Vets Might Fly Read online

  pettifogging detail.

  ~Oh don't worry, Helen," I whispered, putting my arm round her.

  "They won't hurt me."

  When Zoe came back with the food Granville was in his element, slicing

  the juicy smoked sausages length ways, slapping mustard on them and

  enclosing them in rolls.

  As I bit into the first one I thought I had never tasted any thing so

  delicious.

  chewing happily I found it difficult to comprehend my previous

  ridiculous preJudice.

  "Ready for another, old son?" Granville held up a loaded roll.

  "Sure! These are absolutely marvellous. Best hot dogs I've ever

  tasted!" I munched it down quickly and reached for a third.

  I think it was when I had downed five of them that my friend prodded me

  in the ribs.

  "Jim, lad," he said between chews.

  "We want a drop of beer to wash these down, don't you agree?"

  I waved an arm extravagantly.

  "Of course we do! Bloody gin's no good for this Job!

  Granville pulled two pints of draught. Powerful delicious ale which

  flowed in a cooling wave over my inflamed mucous membranes, making me

  feel I had been waiting for it all my life. We each had three pints

  and another hot dog or two while waves of euphoria billowed around

  me.

  The occasional anxious glance from Helen didn't worry me in the least.

  She was making signs that it was time to go home, but the very idea was

  unthinkable.

  I was having the time of my life, the world was a wonderful place and

  this little private pub was the finest corner of it.

  Granville put down a half-eaten roll.

  "Zoe, my precious, it would be nice to have something sweet to top this

  off. Why don't you bring out some of those little gooey things you

  made yesterday?"

  She produced a plateful of very rich-loo king cake lets. I do not have

  a sweet tooth and normally skip this part of the meal but I bit into

  one of Zoe's creations with relish. It was beautifully made and I

  could detect chocolate, marzipan, caramel and other things.

  It was when I was eating the third that matters began to deteriorate. I

  found that my merry chatter had died and it was Granville doing all the

  talking, and as I listened to him owlishly I was surprised to see his

  face becoming two faces which floated apart and came together

  repeatedly. It was an astonishing phenomenon and it was happening with

  everything else in the room.

  And I wasn't feeling so healthy now. That boundless vigour was no

  longer Surging through my veins and I felt only a great weariness and a

  rising nausea.

  I lost count of time around then. No doubt the conversation went on

  among the four of us but I can't remember any of it and my next

  recollection was of the party breaking up. Granville was helping Helen

  on with her coat and there was a general air of cheerful departure.

  "Ready, Jim?" my friend said briskly.

  I nodded and got slowly to my feet and as I swayed he put his arm round

  me and assiSted me to the door. Outside, the fog had cleared and a

  bright pattern f StarS overhung the village, but the clean cold air

  only made me feel worse and do~s!"

  "Hot dogs?" I cried.

  "Splendid idea!" It was a long call from all the spies the orient but

  I was ready for any thing.

  I stumbled through the darkness like a sleepwalker. When I reached the

  car' long griping spasm drove through me, reminding me horribly of the

  sausage' the gin and the rest. I groaned and leaned on the roof.

  "Maybe you'd better drive, Helen," my colleague said. He was about to

  open the door when, with a dreadful feeling of helplessness, I began to

  slide along

  I

  metal.

  Granville caught my shoulders.

  "He'd be better in the back," he gasped a began to lug me on to the

  seat.

  "Zoe, sweetheart, Helen, love, grab a leg each' will you? Fine, now

  I'll get round the other side and pull him in."

  He trotted round to the far side, opened the door and hauled at my

  shoulders "Down a bit your side, Helen, dear. Now to me a little. Up

  a trifle your si' Zoe, pet. Now back to you a bit. Lovely, lovely."

  Clearly he was happy at his work. He sounded like an expert furniture

  remover and through the mists I wondered bitterly how many inert forms

  had stuffed into their cars after an evening with him.

  Finally they got me in, half Lying across the back seat. My face was

  pressed' against the side window and from the outside it must have been

  a grotesque sight with the nose squashed sideways and a solitary

  dead-mackerel eye start sightlessly into the night.

  With an effort I managed to focus and saw Zoe loo king down at me

  anxious She gave a tentative wave of goodbye but I could produce only a

  slight twitch' of the cheek in reply.

  Granville kissed Helen fondly then slammed the car door. Moving back,

  peered in at me and brandished his arms.

  "See you soon, I hope, Jim. It's been a lovely evening!" His big face

  v wreathed in a happy smile and as I drove away my final impression was

  t he was thoroughly satisfied.

  ~i Chapter Twenty-six Being away from Darrow by and living a different

  life I was able to stand back and assess certain things objectively. I

  asked myself many questions. Why, ~ instance, was my partnership with

  Siegfried so successful? ; Even now, as we still jog along happily

  after thirty-five years, I wonder ate' it. I kr ~ liked him

  instinctively when I first saw him in the garden at Skel" H- at very

  first afternoon, but I feel there is another reason why ~ r. ~ because

  we are opposites. Siegfried's restless energy impels him \o alter

  things while I abhor change of any kind. A lot of pe~ ,;% 'brilliant,

  while not even my best friends would apply the ; , 0~, ~s mind

  relentlessly churns out ideas of all grades excell~ h ~ ~"O inge

  indeed. I, on the other hand, rarely have an idea al>` o ~ ~,ing

  shooting and fishing; I prefer football, cricket m SredSd;l' 1$ tn we

  are even opposite physical types and dogs!" ~ $." gn that we have

  never had our differences. Over 4 "Hot dogs?" I crie(l.^ ~ ;~ A;~,~

  I~.~ wil val l~u~ ~111~.

  the orient but was rectal One, I recall, was over the plastic calcium

  injectors. They were something new so Siegfried liked them, and by the

  same token I regarded them with deep suspicion.

  My doubts were nourished by my difficulties with them. Their early

  troubles have now been ironed out but at the beginning I found the

  things so temperamental that I abandoned them.

  My colleague pulled me up about it when he saw me washing out my

  flutter valve by running the surgery tap through it.

  "For God's sake, James, you're not still using that old thing, are

  you?"

  "Yes, I'm afraid I am."

  "But haven't you tried the new plastics?"

  "I have."

  "Well . . . ?"

  "Can't get away with them, Siegfried."

  "Can't . . . what on earth do you mean?"

  I trickled the last drop of water through the tube, rolled it small and

  sli