in


the lease allowing for a future increase in rent to reflect


rising values in the town .


accommodation ( in addition to that included in


factory premises ) in the form of buildings specially


designed to meet the needs of particular organisations ,


and have also erected some buildings as a


speculative venture . Despite some misgivings , these


have readily let on satisfactory terms , including


in many cases a break clause in the lease allowing


for a future increase in rent to reflect rising


values in the town .


More modest premises are provided on the upper floors over


shops in some of the town centres for the small type of


office organisation . Government departments with branches


established or about to be established in the new towns include


Her Majesty's Stationery Office at Basildon , the Meteorological


Office at Bracknell , the Admiralty ( who have a research labora-


tory at Harlow ) , the General Post Office and the Ministry of


Transport at Hemel Hempstead and the Department of Scien-


tific and Industrial Research at Stevenage .


More modest premises are provided on the upper


floors over shops in some of the town centres for


the small type of office organisation . Government


departments with branches established or about


to be established in the new towns include Her


Majesty's Stationery Office at Basildon , the


Meteorological Office at Bracknell , the Admiralty


( who have a research laboratory at Harlow ) , the


General Post Office and the Ministry of Transport


at Hemel Hempstead and the Department of


Local offices of the Ministry of Labour , Ministry of National


Insurance and Inland Revenue are of course established or


proposed in all the towns . Because of the abnormal age structure


of the new town populations the number of children reaching


school-leaving age , expressed as a percentage of the


total population , has been and still is below the


national average .


Local offices of the Ministry of Labour , Ministry of


National Insurance and Inland Revenue are of course


established or proposed in all the towns . Because


of the abnormal age structure of the new town


populations the number of children reaching


But whereas the national annual average will


settle down at something like 1.4 per


cent after the " bulge " has passed , in the


new towns the percentage will generally go


on rising ( in some towns into the middle


seventies ) reaching levels of perhaps 2.3 per


cent in some towns before it begins to


decline .


But whereas the national annual average will settle


down at something like 1.4 per cent after the


" bulge " has passed , in the new towns the percentage


will generally go on rising ( in some towns into the


middle seventies ) reaching levels of perhaps 2.3


per cent in some towns before it begins to decline .


During this period , when large numbers of school-


leavers will be looking for jobs , there


will be relatively few retirements . For the most


part therefore local employment can


be provided only by the expansion of existing


industry and the introduction of new factories ,


laboratories and offices , and the expected but


not easily stimulated development of the service


industries . Schemes for training young people in


industry and commerce will be particularly important in


leavers will be looking for jobs , there will be


relatively few retirements . For the most part therefore


local employment can be provided only by the


expansion of existing industry and the introduction


of new factories , laboratories and offices , and


the expected but not easily stimulated development


of the service industries . Schemes for training


young people in industry and commerce will


be particularly important in the new towns .


As the Reith Committee foresaw , " perfect synchronisation


of the movement of employing firms with the


movement of employed people is not practicable " .


For short periods over the years some of the


London new town corporations have been able to


offer a house or a flat at once to anyone


eligible for one , but in the main house


building has lagged behind the demand .


As the Reith Committee foresaw , " perfect synchro-


nisation of the movement of employing firms with the


For short periods over the years some of the London


new town corporations have been able to offer a house


or a flat at once to anyone # eligible for one ,


but in the main house building has lagged


behind the demand .


At the present time in most of the towns


the waiting period has tended to grow , partly


because the buoyancy of industry generates


increasing demands , partly because in


recent years the pressure on the building


industry , the shortage of bricks and other


materials , and the shortage of skilled labour ,


especially in the finishing trades , has made


it difficult for corporations to achieve


their full programme .


At the present time in most of the towns the waiting


period has tended to grow , partly because


the # buoyancy of industry generates increasing


demands , partly because in recent years the pressure


on the building industry , the shortage of bricks


and other materials , and the shortage of


skilled labour , especially in the finishing trades ,


has made it difficult for corporations to achieve


It is believed that about 60 per cent of the


employees of London firms transferring their


business to the new towns moved with them and


were thus eligible to rent a corporation house .


Additional workers are recruited through the


industrial selection scheme by arrangement


with the Ministry of Labour . This scheme is


designed to ensure that vacancies in the


London new towns which cannot be filled


locally are filled as far as possible from people


It is believed that about 60 per cent of the employees


of London firms transferring their business to the # new towns


moved with them and were thus eligible to rent #


a corporation house . Additional workers are recruited through


the industrial selection scheme by arrangement with


the # Ministry of Labour . This scheme is designed


to ensure that vacancies in the London new towns


which cannot be filled locally are filled as far as


possible from people on London housing lists , who thus


become entitled to rent a house in the new town .


Londoners not in housing need , # but whose departure


from London may be assumed to release accommodation


there , are recruited for jobs which cannot be filled through


the industrial # selection scheme , and only as a last


resort are people from outside London allotted new town


houses . As a result , almost 80 per cent of the #


houses let by the development # corporations in the


London new towns have gone to Londoners , about


half of whom are known to have been on local


authority housing lists .


Tables C , D and E of Appendix 16 give details of


factories , shops and offices completed and under


construction at the end of the year .


Unless it is known at what oxygen potential a given


material in the sodium coolant circuit will start to


oxidise the cell can only be used as has been


suggested above , as an oxygen concentration monitor .


However , if a material oxidizes in sodium at a given


oxygen potential the reference electrode could be held


at that potential and oxidizing or reducing conditions


in the coolant circuit for that material would be


indicated by a negative or positive potential at the


reference electrode .


Thus for the specific case of niobium in a sodium


circuit a corrosion indicator could be a reference


electrode of sodium saturated and equilibrated


with niobium separated from the coolant by a


solid anionic electrolyte . A negative voltage from


the reference electrode would mean oxidizing


conditions for niobium and positive voltage , non-


oxidizing conditions . The practical application of


the above idea will involve considerable experimenta-


tion before it can be realised .


The first requirement is for an anionic


electrolyte , which can be fabricated into


suitable shapes impervious to gases and


liquid sodium and which is neither


corroded by sodium nor by sodium


monoxide . Possible materials are zirconia


stabilised with lime and thoria doped


with rare earth oxides .


Provided the temperatures at C and E are


the same , thermoelectric contributions to the


voltage should be zero . The probe extends


out of the sodium stream through a close


fitting thin walled T-Junction F and passes


into the open via a water-cooled O ring seal G .


The open end of the probe is sealed with


a vacuum coupling H which also positions


the -ve nickel conductor with respect


to the sodium by circlips on either side


of the seal I .


Evaporation of sodium from the pool C is


minimised by a close fitting cylindrical


block of electrolyte J attached to the -ve nickel


conductor by nickel circlips . Fixing and


positioning of the probe relative to the coolant


stream is effected by tie-bars of insulating


material K joining the vacuum coupling H to the


water cooled flange G .


The probe can be evacuated and filled with inert gas


via the tube L which must of course be electrically


isolated after this has been carried out . It is not


suggested that the above proposal will be successful


but rather that it is worth a trial in the event of


the inadequacy of some simpler method of


monitoring the oxygen in a sodium circuit . The


principal difficulty encountered by the author , in


determining partial molal free energies by solid


electrolyte cells of very stable oxides such as UO2 ,


MnO etc. was vapour phase transfer of oxygen by


carbonaceous impurities in the blanket gas .


This resulted in the oxidation of the


-ve electrode and reduction of the -ve


electrode which of course led to a loss in


E.M.F. from the cell . In the above design the two


electrodes are completely separated from one


another so that this major source of


trouble should not be present .


The presence of 75 of bismuth-210 is equivalent to


ingrowth over two half-lives ( ten days ) . Therefore


after a further forty days , the bismuth daughter


will be within 0.1 sources are required for use sooner


than forty or fifty days after preparation , the


lead-210 together with added lead carrier must


be separated from the bismuth-210 daughter by


ion exchange ( see Analytical Method , steps 4 , 5 )


before precipitating lead chromate .


Knowing the time of separation and the


activity of the lead-210 solution , the ingrowth


of the bismuth-210 can be calculated . The


absolute activity of the reference standards


can be calculated from the known activity


of the lead-210 solution and the chemical


yield , but this calculation is unnecessary


provided the same lead carrier solution is


used to prepare the reference standards


and for the analyses .


Only the weights of the recovered lead chromate


precipitates need be known because the concentration


of the lead carrier solution cancels out of the


algebraic equations . An effort was made to


detect the presence of any radioactive impurities in


the tracer by separating the lead-210 and the


bismuth-210 by anion exchange . The 15b-counting


of the lead-210 fraction began within a few


minutes of completing the separation .


The ingrowth of bismuth-210 was followed


for ten days and showed no abnormalities .


Any impurity in the lead fraction must ha-


ve been well below one percent . Some separa-


ted lead-210 was used to make reference stan-


dards and as a tracer in recovery experiments .


There was no significant difference between the-


se results and those obtained using the original


lead-210 solution supplied by the Radiochemical


Centre which we concluded was radiochemi-


cally pure .


Rosenquist ( 4 ) showed that minute quantities of


lead can be isolated from large volumes of solu-


tion by coprecipitating the lead with a strontium


sulphate . Lead and strontium form mixed cry-


stals so that the more insoluble lead sulphate


is almost completely recovered even if precipitation


of the strontium sulphate is incomplete . Using


ten milligrams of lead carrier and six


hundred milligrams of strontium per liter ,


more than 95 experiment .


