Plenty Page #2

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and they simply give the body a wash.

The only other thing is the stomach.

Now, if there's been a meal... a

recent meal - Tony had eaten...

at breakfast, I think. Erm, you insert a pipe

into the corpse's stomach to let the gasses out.

They insert it and there's a

strange sort of ssssssigh

- I think

- It almost leaves no mark.

Apparently, when the morgue attendants are bored

sometimes they set light to the gas for a joke.

- Makes one hell of a bang!

- Shall we all have a drink?

But I'm sure it didn't happen

in this particular case.

No.

There is gin there is tonic Yes?

Thank you.

I'm afraid we do need to discuss

the practical arrangements.

The whole subject is very distressing

but do you want the body flown back?

Well, I can hardly stash it

in the boot of the car.

What the Third Secretary is saying

not buried on foreign soil.

No.

Quite.

You see, for the moment,

the Government picks up the bill.

But later, we will have to charge it to

the estate. If there is an estate.

I'm sorry...

I don't mean to interfere.

Well, I think we now

understand your needs.

I'll have a word with the travel people

and make a booking for tomorrow

morning's flight, if that suits?

Yes, of course.

You will be travelling back

with the body, I assume?

Yes.

No other dependants? Children?

No.

He doesn't like you.

I'm sorry?

The Ambassador.

Oh, well, no. I don't think he's

over the moon about you.

I shouldn't have said that.

No, it's just that Darwin thinks that

disasters are examinations in etiquette;

- which fork to use in an earthquake.

- Darwin?!

- Is that his name?

- Hm

the mission all think it's God's joke.

God dashing off a modern Darwin who is in

every respect less advanced than the last.

I'm sorry. We sit about in the

evenings and polish our jokes.

Brussels is rather a debilitating town.

Mm.

Is this a bad posting for you?

Well, I had hoped for

something more positive.

Fresher air.

The flag still flies over a quarter of the human

race and I would have liked to have seen it, really

Whereas here we're left with

the problems of the war.

- I wasn't his wife.

- No.

- Had you realised that?

- I thought it possible.

What about Darwin?

- Did he realise?

- Lord, no. It would never occur to him.

We met during the war.

Tony was a wireless operator for the S.O.E.

I was a courier

motoring together it was easier to

say we were man and wife.

In fact, I was barely even his mistress.

He rang me a few weeks ago, and

I was amazed that people in our organisation

didn't know each other all that well. I mean...

even now you don't know who

most of your colleagues were.

Perhaps you were in it.

Perhaps I met you.

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