IIt says a good deal for the buoyancy of Victoria’s temperament1 that thepossibility of failing to attain2 her objective did not for a moment occur toher. Not for her the lines about ships that pass in the night. It was cer-tainly unfortunate that when she had—well—frankly—fallen for an at-tractive young man, that that young man should prove to be just on theverge of departure to a place distant some three thousand miles. He mightso easily have been going to Aberdeen or Brussels, or even Birmingham.
That it should be Baghdad, thought Victoria, was just her luck! Neverthe-less, difficult though it might be, she intended to get to Baghdad somehowor other. Victoria walked purposefully along Tottenham Court Roadevolving ways and means. Baghdad. What went on in Baghdad? Accordingto Edward: “Culture.” Could she, in some way, play up culture? Unesco?
Unesco was always sending people here, there and everywhere, some-times to the most delectable3 places. But these were usually, Victoria reflec-ted, superior young women with university degrees who had got into theracket early on.
Victoria, deciding that first things came first, finally bent4 her steps to atravel agency, and there made her inquiries5. There was no difficulty, itseemed, in travelling to Baghdad. You could go by air, by long sea to Bas-rah, by train to Marseilles and by boat to Beirut and across the desert bycar. You could go via Egypt. You could go all the way by train if you weredetermined to do so, but visas were at present difficult and uncertain andwere apt to have actually expired by the time you received them. Baghdadwas in the sterling6 area and money therefore presented no difficulties.
Not, that is to say, in the clerk’s meaning of the word. What it all boileddown to was that there was no difficulty whatsoever7 in getting to Baghdadso long as you had between sixty and a hundred pounds in cash.
As Victoria had at this moment three pounds ten (less ninepence), an ex-tra twelve shillings, and five pounds in the PO Savings8 Bank, the simpleand straightforward9 way was out of the question.
She made tentative queries10 as to a job as air hostess or stewardess11, butthese, she gathered, were highly coveted12 posts for which there was a wait-ing list.
Victoria next visited St. Guildric’s Agency where Miss Spenser, sitting be-hind her efficient desk, welcomed her as one of those who were destinedto pass through the office with reasonable frequency.
“Dear me, Miss Jones, not out of a post again. I really hoped this last one—”
“Quite impossible,” said Victoria firmly. “I really couldn’t begin to tellyou what I had to put up with.”
A pleasurable flush rose in Miss Spenser’s pallid13 cheek.
“Not—” she began—“I do hope not—He didn’t seem to me really thatsort of man—but of course he is a trifle gross—I do hope—”
“It’s quite all right,” said Victoria. She conjured14 up a pale brave smile. “Ican take care of myself.”
“Oh, of course, but it’s the unpleasantness.”
“Yes,” said Victoria. “It is unpleasant. However—” She smiled bravelyagain.
Miss Spenser consulted her books.
“The St. Leonard’s Assistance to Unmarried Mothers want a typist,” saidMiss Spenser. “Of course, they don’t pay very much—”
“Is there any chance,” asked Victoria brusquely, “of a post in Baghdad?”
“In Baghdad?” said Miss Spenser in lively astonishment15.
Victoria saw she might as well have said in Kamchatka or at the SouthPole.
“I should very much like to get to Baghdad,” said Victoria.
“I hardly think—in a secretary’s post you mean?”
“Anyhow,” said Victoria. “As a nurse or a cook, or looking after a lunatic.
Anyway at all.”
Miss Spenser shook her head.
“I’m afraid I can’t hold out much hope. There was a lady in yesterdaywith two little girls who was offering a passage to Australia.”
Victoria waved away Australia.
She rose. “If you did hear of anything. Just the fare out—that’s all Ineed.” She met the curiosity in the other woman’s eye by explaining—“I’ve got—er—relations out there. And I understand there are plenty ofwell-paid jobs. But of course, one has to get there first.
“Yes,” repeated Victoria to herself as she walked away from St. Guil-dric’s Bureau. “One has to get there.”
It was an added annoyance16 to Victoria that, as is customary, when onehas had one’s attention suddenly focused on a particular name or subject,everything seemed to have suddenly conspired17 to force the thought ofBaghdad onto her attention.
A brief paragraph in the evening paper she bought stated that Dr.