Absorption of the beta particles is also kept to a


minimum but the accuracy and precision of


weighing the precipitated sources suffers . All


precipitates were weighed on a semi-micro balance


which had been calibrated with a set of certificated


weights from the National Physical Laboratory .


Complete chemical exchange between the


radio-lead and the added lead carrier is


necessary if the analytical results are to


be correct .


In the preliminary experiments , the tracer was added to a


liter of effluent and immediately coprecipitated with


strontium sulphate from hot solution . Chemical exchange


was complete under these conditions ; but when the tracer


was added to alkaline effluent and allowed to


stand for several days before the addition of lead


carrier , the recovery of lead-210 was as much as five


per cent low when corrected for gravimetric recovery


of the carrier .


The presence and growth of algae in the


alkaline effluent does not prevent the


recovery of radio-lead under the prescribed


conditions although some radioactivity remains


on the algae until the metathesis has been


completed by heating the mixed sulphates


with three separate portions of dilute ( 1.25


normal ) sodium carbonate solution . The


strength of the carbonate solution was


chosen after experiments with lead tracer


alone which indicated that less lead was


A small manual coffee grinder is useful as the resin


cannot be ground with a mortar and pestle . The


sieved resin is washed repeatedly with distilled water


to remove fines and then with hydrochloric acid to


convert the resin completely to the chloride form .


The 60-100 mesh resin is again washed with water to


remove the acid and finally dried in air .


The glass tube is 11 cm. long and 1 cm. in internal


diameter . One end of the tube is drawn down to a fine


tip and a B14 conical glass socket is fitted to the


other end as shown in Figure 1 . The reservoir is a 50 ml


cylindrical separating funnel with a capillary tap


modified by the addition of a B14 cone to fit the


glass column .


The exact volume of the eluting agents must be found by


experiment for each batch of resin using radioactive tracer


( lead-210 , bismuth-210 ) . A typical elution curve is shown in


Figure 3 . Once these volumes have been established , the weight


of resin used is also fixed . All available evidence indicates


that the fractions containing lead and bismuth are free


of cross contamination apart from the natural


ingrowth of the daughters arising from the decay of


lead .


Polonium-210 remains on the column and does not


interfere . Strontium does not form a chloro-complex


and therefore passes through in the feed solution and


the first wash . The resin is used for a single


separation and then thrown away . In the first stage


of the analysis , only the fraction containing


lead-210 is collected . The lead is precipitated as


the chromate , washed , slurried onto an aluminium


counting tray , dried under an infra-red lamp ,


weighed , and set aside for five days while the


bismuth-210 grows in .


At the end of five days , bismuth-210 will have


reached one-half of its equilibrium value and


can be counted through an aluminium absorber


sufficiently thick to stop the beta particles


from lead-210 and the alpha particles from


polonium-210 .


During the first few hours the curve will be


distorted if activity other than bismuth-


210 is present . These bismuth nuclides may


include : together with their lead parents .


All but lead-212 will decay completely


within six hours . The decay of lead-212


will distort the observed activity for


hour and a half days if it is


present .


If there is sufficient beta activity , the radioche-


mical purity of the Bi-210 may be checked


by observing the decay curve . The removal of lead


chromate from the aluminium counting tray together


with the bismuth-210 prior to the second ion


exchange separation has been checked by


counting the trays . Not more than 0.2 of the


bismuth-210 remains on the tray after the


acid wash .


This loss is acceptably small for an analytical


step when no correction for carrier


recovery is possible . The completeness


of the chemical exchange between the


bismuth-210 and the added carrier was


also tested . Two samples of precipitated


lead chromate ( lead-210 , bismuth-210 )


were counted and dissolved in nitric


acid in silica basins . The contents


were evaporated to dryness with


bismuth carrier and then taken up in


The bismuth was recovered from the eluate as the


phosphate . Results did not differ from those obtained by the more


convenient method of heating the dissolved chro-


mates in 2 N hydrochloric acid for fifteen minutes . The more


rigorous method of securing chemical exchange was unnecessary .


Lead-210 when present in effluent is likely to be found


only at very low concentrations .


Table 1 shows the decontamination factors


obtained experimentally for ten radionuclides ,


accompanied in two instances by radioactive dau-


ghters . The decontamination factor falls below


104 only for Ruthenium-106 and zirconium-95


with their daughters in the first stage , i.e.


the lead chromate source containing the bismuth-


21 daughter . When the second stage ( the bismuth


phosphate source ) is completed , the decontami-


nation factors are exceptionally high .


A known quantity ( approx. 1 x 10-2 15mc ) of


lead-210 was added to 1-litre aliquots


of different batches of typical low-activity


effluent . The aliquots were allowed to


stand for about seven days ( except


where noted to the contrary ) before lead


carrier was added and the analytical


procedure begun .


All stages of Calanus , for example ,


seem to migrate on some occasions while


any stage may not on others . Such data


cannot yet be rationalized . Where


information is less extensive , however , it is


possible to find some regularity in the


observations . Thus in Euphausia superba


from the Antarctic , the metanauplii remain


in deep water , the later larval stages


migrate diurnally , and the adolescents


stay permanently at the surface .


The migrating stages all come from 100-250


meters , and the time of their arrival at


the surface is directly related to their


swimming capacity : 3rd ( oldest )


calyptopis from 1800-2200 hr ; 2nd ,


from 2200-0200 hr ; and 1st , from 0200-0600 hr .


Similar ontogenetic differences are apparent


in Bosmina coregoni whose adults remain


at the surface while the young migrate


to and from a depth of 50 meters .


Such permanent occurrence at the surface


could of course be considered the extreme


of a variable day depth . The effect of


day depths upon the surfacing of various


animals has been reviewed elsewhere . c .


Anomalies . In spite of the variability


of migrational behavior , some kinds


of anomalies may be recognized .


Vertical movement occurs in some forms


apparently in the reverse manner to


that commonly met .


Such reversed migrations are known for


Acartia clausi , A. longiremis , Nyctiphanes


couchii , Evadne sp. , Oithona nana , Daphnia


lumholzi , Stages 4 , 5 , and adult of


Calanus finmarchicus , Diaptomus banforanus ,


and Cyclops bicuspidatus . An echo-producing


layer , which the authors think probably consists


of euphausiids , has also been described


as , in part , regularly moving in a reverse


manner . Most of these records are well


substantiated and involve whole populations


rather than aberrant individuals .


But normal movements have been


reported also for the same species in


the case of five of these examples


and for other species in the same


genera for the remaining Evadne ,


Daphnia , and Diaptomus . Many


forms sometimes migrate and on other


occasions do not , but a few


appear to remain permanently at


one level . Considering the widespread


incidence of migration in the


The most clearly substantiated case


is that of the copepod Anomalocera


patersoni , which remains permanently


at the surface . Among other copepods


Rhincalanus gigas , Calanoides acutus ,


Microcalanus pygmaeus , Oithona


frigida , and Centropages typicus are


reported as showing no migration .


The predaceous cladoceran Bythotrephes


longimanus also remains at one


level , about 10 meters down .


In view of its well-known normal


migration , the occurrence of Calanus


finmarchicus in the summer at


the surface in bright sunlight


may justly be considered anomalous .


This phenomenon has nevertheless been


recorded many times , and such


surface Calanus may be present in


enormous numbers , breaking the surface


into small circular ripples like


It seems likely that a continuous


interchange was taking place between


the population at the surface and


that in deeper water . A second


group whose normal vertical


migration is sufficiently well


known to make daytime


occurrence at the surface


rank as anomalous is the


Euphausiacea . There are numerous


records of euphausiids swimming


2 . Mechanisms . The majority of


vertical migrations undoubtedly


result from active swimming


although passive movement through


the water has been suggested on


various grounds . For example ,


transport in vertical currents


resulting from temperature diff-


erences has been proposed ; diff-


erences in water viscosity after


temperature changes have also been


Downward movement may in some forms


start as a passive sinking , especially


when it occurs before dawn ; but this


must almost certainly be replaced


by the headfirst downward swimming


observed in the field . 3 . Initiating ,


controlling , and orienting factors . The


primary dependence of diurnal


migrations upon changes in light intensity


is beyond doubt . Yet in spite


of a great amount of work ,


Loeb first suggested the importance


of light as the governing factor


but combined its influence with that


of gravity . Later authors , in particular


Rose , have proposed that light


alone can provide an adequate


mechanism if the animals have ,


and select by exploration , a


zone of optimum light intensity .


This view has been enlarged


with a suggestion that both


This resulted in units of much lighter weight than could be


obtained with tubular constructions . The growth of the


aircraft industry brought even greater emphasis to the need


for lightweight compact heat exchangers . During the 1930's ,


the secondary surface plate-and-corrugation construction


became established for aero-engine radiators , using


dip-soldered copper . The air and engine-coolant passages


were separated by flat plates .


The air passages were packed with corrugated


foil bonded to the primary plates to


provide the necessary surface area for heat transfer .


The narrower coolant passages were also packed with foil ,


chiefly to provide sufficient support for the flat plates to withstand


the coolant pressure loadings . The introduction of the aluminium alloy


dip-brazing process in the early 1940's was quickly taken up


for aircraft heat exchangers and led to substantial


weight reductions as compared with copper construction .


