The Last Year of the Old World by Clark RW

Author:Clark RW
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Rack 3-Science Fiction & Horror
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

144

‘General’, he said, never being able to conceal his American ignorance of the difference between a general and a brigadier-general, ‘General, is it or is it not true that the Russians have invaded the British Zone?’

I admired the brigadier. ‘I am sorry’, he said, ‘I just do not know the details’. Then I began to admire him less - not his courage but his wisdom. ‘Quite frankly’, he went on, ‘I don’t see how the questioner can know either’.

I can still see Lancelot Green standing up - with the black patch across his right eye and the left sleeve of his jacket hanging free minus an arm that had gone astray in the Spanish war.

‘Maybe you don’t, General’, said Green, ‘but I do. I was there just….’ he slung his remaining arm awkwardly across his body to look at his watch ‘….just one hour six minutes ago’.

He looked up through his gold-rimmed glasses with a look that had an almost helpful arrogance. ‘You’d better come clean, General’.

The British were still playing for time. In retrospect I don’t blame them. But they handled it badly - not the brigadier, poor fellow, who looked as hamstrung by his orders from London as everyone guessed he was. But he placed too much confidence on always having the upper hand.

The other questions spurted up round him and he deftly dodged them. There were reports, of course. There was no doubt a bit of trouble.

‘Gentlemen’, he said, ‘I must ask you to be patient-and I only hope for Mr Green’s sake that he has been able to get through to his newspaper the news of what he claims to be a Russian invasion of the British Zone’.

‘By God, you’re right I have’, repeated Lancelot, vibrating that empty arm-sleeve so that it waved. ‘I’ve already checked with my stringer in Göttingen that he’s got the news into the U.S. Zone’.

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