Pauncefoot Jones, the well-known archaeologist, had started excavationon the ancient city of Murik, situated18 a hundred and twenty miles fromBaghdad. An advertisement mentioned shipping19 lines to Basrah (andthence by train to Baghdad, Mosul, etc.). In the newspaper that lined herstocking drawer, a few lines of print about students in Baghdad leapt toher eyes. The Thief of Baghdad was on at the local cinema, and in the high-class highbrow bookshop into whose window she always gazed, a NewBiography of Haroun el Rashid, Caliph of Baghdad, was prominently dis-played.
The whole world, it seemed to her, had suddenly become Baghdad con-scious. And until that afternoon at approximately 1:45 she had, for all in-tents and purposes never heard of Baghdad, and certainly never thoughtabout it.
The prospects20 of getting there were unsatisfactory, but Victoria had noidea of giving up. She had a fertile brain and the optimistic outlook that ifyou want to do a thing there is always some way of doing it.
She employed the evening in drawing up a list of possible approaches. Itran:
Try Foreign Office?
Insert advertisement?
Try Iraq Legation?
What about date firms?
Ditto shipping firms?
British Council?
Selfridge’s Information Bureau?
Citizen’s Advice Bureau?
None of them, she was forced to admit, seemed very promising21. She ad-ded to the list:
Somehow or other, get hold of a hundred pounds?
II
The intense mental efforts of concentration that Victoria had madeovernight, and possibly the subconscious22 satisfaction at no longer havingto be punctually in the office at nine a.m., made Victoria oversleep herself.
She awoke at five minutes past ten, and immediately jumped out of bedand began to dress. She was just passing a final comb through her rebelli-ous dark hair when the telephone rang.
Victoria reached for the receiver.
A positively23 agitated24 Miss Spenser was at the other end.
“So glad to have caught you, my dear. Really the most amazing coincid-ence.”
“Yes?” cried Victoria.
“As I say, really a startling coincidence. A Mrs. Hamilton Clipp—travel-ling to Baghdad in three days’ time—has broken her arm—needs someoneto assist her on journey—I rang you up at once. Of course I don’t know ifshe has also applied25 to any other agencies—”
“I’m on my way,” said Victoria. “Where is she?”
“The Savoy.”
“And what’s her silly name? Tripp?”
“Clipp, dear. Like a paper clip, but with two P’s—I can’t think why, butthen she’s an American,” ended Miss Spencer as if that explainedeverything.
“Mrs. Clipp at the Savoy.”
“Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton Clipp. It was actually the husband who rangup.”
“You’re an angel,” said Victoria. “Good-bye.”
She hurriedly brushed her suit and wished it were slightly less shabby,recombed her hair so as to make it seem less exuberant26 and more in keep-ing with the role of ministering angel and experienced traveller. Then shetook out Mr. Greenholtz’s recommendation and shook her head over it.
We must do better than that, said Victoria.
From a No. 19 bus, Victoria alighted at Green Park, and entered the RitzHotel. A quick glance over the shoulder of a woman reading in the bushad proved rewarding. Entering the writing room Victoria wrote herselfsome generous lines of praise from Lady Cynthia Bradbury who had beenannounced as having just left England for East Africa…“excellent in ill-ness,” wrote Victoria, “and most capable in every way.…”
Leaving the Ritz she crossed the road and walked a short way up Albe-marle Street until she came to Balderton’s Hotel, renowned27 as the haunt ofthe higher clergy28 and of old-fashioned dowagers up from the country.
In less dashing handwriting, and making neat small Greek “E’s, shewrote a recommendation from the Bishop29 of Llangow.
Thus equipped, Victoria caught a No. 9 bus and proceeded to the Savoy.
At the reception desk she asked for Mrs. Hamilton Clipp and gave hername as coming from St. Guildric’s Agency. The clerk was just about topull the telephone towards him when he paused, looked across, and said:
“That is Mr. Hamilton Clipp now.”
Mr. Hamilton Clipp was an immensely tall and very thin grey-hairedAmerican of kindly30 aspect and slow deliberate speech.
Victoria told him her name and mentioned the Agency.
“Why now, Miss Jones, you’d better come right up and see Mrs. Clipp.
She is still in our suite31. I fancy she’s interviewing some other young lady,but she may have gone by now.”