This development coincided with the introduction of


pressurized aircraft cabins and the demand for air-to-air


cabin coolers . Although in this case the heat transfer


coefficients on the two sides of the heat exchanger


were of comparable magnitude , the use of


secondary surface was still attractive , since the


greater part of the surface area could be made up


of fins only 0.006 in. ( 0.15 mm. ) thick .


Furthermore , developments in the detail form of


the fins made possible a reduction in the total


surface area required as compared with the use of


smooth continuous passages for the same thermal


duty and pressure losses . The properties of


compact form , low weight , and design flexibility


thus developed found ready application on a


much larger scale with the introduction of tonnage


scale air separation plants .


The basic method of construction is both simple and


extremely flexible . Figure 3 illustrates the


arrangement of a single passage . This can be


extended in length and width up to the limit of


manufacturing equipment available . The corrugation


is machine-formed , thus ensuring a high standard


of uniformity in height and fin pitch .


Though that was not quite the phrase , for even


if he could succeed Sir Charles he would , as


an executive , be eternally differentiated from


the Governors . Fairbanks managed the Governors


beautifully , he knew more than they , he was


cleverer than most , discreetly used their Christian


names - but remained their servant . They had


no office hours , however elastic ; their lives were


spent in committee making decisions for others


to execute on the basis of data laboriously


The gin pahits , and now the beer with the


curry , had their desired effect on us ;


or rather , on Nigel and myself . Lee , I


noticed , had asked for Coca-Cola . This


rather surprised me from a young man


who was otherwise so sophisticated . He


was not , however , ostentatious about


the matter .


If anything , he had merely become a little more reserved , and


much more polite . I thought to myself : ' A few years in the


East , my boy , and you 'll drink - I 've seen your kind be-


fore ! ' After the curry , I wanted only to go upstairs to


bed . I had long since become accustomed , and now addicted ,


to an after-curry nap .


Verena Holenstein


Lee , however , showed not the slightest sign of fatigue . ' I


wonder if you 'd mind if I took a bit of a look round , '


he asked Nigel . ' I don't sleep in the afternoons . ' Nigel ,


I must say , was very good about it . I knew how much


he probably wanted to sleep himself . But , almost


gallantly , he said :


' Not at all . I 'll show you . ' ' Oh no , '


young Lee protested , considerate as always .


' That 's not necessary if you want to rest , sir .


I 'm sure I won't do any harm . ' Nigel


laughed . I had not known he was so


good-natured . But then , I suppose I had


never given him similar cause to display


such amiability .


I slept soundly , and much later than I should . It


was already after six when I awoke , and the sun


was nearly setting beyond the west window .


Downstairs I could hear the murmur of voices ,


and knew they were back . I wondered , as I


wrapped a 6sarong around my waist , if


Nigel at all resented being deprived of his


afternoon sleep .


And I said to myself : Oh , God , doesn't the


boy ever relax ! He turned his gaze away


from me almost instantly , but it had


been enough to make me conscious of the


nakedness of the upper half of my body , even


of the matted grey hairs on my chest . He


probably thought my appearance quite a breach


of the social graces ; but , naturally , he said


not so much as a word about it .


' We 've just had tea , ' Nigel said . ' Would you like


the cookie to make you a fresh lot ? ' ' I 'd rather


have whisky , ' I told him . ' Thought as much .


Sun 's nearly below the yard-arm , anyway .


Wouldn't mind a stengah myself . How about


you , Harry ? ' So they had managed to come


to the stage of using each other's Christian


names , I noted .


Perhaps Lee wasn't quite as


reserved as I thought . ' Thanks ,


Nigel , ' he said . ' Just Coca-Cola .


Although I 'd like to have


whatever you have . I want to


get to know the kind of life


people lead in the East , you know . '


At this , I felt a return of the


irritation I felt with him


at times .


Knowing Nigel , I would have been surprised if he


had not made his usual ' arrangements ' . A bachelor


himself , he knew well how to entertain his bachelor


friends . He caught my look and pursed his lips in


a quick little grimace of acknowledgement ; then raised


an enquiring eyebrow in young Lee's direction .


I shrugged a shoulder . Lee would have


to decide about that for himself , I


thought , and noticed that although he


was looking at the other girl , he did


so quite dispassionately , almost as though


he was merely interested in the unfamiliar


clothes she was wearing . And I thought


to myself : He may be still too much of


a ' new chum ' to see ' the beauty of


the East ' .


There was still an ease in our conversation , but its


scope was restricted . I felt that I could hardly make the


usual enquiries and comments about Nigel's various mistresses


as I was accustomed to whenever I saw him , much as I


wondered which of his girls was in favour at the moment .


And I suppose he felt the same . We had only a few drinks ,


then decided to bathe and dress for a rather early


dinner .


He had one of the better Kashmir carpets on


the floor . His pictures and curtains , indeed I


suppose the entire furnishings , had been se-


lected personally . The house was , as he


occasionally proclaimed , his home - and he had


made it as such . I doubt if he will ever


leave Malaya , even when he retires .


The country , and his mistresses , have come


to mean too much to him . And , indirectly ,


this impression I had of him was one of several


reasons why I had decided I should leave


it - before , for me too , it would be too late .


I used the excuse of our early start in the


morning to retire as soon as it seemed


prudent to do so , after the coffee and brandy ,


already anticipating the familiar pleasures


awaiting me .


After lunch two of the Prime Minister's


grandchildren who had sat , rather intimidated


by Ormston and staring at the Grinling


Gibbons carving around the fireplace , rose


gratefully from the table , leaving the two


men together . A nurse came in , and asked


the Prime Minister if he wanted to be


helped out on to the lawn , but he waved


her away impatiently .


I don't mean just our direct military costs . I 'm


thinking of the African Boycott which is already working up .


I 'm afraid , Prime Minister , you 're not going to like the


trading position when you see it . ' ' I never do , ' the


Prime Minister commented wearily . The Chancellor


was repeating an argument which he had already


developed for an hour before lunch .


' It comes at a bad time , ' said


Ormston . ' A singularly bad time . The


Party 's very restless , you know . ' ' It


is a sign of life - very encouraging ! '


' The younger men - ' ' Which ones ? '


' The younger ones like Gore , Vaughan ,


Hadley , Prebble , Lambert-Price - the


New Africa lot - ' ' Do they confide


in you ? Have you spoken to them ? '


' Only at yesterday's meeting - they 're very restless , Prime


Minister . They feel that it 's very old-fashioned - shooting


down mobs of natives . They 're very much afraid that


if the Opposition get a Commission of Enquiry some


rather dismal stuff is going to come out . '


' Young back-benchers are always restive when they 're


bored , ' said the Prime Minister , and for the first


time since his grandchildren left the table , he smiled .


' Why don't you give them something to play with ? '


' They 've found their own toy , ' said Ormston ,


' and this is it . They want to abstain next week . '


The Prime Minister continued in his flippant


tone , ' Tell the Chief to give them a


talking-to . ' The Chancellor closed his eyes ,


and then said ,


' I think it 's gone beyond that , Prime Minister .


They feel pretty strongly about Africa . They are greatly


disturbed by the new and rather ugly image of


the Party which our African policy is creating .


On the whole , the country is still in favour


of moderation and common sense . Melville has


in a curious way made us look old-fashioned


- extravagant - nineteenth centuryish -


almost cranky . '


The Prime Minister looked puzzled , and said , ' Julia Drayford ? How


does she come into it ? I can't follow these complexities - ' ' It isn't


quite that . The whole business blew up from Melville's disgraceful


indiscretion to Julia Drayford in Mrs. M'landa's presence .


I don't know the exact chain of gossip or who told who


what .


As he turned aside his head , since he could not


bear to look at her beautiful , pleading face , he was


suddenly attacked by suspicion . ' You wish to marry


someone else ! ' he cried in a voice roughened by


jealousy . She sighed deeply , and looked away . ' Do you ?


Do you ? ' he repeated , fiercely .


' If , ' she said gently , giving him a look that set his pulses throbbing ,


' if I wished to marry some young gallant , do you think I would


ask your help ? You would be the last man I would ask . ' Before


he could collect his wits to reply to this , there was a bustle


and confusion at the end of the room . Prince Doria had


wearied of his toy and was packing it away in its painted


coffer .


The party was now preparing to see


the tapestries , and in the general


movement , Vittoria was separated from


Orsini . Although neither of them


wished to follow the sightseers , there seemed


no alternative . As she was about to mount


a wide and shallow flight of marble


stairs , she became aware of someone


watching her intently , and turning


in that direction , she saw Olimpia ,


standing beside her admirer , Orlando Cavalcanti .


The young man was bending over her with the


assiduity of a lover , but the girl appeared to be more


interested in her cousin's wife , whom she was regarding


through half-closed eyes . This was a slight shock to


Vittoria , who had forgotten the existence of the girl ,


and , up to this moment had been unaware of the


young man's presence at the palazzo .


' Are you enjoying yourself , Olimpia ? ' she


asked idly , tapping the girl's cheek lightly with


her fan , in passing ; but she did not wait for


the answer . Disturbed by vague uneasiness , she


was wondering whether Olimpia had been


watching her talk with Orsini . Surely she


could not have overheard anything they


said ? A moment's reflection reassured her


on that point , for she was certain no one


had been standing near them .


