course of his proposed brushing-up operations, would be certain to see it. The thought of it being spelled through, wondered about, perhaps uncomprehendingly grinned and whistled over was immediately as intolerable as if he had written it himself. He turned and went back the way he had come.
Nancy had paused to investigate what might have been a molehill and Ayscue's feet made no sound on the grass of the meadow, so that his return would have taken by surprise anyone who had crept into his hut during his ten minutes' absence.
And someone had. Brian Leonard, wearing newly pressed khaki, stood leaning in a casual and stiff attitude against the wall by the window. At his side the door of the normally locked cupboard, pushed to a second earlier, swung slowly open again with a whining creak.
'Hullo, Willie,' he said. 'I was just going to…'
Ayscue went and shut the cupboard and locked it with his key. He stared at Leonard, whose face was shinier and sallower and darker with subcutaneous beard than he had ever seen it before. Nancy came in, halted and growled softly, but at a sign from Ayscue went to her basket, where she settled herself with a groan.
'What? What were you going to do?'
'I was… Do you mind if I sit down? Thanks. I may as well be frank with you.'
'I should. I don't think you can be anything else.'
'No. Well, in my capacity as Security Officer of this unit I've been conducting certain investigations.'
'So I see. In a rather reckless spirit. My batman or I or anybody might have caught you at it. And I have.'
'I got hold of your batman and sent him on an errand for me,' said Leonard in a short burst of complacency. 'And I saw you go out with your dog. One has to take chances in this job.'
'I can't see why. Anyway, what did you expect to find here?'
'One often can't say in advance what one's going to find.'
'Have you actually found anything that interests you in your capacity as Security Officer of this unit?'
'Not yet. I'd only just started looking.'
'What made you decide to look in my room rather than anyone else's?'
'I didn't. I mean, I do spot checks of everybody's quarters on a random basis. This is just your turn.'
'Oh, good. But why couldn't I have been present?'
'There wouldn't have been much sense in tipping you off I was coming.'
'Wouldn't there? I thought that was your number-one principle, letting everybody know what you were up to so that you could see how they reacted.'
To be thus held up to question on a phylactological point seemed to shake Leonard more than anything else so far. He said crossly, 'This was different.'
'Well, you'd know. I wouldn't. But I wasn't thinking in terms of tipping people off. I meant you could have come in any morning when I was here and searched the place there and then. Like that I wouldn't have had a chance to eat my instructions from Tirana.'
'You're right. I never thought of that.'
Ayscue's manner relaxed momentarily. 'You need some leave, Brian. We all do.'
'I know. Sorry to have upset you. I'm only doing my job.'
'That's all right. How did you get that cupboard open, by the way?'
'I have skeleton keys,' said Leonard. He did not add that he had been unable to open so much as his own dressing-table drawer by their agency, and that after having had to leave snapped-off portions of half a dozen of them in various locks round the camp he had decided to use them no more. 'But they're tricky things to handle'- his voice thickened sharply as this recurred to him-'and I'd be very grateful if you'd open it again yourself.'
'Hadn't you seen inside?'
'I was just that moment going to when you walked in.'
'Oh. In that case there's some point in refusing to open it for you or to allow you to open it. Which I hereby do.'
Leonard got up from the bed, where he had been sitting, and approached Ayscue and the cupboard. 'This is a Security matter,' he said, 'which means it isn't your place to give or withhold permission. If I have to, I can have you put under arrest and shoot the lock off that door. I'm ordering you to open it.'
'It's private, what's in there.'
'If it is, the whole thing'll go no further.'
After hesitating briefly, Ayscue unlocked the cupboard.
Two minutes later, Leonard was saying, 'One suit, civilian, three shirts, civilian, three pairs socks, civilian, seven neckties, civilian. That seems to be the lot.'
'Aren't you going to look for secret drawers and sliding panels?'
'No. You'd have known you couldn't have installed them without attracting notice. Now. Where do you
