Читать книгу Unconditional Surrender онлайн

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When Guy went to have his hair cut the Loot seemed always to be in the next chair. One of the few places where he was never seen was H.O.Q. HQ. He had no apparent military function. In the years of peace he had been the junior member of an important firm of Boston lawyers. It was said that the Loot's duties were still legal. Either the American army was exceptionally law-abiding or they had a glut of advocates. The Loot was never known to serve on a court-martial.

Now he said: "I was at Broome yesterday."

"Broome? You mean our Broome? What on earth took you there, Loot?"

"Sally Sackville-Strutt has a daughter at the school. We went to see her play hockey. She's captain of Crouchback. You know the school was divided into two houses called 'Crouchback' and 'the Holy Family'?"

"The invidious distinction has been remarked on."

"Crouchback won." He began beckoning to Ruben. "Do we meet tonight at the Glenobans?"

"No."

"Did you go to see the sword of Stalingrad? I went when it was first on view at the Goldsmiths' Hall. I think it is a very lovely gesture of your King's, but there was a feature no one could explain to me--the escutcheon on the scabbard will be upside down when it is worn on a baldric."