However , something inimical in the girl's look


put Vittoria on guard . ' Santa Maria ! These spying


eyes ! ' she thought , bitterly . Doria was continually


stopping on the way , to point out , with childish pride ,


objects of beauty or interest . Vittoria , on the


fringe of the party , caught snatches of this


information , which held no interest for her :


' ... now this sapphire ...


I like to think it may have fallen from the dark


hair of the Empress Messalina , as she crouched


in terror in the gardens of Lucullus , awaiting the


sword of the executioner . ' ' Ah ! ' exclaimed


Farnese , with a snigger . ' The old cuckold


Claudius had the last word , after all . He


knew how to deal with an adulterous wife ,


eh , Orsini ? '


If the duke made any reply to this , Vittoria did


not hear it . Now they entered the long gallery


where they dispersed and wandered around , admiring


and commenting on the glowing hues and barbaric


splendours of the tapestries Doria had brought


back from Lepanto . After a short interval , Orsini


found an opportunity to rejoin Vittoria .


' We must talk further , ' he said in a low


urgent voice . ' Where ? '


' Be careful , ' she whispered from behind her fan .


' Olimpia is watching us . The young man with her is


Orlando Cavalcanti , Francesco's friend . ' Orsini


shot an impatient glance at the couple . ' The young man


with the mole ? ' ' Yes , indeed . ' ' No matter . They are not


looking at us . Now I must know , ' he whispered , ' what


you meant , cara mia . Do you want your freedom in order


to marry ? '


Before replying to this , she glanced


hastily around , then spoke in tones so low that he


had to bend his head to hear : ' I will never be


any man's mistress . As to marrying again ...


if I were free ... there is only one man I would


wish to marry ... but ... he , like myself , is now


bound . '


With a swift gesture she closed her fan


and moved away from him towards the group


in the centre of the gallery , leaving him standing


alone , against that glowing , barbaric background ,


with a deeply thoughtful expression on his face .


On a bright unclouded morning a few days after


the visit to the Doria Palace , the cardinal's


coach left the villa , lurched over the unpaved


track and turned towards the ruined Baths


of Diocletian .


Vittoria , accompanied by her maid , Lucia , was on her


way to the Accoramboni villa , ostensibly to pay


a daughterly call on her father , actually to coax


money from that indulgent parent to settle her mounting


debts . Lucia was thinking how beautiful her mistress


looked , and how cunningly the olive-green dress


with its underskirt of rose-brocade fitted her


perfect figure . Vittoria's thoughts were more complex .


The sparkling society of the Doria Palace , the flattery


of Orsini's obsession , the thwarted ambitions of her


restless spirit , all threw into sharp relief the contrast


of her grey life with the splendid one that filled


her dreams . At the Villa Montalto she felt an alien ,


and although she had repeatedly urged Francesco


to give her a separate establishment , he invariably


pleaded his financial dependence on his uncle , who


had built the villa for his family .


He reminded her that they must abide by Roman


custom , and dwell there with their relations . Her


values were those of the materialist who assesses


every human being in terms of fame , power and


wealth . Francesco she despised for his dullness , his


lack of initiative , his subservience to his uncle .


Her husband's gentleness and amiability , his unselfish


love for her , she regarded as signs of weakness . He was a


futile creature who had not even proved capable of giving


her a child . Whatever passion she had experienced in the


first months of marriage had been ousted by contempt .


She had never loved him . Her thoughts rushed to Orsini .


Since the meeting in the Doria Palace , no word had


come from him , and this silence oppressed her spirits


with a weight of misgiving .


She had , perhaps , demanded too much . The


kiss in the garden had plumbed unsus-


pected depths in her , and she knew that


if she yielded to him , her passion could ,


indeed , match his . Every instinct urged her to


surrender , for there was that in his nature


to which her own had responded as it


had responded to no other human being .


Prudence , ambition and reason had


held instinct in check , and they must


dictate her course . There could be no


compromise . For a brief interval


she allowed herself the luxury of


dreams . She began to imagine life at


Bracciano , the balls and fe*?5tes , the


conversation of poets and dilettanti . She


visualized the pageantry of the tourna-


ment , and herself on the ducal dais beside


Orsini , placing a chaplet of roses on the brows


This reverie was rudely ended as the coach gave a


sickening jolt and came to an abrupt stop , nearly throwing


the two girls from their seats . Lucia uttered a cry of


alarm . ' Look , madonna , we are surrounded ! ' It was true .


Men armed with pikes and daggers swarmed about


them and a lean , swarthy fellow was peering through


the window , grinning impudently . ' Santa Maria ! '


shrieked Lucia . ' Banditti ! '


Vittoria now realized that they were outside


Santa Maria degli Angeli , and that except for a few beggars


crouching in the doorway of the church and exhibiting


loathsome sores , the area was deserted . ' They are not banditti ,


Lucia , ' said Vittoria , pointing to the badge on the man's


shoulder . The words were clear . ' Beware my hug ! ' Lucia


stared speechlessly at the golden bear ; Vittoria swiftly


averted her head to avoid the impertinent glance


of the retainer .


Her thoughts at this moment were chaotic . The


coach now turned in another direction , towards


the wild and desolate region behind the baths .


It was sparsely inhabited , dotted with fallow fields


and terraced vineyards , and here and there jutted


a brown outcrop of flower-wreathed ruins , a pathetic


reminder of Rome's former greatness .


In this region of Monti most of the public baths


had been built in the time of the Caesars , but with the


breaking of the aqueducts during the barbarian invasions


the baths had lost their purpose ; they had become


stone quarries and their precious marble had been


burnt for lime . Now escaped criminals and bandits


used these quarries as hiding places , to the danger


of travellers in the district .


As they lumbered past at a rattling pace , Vittoria


could see a wisp of smoke curling above the fire of a


gypsy encampment and a few tatterdemalion creatures


gathered about it , cooking their frugal meal . These


were left far behind . An old man belabouring an


overladen donkey , and a withered crone appeared


on the horizon , were overtaken and forgotten .


Except for their escort , Vittoria and


Lucia might have been the only living


creatures on an empty planet . After the


initial shock , Vittoria felt calm . She


knew exactly what she wanted , and


was prepared to take it without scruple ,


if she could . What she had forgotten


in her self-absorption in her own schemes


was that other people were equally absorbed


in their schemes , which were likely to


run counter to her own .


This move today was a reminder of that fact .


Whilst she automatically patted the hand of


the agitated Lucia , her brain was working


rapidly , and she decided that she must be


prepared to counter Orsini's demands ,


difficult though that would be . She became


aware that the pace was slackening ;


now the coach stopped .


The moment had come . Upon the ensuing interview


the future would depend . Outwardly she was calm , but


her heart was beating fast , and the palms of her


hands were damp . Orsini's high-crowned hat with


its jaunty plume blotted out the light ; his hand


was on the door . Glancing at Lucia he said in


French to Vittoria : ' Your maid ... is she reliable ? '


She shrugged her shoulders , and replied in the same


language : ' Yes . But make it worth her while . '


' I see . I know how to deal with people like that , '


and turning to the cowering Lucia , he spoke in her


own language . ' Do you know who I am ? ' ' No ,


signor , ' she whispered . ' I am the Orsini . My word is


law in Rome . '


Lucia was regarding him as a rabbit looks at a stoat .


Thrusting his head farther into the coach , he said


sombrely : ' Have you ever heard of a punishment called


the cord ? ' She blanched and shrank away . Was there not


a street near Sant' Angelo called the Lane of the Corda


where criminals were hoisted by their wrists forty , fifty ,


sixty feet into the air , and dropped again and again , until


their arms were wrenched from their sockets . ' You have


heard of it ?


The Orsini give that to traitors . There is


no escaping the vengeance of an Orsini . We hunt


a traitor down to the ends of the earth , and no


power can save him ... or her . Do you understand ? '


' Yes , signor , ' she faltered . ' On the other hand , ' he


continued , giving her a keen look , ' the Orsini are


generous to those who serve them faithfully .


Remember that , my girl . ' Lucia was beyond


speech . He turned to Vittoria , sitting erect ,


with flushed cheeks and eyes sparkling with


anger . ' And now , madonna , ' he said smoothly , ' we will


continue the conversation started at the Doria


Palace . Be pleased to alight . ' ' I think , ' she replied


coolly , ' I prefer to stay where I am . '


' In that case , ' he reverted to French , ' I shall be obliged


to lift you from the coach . ' Without answering him , she


rose , and bending over the agitated girl , said softly :


' No one will harm you , Lucia . Remain here . ' Ignoring his


proffered hand , she stepped from the vehicle . ' Will you


be so good as to order your men not to molest my


maid , ' she said coldly to Orsini .


' She is absolutely safe , ' he replied ; but he turned ,


nevertheless , to the man who had peered into the


coach , whom he had addressed as Luigi , and gave him sharp


instructions on the matter . Vittoria stood looking about her ,


breathing the scent of thyme . The land at her feet sloped


away into a tiny valley beyond which , on the crest


of a wooded hill-side , the ruins of a small temple


were etched against the clear blue of the sky .


He forgot time and place . He , the master , was gently


led along erotic paths which he knew existed , but


had never trodden . He learned how to use his


hands , how to adore that body without haste , how


to caress every inch with his mouth as well , to


creep down along her smooth muscles till he lost


himself in a rapture of kisses in places he 'd


dreamed of , where life began to ooze and quickened


his heart beat to a thunder .


