Got to have the flags up. Got to get the old bunting out, haven't we?'
Nobby gave the dripping finery a jaundiced look. 'Doesn't look that old to me,' he said. 'It looks new. What're them fat saggy things on that shield?'
'Those are the royal hippos of Ankh,' said the man proudly. 'Reminders of our noble heritage.'
'How long have we had a noble heritage, then?' said Nobby.
'Since yesterday, of course.'
'You can't have a heritage in a day,' said Carrot. 'It has to last a long time.'
'If we haven't got one,' said Sergeant Colon, 'I bet we'll soon have had one. My wife left me a note about it. All these years, and she turns out to be a monarchist.' He kicked the pavement viciously. 'Huh!' he said. 'A man knocks his pipes out for thirty years to put a bit of meat on the table, but all she's talking about is some boy who gets to be king for five minutes' work. Know what was for my tea last night? Beef dripping sandwiches!'
This did not have the expected response from the two bachelors.
'Cor!' said Nobby.
'Real beef dripping?' said Carrot. 'The kind with the little crunchy bits on top? And shiny blobs of fat?'
'Can't remember when I last addressed the crust on a bowl of dripping,' mused Nobby, in a gastronomic heaven. 'With just a bit of salt and pepper, you've got a meal fit for a k…'
'Don't even say it,' warned Colon.
'The best bit is when you stick the knife in and crack the fat and all the browny gold stuff bubbles up,' said Carrot dreamily. 'A moment like that is worth a ki…'
'Shutup! Shutup!' shouted Colon. 'You're just— what the hell was that?'
They felt the sudden downdraught, saw the mist above them roll into coils that broke against the house walls. A blast of colder air swept along the street, and was gone.
'It was like something gliding past, up there somewhere,' said the sergeant. He froze. 'Here, you don't think…?'
'We saw it killed, didn't we?' said Nobby urgently.
'We saw it vanish, ' said Carrot.
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