He looked at her . Head thrown back in a pool of hair ,


her blood-red lips parted and the beating of her


heart in the full throat . Her mouth did things he


thought no human being could stand without


dying , but he went on living in an ocean of


voluptuousness , that swelled and ebbed over him ,


under him , in him and through him ...


He was having a ball ! He twiddled the TV set with


shaking hands . She sat calmly on the bed smoking


a cigarette . His face was white with two red


blotches . Hers was flushed and lovely . O.K. teacher !


Was that any better ? You know it was ! You don't


need teaching , only a little coaxing .


He sat down and ran his finger down along her


spine . Do you love me now ? Like yesterday ! I 'm


extremely fond of you . The fact that you 're beginning


to satisfy my physical wants does not change that .


Before long you 'll give me the satisfaction that 'll set


me rocking on my feet , but I 'll still be only fond of


you . But you wouldn't marry me ?


No . I 'm not your type . I 'd make you miserable . I


mean that . I 'd very probably be unfaithful and


that 'd kill you . Then I 'd be unfaithful too , to teach


you a lesson . It wouldn't work . You 'd do it to


spite me . I would never do it for that reason .


To me it 'd be immaterial whether you 'd retaliate


or not . You 'd go crazy if that situation arose .


To observe the colour rise in her cheek


and hear her breath come faster , to see


the slight beads of sweat come out on


her glistening skin and see her move


with uncontrolled rhythm . To have her twist


in an attempt to receive a caress he was


purposely withholding , to hear her deep-throated


moan of full satisfaction and feel her


shivering , clawing surrender .


Not so dusty , she might say afterwards , drawing at


a cigarette . It 's a wow ! he said . She kissed


him motherly : You just wait till you teach the


girl you really love . He didn't protest any more


to say he loved her because he knew it to


be untrue . Instead he said : Will that be


better ? She nodded :


It 's man's nature to teach and to teach those


we love is double pleasure . And she


might add : And don't forget to leave the


lights on . You lose half the fun when you


fumble in the dark . She had many direct


comments like that . Once she quietly


pushed him back when he kissed her too


fully and too soon :


Oi , not yet , you oaf . What do you think my


mouth is ? A billposter's bucket to be


plunged in at random ? He 'd learned to


laugh when something went wrong or the


situation became ludicrous , as when they


were both caught in the raw when he 'd


forgotten to lock his door and Derek


had walked in unexpectedly .


They 'd just had time to nip into the


bathroom and stood there shivering for


fifteen minutes while their guest was


smoking a cigarette waiting for him .


At last Derek got tired and left .


Just in time , erupted Charlie . If he 'd


stayed any longer I 'd jolly well


have asked him to join us . I 'm so


darned cold I could do with two men .


You perverted sex-maniac , you wouldn't


dare . Show me what you can do and


I 'll tell you if you need help .


Once he came back to the subject


of her marriage and asked her why


she was going to marry her sculptor .


Because I love him , of course .


What do you think ?


But he 's a lot older , isn't he ?


I suppose so . What attracts you ?


It can't be physical ? Of course


not ! I love him for what he is


- he 's so great I 'm a bit scared


of him - a woman must be a bit


scared to be really in love .


That 's why you could never


love me ?


Correct , ducky ! You just wait till


you meet the girl who thinks you 're a


god . It 'll make you feel like one !


You think that sculptor 's a god ?


Perhaps , in a way . All I know is


that I need him . He kissed the


heart beat in her throat . But how


about the physical side ? You 're


quite an erotic little beast ; can


he satisfy that ?


You youngsters always overestimate


yourselves . You can take it from


me that he can and does . But


even if he were impotent I 'd still


love and want him . There are


sides to me you 'll never know .


Don't you feel guilty living with


me ? Often ! Don't you ? Mary had


married her bill broker some time


ago and he now shuddered when he


remembered the clinical weekends


he used to spend with her .


He often used to try to imagine


her reactions if he had once treated


her as he did Charlie , but his


imagination failed . The efficient


little Mary would probably have


called it a shocking waste of time


and told him to get down to


business ! Charlie , who was perfectly


at home at all sorts of artistic


circles , had amongst others wangled


him a membership ticket for a


small club for artists only .


He did well . He got in touch with


the woman Pete was passing off as his


mother . Starmouth managed to


win her confidence . It seems that


she was an honest enough woman ,


only her mind wasn't as clear as


it could have been . She showed


him photographs . He found out


that the name of her house - Grand


Greve - was taken from a bay


in one of the Channel Islands .


One of the small ones . Sark , that 's it . The Caxtons


used to have their holidays there . Starmouth went


there . He dug out some people who remembered


the family . In the end he pieced it all together .


The Caxtons had two boys - Michael and Derek .


Pete first met them at school .


It was a good school I sent him to , one of the best .


He was a boarder . He could always turn on the


charm when it suited him . The whole family


came to like him . The real Michael - he was the


same age as my son - died of pleurisy when he


was eighteen . Soon after that Pete staged his


drowning .


He was always a smooth liar . He invented some


plausible story or other and threw himself on


the Caxtons' generosity . They accepted him as a


kind of substitute for the boy they had lost .


Outside the family he began to pass himself


off as Michael Caxton . The father was well-off


and easy-going . He was easy meat for Pete .


He sponged off him until he died


just after the war . Then Pete had to


look around for some other


security . He found it - Dackson's Wharf ,


and Dackson's daughter . Mrs. Caxton's


other boy , Derek , had been killed in the war .


After her husband died her brain began


to fade . At times she thought Pete was


really her own son .


My chance had come at last . I had to


take it . I was going to smash him as


he had twice tried to smash me . ( His


eyes , wild and frightened , were fixed on


Tong . Tong guessed that they did not


see him . ) I told Starmouth to go at


once and report exactly what he had


seen to Dackson and his daughter .


He did as he was told .


Carol Carstairs , interviewed by


Passon and Tong for the second time ,


began by agreeing that she could


have been mistaken about the


precise minute of Dackson's visit


the previous Wednesday , and ended


by admitting that he was in fact


at least half an hour late for


his appointment with her . " There


it is , " Passon commented


afterwards . " She is a business


woman .


" Another was the body fetching up on the mooring-hook - practically where


it started from . " " And you finding out about the spy at the Marshams' ,


" Passon said . " Just a stroke of luck , sir , " Tong said . " Luck or not ,


Harry , it was the real turning-point for us . Must be true what they


say . ' Tong can't go wrong ! ' "


When Nick returned home he found that his


mother was seriously ill . She had pneumonia . The


sight of her youngest son , the doctor said , was the


only thing that saved her ; it gave her the strength


she needed to fight for life . Soon she was out of


danger , but the doctor told Dan that she would


have to remain in bed for some time and


that thereafter it was essential that she should


not have to exert herself .


With Grace helpless Rose set up her


own autocracy . Her squeaking , querulous


accents were heard without inter-


mission . They rose over the baby's inter-


minable howling and were directed at


everyone in equal measure . She was


a poor and unpunctual cook . Normally


indolent , she was now and again seized


with unpredictable bouts of energy in


the grip of which she swept through


the house with a fury that disarranged


Only the old man's room was too much for


her . Once she put her head round the door ,


and Sam shouted : " You get right out of


this , Rose . You leave me in peace . "


Rose took one breath of the stagnant air .


" You - you polecat ! " she screeched , and


retreated without argument . Her re*?


2gime , hated alike by all the men ,


produced one extraordinary result .


One day Fred met Nick at the front door as they were both


about to enter the house . Fred grasped his brother's elbow .


" Nick , I can't stomach this much longer . " " Nor me . What 's the


answer ? Mum 's picking up , but she 'll never be her old self


again . "


" That First Flower 's driving me nuts , " Fred said . " I 'm going to put


a stop to it . "


" What with - arsenic ? "


Fred fixed his small eyes on his brother , beckoned


him to stand closer , and whispered into his


ear the most unexpected words Nick had


ever heard . " I 'm going to get myself


married , " Fred said . The next day he


brought home a woman in her middle


thirties and took her straight to his


mother's bedside .


" Mum , this is Maggie . I 'm going to marry her ,


and I 'd like her to come and live with us . "


Maggie was plump and plain with a pleasing


smile , a placid nature , and a slow-moving


but methodical mind . For twenty years she


had worked in the bottling-store at the bre-


wery , and Grace heard with astonishment


that Fred had known her on and off


for nearly as long .


It was Nick who found the answer . " Only


one thing for it , Mum , " he said , sitting on


the edge of the bed and holding one


of her hands in his . " Let Fred and


Mag have the two upstairs rooms


between them . Sam will have to


come out of his kennel .


He argued that it was the only place where


he could be safe from Rose . " See here , Sam , "


Nick began . " You know Fred 's getting spliced . "


" Gone soft in the head , " Sam said . " Same as


I 've always said , women rule the roost and


no man 's safe from 'em . Ought to be a


better way of doing things . Take trees . " He


rattled on very happily .


He propped himself on one elbow . " You can't


do it to me , Nick . I 've worked this room up to


my way of thinking like I 'd educate a child .


This room and me understands one another . "


" Sam , " Nick said firmly , " either you and


me share downstairs , and we have Mag , or


you stick it out up here and we all get


saddled with the First Flower for ever . "


Sam sank back on his pillow . " Oh , my


God ! All right , you win ! " With that settled


Fred was soon married . The First Flower


snatched up her infant and departed , mut-


tering sarcasms . The whole household


listened to the dwindling screams of the


baby with relief . Maggie soon proved her


worth , and after a time Dan summed up


the general approval by saying :


" She 's as good a worker as you could wish for .


She speaks our language . Mag 's one of us . "


Nick and his grandfather shared their bedroom


amicably . The old man , though fighting a


grumbling rearguard action , permitted himself


gradually to become a little cleaner and


tidier . In his heart he was well satisfied to


have Nick's company . When they were alone


together he often explained all over again


how shrewd he had been in discovering


Alf Jesty's secret .


" Imagine it , Nick , just that bit of information


Fred picked up about Pete Jesty always touching


his nose , and me remembering from that


snap you once showed me that this Cax-


ton had some sort of a scar there . Just


an idea to begin with , mind you - then


click ! and I 'd got it . That was smart


work , say what you like . "


" It certainly was , Sam , " Nick would agree , and go


on to say with a touch of self-importance : " No


wonder he tried to have me suffocated back


last summer . Must have thought I 'd


rumbled him right from the start . " By this


time Nick was certain in his own mind


that he had really seen Caxton's hand


snatching at the prop holding the barge's


hatch open , though he could never prove it ,


and it would not be of much use if


he could .


The nose is one of the most pain-sensitive


organs in the human body - and


Malone was discovering the truth in


scientific detail . Kennan had only


seconds left . He jumped forward to


the far limit of his chain , his


right hand chopping edge-downwards


in bone-jarring force .


The blow took the writhing thug a fraction


above the boney knob which landmarked the cervical


plexus , the vital nerve-centre which a long-ago


Marine instructor had declared the pinnacle of unarmed


combat targets . The thug collapsed with a whistling


moan , and Kennan tore the Luger from the man's


suddenly limp hand . There was no time for


rejoicing , but the hard , firm shape of the


automatic sent a new confidence surging through


his body .


Shouts , and the clatter of feet meant


Goldie and Leo Grundy were on their


way . Kennan pulled the manacle chain


taut , and blasted two shots at the


link which tied him to the ring-bolt in


the rock . The nine-millimetre bullets sma-


shed the chain as if it had been plastic ,


and , free , though the chain still dangled ,


he threw himself across the floor


towards the entrance .


' Well , what do you think ? ' she scoffed , her


brilliant eyes challenging him . He made no answer .


There was nothing to be said . He lifted his glass


and drained it , feeling the sweat breaking out on the


palms of his hands .


When at last he looked up she was standing right


in front of him , smiling as if nothing had happened !


He could hardly believe it and blinked several times .


' Well , don't I get a drink tonight ? ' she asked boldly .


' Of course ... anything you like ' , he murmured ,


relief flooding over him . ' Kitty ... I 'm sorry ... . '


His throat went tight and words failed him .


' Aw , forget it ' , she said cheerfully . ' I 'll sting


you for a double for being a naughty boy .


How about the telly tomorrow afternoon ? '


He felt a glow of happiness steal over him .


Everything was all right now , thank God . She


wasn't going to break with him , after all .


For the moment it was the only thing in the


world that mattered .


' Of course , Kitty ' , he said fervently , his eyes misty


behind their thick lenses . ' Well , I 'll be off now . See you


tomorrow ... and thank you ... . ' ' So long , Bob ' , she said ,


waving her hand to him . Harry followed him to the


door , opened it for him and stood outside on the step ,


looking up at the sky , where a few pale stars shone


between puffs of light cumulus cloud .


' Nice night ' , he remarked affably . ' But they forecast rain


for tomorrow . ' ' Do they ? ' Bone glanced up at the sky , his


thoughts elsewhere . Personally , he didn't care if it rained cats


and dogs and he knew that Harry didn't either . He waited ,


pulling on his gloves and adjusting his hat . ' Look , Bob , '


Harry began , after a brief silence , ' I don't mean to


butt in , but if you take my advice you 'll 'ave no


more truck with 'er . '


He jerked his thumb over his


shoulder . ' That girl 's nothing but a load


of trouble , I 'm warning you . ' ' Kitty 's


all right ' , Bone contradicted flatly . ' It 's


her boy-friend that 's the trouble . If


we could get rid of him ... ' Harry


nodded his grizzled head like an old


hound . ' You 're right there , Bob ' , he


muttered . ' But it 's easier said than done .


Kitty encourages him , too . No work , no


background , no regular money so far as I


can make out . Probably on the crook .


But there you are , the girl 's wild and


headstrong . I can't do nothing with 'er . '


' Don't worry , Harry ' , the other said quietly .


' I won't make a fool of myself .


Kitty needs a good friend and I 'll


always be that . '


He paused , hatred of Stevie Hewitt


rising like gall in his throat .


' And I 'll find a way of getting rid of


that chap , Hewitt , too . Leave it to me . '


' O.K. , Bob , but watch your step . He 's


a tough customer , mark my words ' , Harry


said in a low voice . Bone half smiled


in the darkness . ' I 'll remember ' , he said .


' Good night , Harry . ' ' Good night , Bob . '


Bone walked down the road , his cre*?


5pe-soled shoes making no sound


on the asphalt surface . As he walked


he concentrated on the problem of


Stevie Hewitt . By comparison with the


manner in which he had dispatched


Henry Mansell the elimination of a


little spiv from Brighton seemed an


easy undertaking ... once he 'd set


his mind to it .


Back at the cottage he prepared his supper and ate


it beside the fire in the living-room , his thoughts once


more on Kitty . If she was really in love with Stevie


Hewitt it was madness to go on worrying about her , he


told himself moodily . Yet it was not as clear-cut as that .


He not only felt his need of her but was equally aware


of the necessity to help and protect her , even against


her will .


Tonight , for the first time , he had abandoned all


pretence and shown her the honest desperation of his feeling


for her . She had neither encouraged nor completely rejected


him . In some perverse way their brief quarrel had forged


a bond between them . No doubt she had every intention


of keeping both of them on a string . On the whole he probably


had a slight advantage over the young man , inasmuch as he


had money to spend and she was a girl who had a healthy


respect for the material things of life .


Sentence Database L04-082


But he was still no sort of match for a young


and virile competitor and he knew it . He turned


away and begun to undress , shivering with the


cold . His eye automatically glanced towards the


panel which concealed the hiding-place of his


secret treasure . For an instant he stood


transfixed to the floor , his eyes unwavering


as they riveted themselves on the wall .


Was it his imagination or was the panel slightly lop-sided ?


Leaping forward with a choked sound he grasped the oblong


panel and pulled it out . The black tin box was exactly


as he had left it . With heavily beating heart he reached


out and lifted the lid . Everything was intact and he


gasped with relief .


He lifted out the heavy bundles of notes and knelt on the floor


to count them . Of course , he remembered being in a great hurry to get


that fifty pounds for Kitty ! Obviously he had been careless in


replacing the panel , but the possibility of anyone having


discovered his hiding-place gave him something of a shock .


As he replaced the bundles of notes , he withdrew the tin


box from its hiding-place and locked it inside the


cupboard .


It would be safer under lock and key


for the time being than behind a piece


of panelling which did not fit very sec-


urely . Tomorrow he would buy a


heavy padlock for the box and search


for a new hiding-place . He lay in bed ,


cold and uneasy , unable to account


for an instinctive sense of danger .


When he closed his eyes it was


Henry Mansell's face he saw , hovering


above his head like a hideous caricature . The


parrot nose and straight line of the mouth ,


the pitiless blue eyes that seemed to strip


him right down to his abjectly quaking


bones . The mouldering horror that had


once been Henry Mansell taunted him


now in the silent darkness .


In a corner of the saloon bar of the Six Bells at


Hawkeshurst that Friday night Hugh Mansell and Roddy


Dowell drank their beer and waited . ' It 's too damn busy


in here . We can't expect him to leave his customers ' ,


Hugh said morosely . ' Give him a chance , old chap .


He 'll be over . Jim 's a most reliable chap when


it comes to picking up a small tip . '


' O.K. , Roddy , whatever you say . ' Hugh drained his glass and


ordered two more beers . ' I 'm really beginning to feel it 's


all a bit of a waste of time , anyway . I 've been collecting


scraps of evidence and piecing them together for four


months now , and the whole lot still doesn't amount to


anything one could call concrete . '


Roddy puffed at his pipe , his eyes fixed on the white-coated


barman . ' Oh , I think it does , Hugh . That 's


why I want you to meet this bird . I think


he fills in an important part of the


background . Furthermore , dear boy , it confirms


what we already know of your father's


intention to leave the country on the night


of October 14th . '


Hugh nodded . His face wore the melancholy expression


that was habitual to him but his eyes showed


his inner excitement . ' I know , but from the


moment he walked out of here we haven't a


shred of evidence to prove what happened .


Obviously he met someone , either by chance or


by arrangement . Whichever way it was , that


person had a gun and he managed to persuade


Father to drive along that quiet stretch of


road ... . '


' Miles off his proper route to Dover or the airport at


Lydd ' , Roddy interposed quickly . ' And once there he was


shot at close range and his money smartly filched .


You know , whoever it was might have known of the


existence of the suicide letter ... providing him with


an almost unshakable alibi . ' Hugh was thinking of


his uncle , but said nothing . After all , Julian had


acted very strangely since the tragedy , always


secretive , always reluctant to discuss his brother's


death .


It was impossible to associate him in one's mind with a


cold-blooded murder but , in fact , Henry Mansell's


death had saved the firm and Julian's future .


Moreover he might well have been aware of his


brother's intention to skip out of the country and


passed on the information . ' I 'm sure you 're right ' ,


Hugh said thoughtfully . ' But whoever did it got


clean away without being spotted . '


' Easy enough along that stretch of coast road in winter ,


believe me ' , Roddy affirmed solemnly . ' He probably caught


the next boat across the channel and has been lying low


with the money somewhere . ' Hugh nodded . ' I realized that


after my talk with Mrs. Lawford . There are a dozen countries


where a man could easily hide up and change the money


without danger .


Unless we can get a definite line on him it 's


hopeless ... . ' ' Something will turn up one day , you 'll see ' ,


Roddy said confidently . ' If we plug away at the leads


we have ... . ' ' If only the police would do something ... ' Hugh


cried out in exasperation . ' I 've put everything I know


before them ... . '


' No dice , Hugh . ' Roddy shook his sandy head .


' They 're bound to want pretty solid new evidence


before they 'll agree to reopen the case . From


their point of view the evidence for suicide is


overwhelming . I spoke to a chap from the office of


the Director of Public Prosecutions I know pretty


well , and he agreed that the missing cash is


a hell of a mystery .


But as he quite reasonably pointed out the


money could have been disposed of in London


before your father left that evening . It wouldn't be


unnatural for a man in his position to make provision


for an unknown dependent or settle what he regarded


as particular debts of honour before taking his own


life . Also , logically , there 's nothing to show the


money couldn't have been pinched by someone


passing the car after your father was dead .


Stealing from cars is about the commonest


kind of crime in the book . There 's nothing


that absolutely ties the missing money to the


circumstances of your father 's death , that 's


the point . Same with the passport . It 's gone


and that 's that . It may turn up in a dustbin


somewhere or at the back of a drawer . As


far as the police are concerned there 's nothing


to go on .


In our own minds we may be pretty sure what


happened , but that 's not good enough for them .


That suicide letter did the trick - definite proof


that your father took his life , backed by


medical evidence and the fingerprint chaps . '


A little man with thin brown hair and a


ruddy complexion came over and greeted


them .


He wore a short white coat . Hugh ordered drinks .


' I was sorry to read about your dad in the


paper ' , the man said to Hugh in a thick


voice which bore traces of a cockney accent .


' I was telling your friend how he come


in here the very night he passed away . '


Hugh wasn't impressed with this ingratiating bar-


man whom Roddy had raked up . He was seedy and


middle-aged with small black eyes set close to-


gether beneath heavily marked brows and a sly ,


crafty expression that failed to inspire confidence .


' He was hitting the bottle pretty hard , sir ... ' the


man said in a loud whisper . ' Meaning no offe-


nce ' , he added , looking at Hugh .


" Why ? " he asked again . " I can tell by your voice that it means


a lot to you , but I 'm damned if I can see the reason . It 's not as


if you were all that fond of Alice . " He was interrupted by the


arrival of the food and wine . When the pouring ritual was over he


went on :


If he didn't do it it must have been - " " Must have been


who ? " Max prompted . I looked into his eyes and longed


with all my heart to tell him , but I could not do it .


As long as my suspicion remained in my head I could pretend


to myself , in moments of optimism , that it was not true .


If you 're right , you may be in serious danger from Hardy .


Even if you 're wrong you 'll most certainly be in danger when


you start handling a boat . " He picked up his glass and


held it in both hands , looking at me thoughtfully over the


top of it . " No , " he said at last . " I can't allow # #


it . "


" You can't very well stop me . " " I can


do better than that . If we were to


get married now I could come


with you . " I looked down at my


plate , not daring to let him see


how much the idea appealed to


me , reminding myself that he could


only have said such a thing


because he did not know the


whole truth .


" And I can't allow that , " I said .


" Deadlock , " said Max . " No , it isn't .


I 'm determined to go , and by myself ,


whatever you say . " " I was afraid of


that . " He sounded resigned but none


the less hopeful . " You 're a very


wilful woman but I 'll change


your mind for you one of these


days .


" You can see it any time you like , "


he told me . " The sooner the better .


If you can get to Bletcham this


evening I 'll run you up there


in the car . " " That 's very nice of


you . " " Nice , nothing . I told you ,


I 'm mad about boats . Seven


thirty do you ?


I could meet you at the bus station . "


" No , " I said , " outside your office . "


I could not endure the thought


of another wait at the bus station .


He was there punctually . Dressed


in a loud tartan shirt and abbreviated


shorts he looked hardly more than


a boy , a cheerful , good-natured


boy . He settled me into the car


with touching care and then


drove like a fiend along


the river road .


Ten minutes later he stopped in a lane


and helped me out with the same


careful courtesy . " What sort of boat is it ? "


I asked . " She , " he corrected . " She 's a


converted life-boat . Not a very good one ,


but she 's sound enough and the


engine 's fine . "


Inside , she was untidy and grubby but


roomy enough and well lit by two rows of


good-sized windows . It was a long time


before I got used to calling them


portholes . The owner was a middle-aged


man whose family had tired of the


limited excitement of the river and now


had their eyes on a seagoing boat .


Clive - he insisted on being called Clive -


haggled with him and within half an hour


Sandpiper was mine for three hundred and


fifty pounds . When all the business details


had been settled and the owner had


departed with my cheque in his pocket ,


Clive started the engine and gave me my


first lesson in manoeuvring up and down


the river and in and out of the other boats .


It was a warm , still evening ; the plop of


fish and the gentle putter of the engine


were infinitely soothing after city noises ,


and I began to look forward to my life


on the water . At last he pronounced


me riverworthy and wanted to know when


I would be moving in .


Like Clive , he was enthusiastic about the


engine and decided , apparently on the strength


of its efficiency , that Sandpiper was fit to


live in . I was more than thankful for his help


when we had installed my things and the


boat began to move . The river was crowded


with flocks of sailing boats which


swirled round us like gulls and there


were two locks to negotiate , but Max


seemed to know exactly what to do


and at the same time kept me supplied


" How on earth do you know all this ? " I asked


him . " I used to play about in these things


when I was a kid . And then I acted as guide


on a river boat one summer , to keep myself


going between terms at college . " It was


the first I had heard of it , but that 's


one of the things I like about Max .


He has done so many things that there


is always something new and exciting to


discover about him . " You 're wonderful , " I


said , meaning it . He pressed the tip of my


nose with one finger . " That makes two of us . "


It was about eight o'clock in the evening


when we tied up almost exactly opposite


Hardy's garden and went up on to the


roof of the cabin to see what we could see .


From this side , Rivermead was less forbidding ;


it stood a long way back from the water


at the end of a velvety lawn flanked with


flowering trees and shrubs . To the right of


the lawn , close to the water's edge , stood an


ancient boathouse shrouded in wistaria ; it


was built across a narrow backwater


and there was a delicate iron staircase


climbing the outer wall to a room above .


" You won't see anyone tonight , it 's too late , " Max


said and turned to go . " No - wait , " I put out a


hand to stop him . The sun was no longer shining


and it was dark across there by the trees ,


but I thought I had seen something move .


A shudder , more mental than physical , ran


through him , and his mind seemed to


melt away into emptiness . His bulging


eyes caught the reclining form of Heather ,


who was still repeating in sing-song :


" ... I will not give in ... " He stared at her


blankly , mouthing an incoherent gabble


of half words .


He slapped himself in the face and


cuffed the sides of his head . Then


by degrees the rotating objects


slowed , and coming into focus took


the form of the furnishings in Dan


Brown's living room . He stood up un-


steadily and looked about the room ,


trying to gather his wits . Outside the


dusk was settling over Dow's Lake and


the heights beyond were in


silhouette , already a solid black .


He bumped into a floor lamp and


switched it on . Heather McNabb still lay


on the couch , her body uncomfortably twisted


and afflicted with occasional spasmodic jerks .


He went to the kitchen for water and found


Dan . Dan was lying on a long bench in the


breakfast nook , his head bent upright


against the wall .


His usually animated face was expressionless and looked flat ,


as though his nose had been pushed back and his eyes and cheeks


brought forward . He mouthed a low mutter , punctuated at intervals


with a few syllables of a crazy and incoherent jargon . As


Steve looked at him his mouth suddenly snapped shut ,


with jaws askew .


There was utter imbecility in his blank face . Presently the


muttering started again , and went on and on . Stunned and


shaken , Steve drew a glass of water and went back to


Heather . Half an hour later Heather and Steve were still


trying to shake-off the last traces of hypnotic after-effects .


For several minutes they had been facing each other across


a low table , like two old convalescents thoroughly bored with


each other through forced association .


Then something like a zest for living began to come back


to Steve and he squeezed her hand . Her face took on


enough animation to produce a wan smile . Dan's low mut-


tering was just audible from the kitchen . And Steve


could see that as Heather recovered her senses and emotions


she was growing cold and numb with shock . She had seen


Dan , or rather the physical relic of him - the empty


shell of flesh and bone , devoid of intellect and


personality .


And these had been his great qualities ,


so attractive to her . The Base Station had


gone before , discharging its narrow plane of


4ementalating energy along the length of


the Earth's imaginary longitudes , moving


eastward like a knife-edged twilight in


reversed progression . It had brought the


First Stage in the Thetan pattern of conquest ,


the empty-minded receptiveness that


prepared the way for the Second Stage .


He rose from his breakfast-nook bench


and came into the livingroom , where


Heather and Steve stood aghast at


his entrance . He came , almost falling


forward in an ungainly shuffle , neck


thrust out , arms dangling loosely .


Then , abruptly , he drew himself up


and walked on the very tips of


his toes . He stretched his arms


over his head and yawned agape ,


drawing-in great breaths that


became great sighs of ecstacy .


" They have come ! " he said reverently , gripping his


hands together between his knees and leaning


forward . " Isn't it a glorious thing ! Long awaited


transcendent event , the exalted desire of all


mankind through all ages ! The Kingdom of the


Mind is at hand ! " He turned beaming eyes


upward and shook his head slowly from


side to side .


A superfluous precaution for there was no other car


abroad ; and no pedestrian to cross his path nor to wait


at an intersection for the light to change . At his


apartment he garaged his car and then stood


listening in the night . Listening in vain . For the


earth had lost its life-tempo , as the heart


loses its beat in death .


Deadly stillness , deadly portent !


Steve awakened early and switched on


the radio , which he kept tuned to CBO.


The set lighted-up but gave only a low


buzzing sound . He had just finished


shaving when it came on , with a flat


voice repeating : " This is BBC calling


... this is BBC calling ... "


After what seemed an undue period of repetition , the voice


went on to describe the landing of the Thetan colony


in Sussex , in all its obscene details . Then the radio


went dead again , and Steve had no stomach for


breakfast . It was a beautiful day , as firsts-of-June


should be . Steve got out the car and traversed the


same empty streets as he had the night before ,


to keep an appointment with Heather .


Coming around the great mass of the Chateau


Laurier , he braked to a screeching stop . A


flying saucer was tilting and dipping over


the War Memorial . There was a deep


whirring sound , and a high-pitched hissing


overtone that sang in his ears with an


almost painful sharpness . He reversed and


turned back on McKenzie Avenue .


The Thetans must not see him ! He took another route


to Heather's and saw two more flying saucers on


the way . Heather was very anxious to visit Dan at


once ; but Steve insisted that they should first discuss


their situation , as far as it could be assessed ,


and to decide on what seemed to be the best


way of meeting it .


" The Thetans , " he said , " are presumably here to


take charge , as it were , of the minds of the


people - who are probably falling all over them-


selves in their zeal to get their orders and to carry


them out . Just what these orders will be , we don't


know . Now , because of prior hypnosis we have es-


caped Thetan subjugation . This time . But we no


longer have any immunity .


There can be little doubt that if the


Thetans discover our mental independence


they will promptly give us their hypnotic


treatment . If we can avoid undue


prominence , it may be that we can


move about pretty freely without


detection . If we can - well , then we


may be able to promote our own


interests . What those interests


are , beyond personal security ,


I haven't a clue ; but , who knows ,


we may form the nucleus around ...


" Now , to summarize what I think our


course of action should be . First , to avoid the


Thetans like the plague , for they must not


find us out ! Second , to tread pretty warily


among our own people , finding out just how


much freedom we can take with safety .


And third , to study these damned Thetans .


We must learn all we can about


them .


There is just a hope that we may uncover


some weakness , and find a way of fighting


back at them . " Heather agreed , and suggested


that they use Dan as a specimen demonstra-


ting how the Thetan machinations had been


working out . It occurred to Steve that this may


not have been entirely an objective suggestion


on her part ; but he thought it a good idea


nevertheless .


So they proceeded to see if the coast


was clear . The street was quiet and


deserted , and there were neither sight


nor sound of flying saucers . So they


ventured forth and made their way on


foot to Dan's house . Dan came


to the door at their ring but neglected


to offer any greeting . He was deeply


preoccupied , and it seemed that the


ringing of a doorbell was to him


a new and strange phenomenon .


When he finally beckoned to them to enter , the action


gave the impression of having been thought out and


decided upon . Inside they sat down unbidden , while


Dan paced the floor . He seemed completely unaware


of their presence . They just stared at him , turning


their heads like tennis spectators as he walked up and


down , up and down .


His whole attitude was a mixture of


impatience pending an awaited


communication and of a vague


perplexity respecting his surroundings


and the purpose he was to serve .


Finally , being so obviously on their own ,


Heather and Steve tried to make themselves


at home . Steve switched on Dan's


powerful , world-wide radio and systematically


turned the tuning knob through all the


tuning points of the world's great radio


They followed him to a city bus stop on Carling Avenue , where


he waited . The bus stop was a deserted island on an empty street .


But not for long , for soon pedestrians and cars flocked upon


the Avenue from its many tributary streets . It might have


been a normal business-day bustle , except for two anomalies .


First , it was Sunday morning ; and , second , everyone


walked , or drove , or waited as a person possessed of


a single all-exclusive purpose .


After a long wait a bus appeared and they


followed the beaming Dan aboard , taking


seats some rows behind him . Steve was


beginning to find the stereotyped , flattish , happy


faces very disconcerting ; and looking at


Heather he found a welcome relief in her


relatively long doleful one


Then he would go back to Plato for a final spell of


real days and would return to New York in late


January or early February . Angelina might be a


little sorry if we were not back for Christmas


as arranged , but he consoled himself by


thinking that he and Angelina would have


plenty of time together in the future . And


Heaven alone knew when , if ever , he would be


back on Moon again , and able to do


research at first hand into matters on which


the future of everyone , including Angelina , depended ...


The recovery of his balance was due to the


fact that he was living , virtually without


expenses , with the people to whom Moke had


sent him : little people who regarded him as


lucky to have descended from such economic altitudes .


Tom Dreyfus had a job on the machines in the Secretariat


( Stamp Department ) while Sally sulked at home .


They had been married for six years , but the


salary raise , on the expectation of which they


had done so , had not materialised . " Do you


know , I had to send back our bedroom


furniture in the second year , " she moaned . She


had contacts in political circles , a school-


friend of hers having married Lester Peron ,


a Mocrat Senator with a seat on the


( literally ) all-powerful Rocket Release


Board .


Hostettler


Sometimes she took Harry around with her , but


never her husband , a fact he accepted as inevitable . " I guess


Sally made a mistake about me , " he said one


evening , when he had been left to cook his own meal .


All Sally's relations were 4makrodeb now , but Tom


was a Static Mib , the middle-income-bracket equivalent


to 4sub-lil on the lower .


All Aristotle was excited at the time , not by the prospect of the


U.S. President's visit , but by a great storm in the photo-


sphere of the sun . A matter which on Earth would hardly


penetrate beyond the minds of astronomers was of general


interest to the Mos , doubtless because their habitat is


not submerged beneath a deep natural atmosphere .


One wondered if this greater awareness of the physical cosmos might


with time instil the reverence which , on Earth , nature inspires ,


especially when one reflected that the rockets over which Mr. Peron's


Board presided had it in their power permanently to warp the


solar system . True enough , such ultimate weapons had not been


used in the last few wars , but it seemed very probable


that they would be in the next one , Moon and her


allies being more inferior than formerly to W.C.U. in the


weapons pronounced conventional .


Lester was not home yet from his formidable


duties and his wife , in the manner of middle-brow


wives , romanced about him in his absence . " Lester was a


country lawyer , and we were very small 4microdebs , weren't we ,


Sally " - here she had dropped her voice in homage to the


economic system : that was reverenced - " when he thought


we might get GO a bit better if he entered politics .


Know how he did it ? He 's clever on


the mouth-organ . So when he visited some


craterlet on Face ( ours is an agricultural


Back-Face area ) the cry would go up ,


as soon as he had spoken a few


sentences of his speech : ' Cut the


politics , Lester , give us something on


your mouth-organ . '


Sentence Database


That 's how he got the votes , that 's how


we came through to 4makrodeb status and


got all these lovely things " - she waved a


plump hand towards her grand pianos , etc :


at the same time a door banged - " but don't


say a word about it , Lester wants his


mouth-organ to be forgotten now . The time


has come for him to be taken seriously


as a statesman . "


Peron entered , a large man , who had once been


handsome but was now seedy-looking , a sufferer


from stomach-ulcers . In the Back-Face tradition he


wore , and kept on indoors , a fifty gallon hat . Harry was


prepared for something unpleasant , for this was


the Senator who had annoyed the United States


by bragging how he had once won a trick from


W.C.U. by threatening to loose off one of his


rockets ( an admission which would scarcely help


bluff to succeed the next time ) and , lately , by


saying that if Mo land-troops had to come to the aid


of the O.G.O. contingent in the Panama region ,


But privately he turned out to be as friendly as


Mr. Wise the tube manufacturer , to have the same adolescent


openness and freshness , though perhaps not the same


maturity . One remembered that he was a lawyer


by training , and suspected that the points he made


so sharply in international politics were as abstract


to him as those a lawyer makes in a court


of law .


The motive would be the same in both cases , to


serve this home of his , in which his heart lay .


Here the rocket man's charm was disarming . Yet


when the time came to leave , Harry felt as de-


pressed as when he left Mrs. Halliday's office ,


exactly a month ago . If even Mo statesmen only


did what they had to do to get GO on an expan-


ding scale , and left the sum-total of their actions ,


and their lunar and earthly repercussions , to luck


( or to Moke ) , there was a vacuum where there should


be a centre of trust , responsible for the maintenance


The political life of Aristotle looked more and more


like a masquerade of business interests in dis-


guise which , far from attracting the allegiance