Cold panic clutched at Victoria’s heart.
Was it to be so near and yet so far?
They went up in the lift to the third floor.
As they walked along the deep carpeted corridor, a young woman cameout of a door at the far end and came towards them. Victoria had a kind ofhallucination that it was herself who was approaching. Possibly, shethought, because of the young woman’s tailor-made suit that was so ex-actly what she would have liked to be wearing herself. “And it would fitme too. I’m just her size. How I’d like to tear it off her,” thought Victoriawith a reversion to primitive32 female savagery33.
The young woman passed them. A small velvet34 hat perched on the sideof her fair hair partially35 hid her face, but Mr. Hamilton Clipp turned tolook after her with an air of surprise.
“Well now,” he said to himself. “Who’d have thought of that? AnnaScheele.”
He added in an explanatory way:
“Excuse me, Miss Jones. I was surprised to recognize a young lady whomI saw in New York only a week ago, secretary to one of our big interna-tional banks—”
He stopped as he spoke36 at a door in the corridor. The key was hangingin the lock and, with a brief tap, Mr. Hamilton Clipp opened the door andstood aside for Victoria to precede him into the room.
Mrs. Hamilton Clipp was sitting on a high-backed chair near the windowand jumped up as they came in. She was a short birdlike sharp-eyed littlewoman. Her right arm was encased in plaster.
Her husband introduced Victoria.
“Why, it’s all been most unfortunate,” exclaimed Mrs. Clipp breathlessly.
“Here we were, with a full itinerary37, and enjoying London and all ourplans made and my passage booked. I’m going out to pay a visit to mymarried daughter in Iraq, Miss Jones. I’ve not seen her for nearly twoyears. And then what do I do but take a crash—as a matter of fact, it wasactually in Westminster Abbey—down some stone steps—and there I was.
They rushed me to hospital and they’ve set it, and all things considered it’snot too uncomfortable—but there it is, I’m kind of helpless, and howeverI’d manage travelling, I don’t know. And George here, is just tied up withbusiness, and simply can’t get away for at least another three weeks. Hesuggested that I should take a nurse along with me—but after all, once I’mout there I don’t need a nurse hanging around, Sadie can do all that’s ne-cessary—and it means paying her fare back as well, and so I thought I’dring up the agencies and see if I couldn’t find someone who’d be willing tocome along just for the fare out.”
“I’m not exactly a nurse,” said Victoria, managing to imply that that waspractically what she was. “But I’ve had a good deal of experience of nurs-ing.” She produced the first testimonial. “I was with Lady Cynthia Brad-bury for over a year. And if you should want any correspondence or sec-retarial work done, I acted as my uncle’s secretary for some months. Myuncle,” said Victoria modestly, “is the Bishop of Llangow.”
“So your uncle’s a Bishop. Dear me, how interesting.”
Both the Hamilton Clipps were, Victoria thought, decidedly impressed.
(And so they should be after the trouble she had taken!)Mrs. Hamilton Clipp handed the two testimonials to her husband.
“It really seems quite wonderful,” she said reverently38. “Quite providen-tial. It’s an answer to prayer.”
Which, indeed, was exactly what it was, thought Victoria.
“You’re taking up a position of some kind out there? Or joining a relat-ive?” asked Mrs. Hamilton Clipp.
In the flurry of manufacturing testimonials, Victoria had quite forgottenthat she might have to account for her reasons for travelling to Baghdad.
Caught unprepared, she had to improvise39 rapidly. The paragraph she hadread yesterday came to her mind.
“I’m joining my uncle out there. Dr. Pauncefoot Jones,” she explained.
“Indeed? The archaeologist?”
“Yes.” For one moment Victoria wondered whether she were perhapsendowing herself with too many distinguished40 uncles. “I’m terribly inter-ested in his work, but of course I’ve no special qualifications so it was outof the question for the Expedition to pay my fare out. They’re not too welloff for funds. But if I can get out on my own, I can join them and make my-self useful.”
“It must be very interesting work,” said Mr. Hamilton Clipp, “and Meso-potamia is certainly a great field for archaeology41.”
“I’m afraid,” said Victoria, turning to Mrs. Clipp, “that my uncle theBishop is up in Scotland at this moment. But I can give you his secretary’stelephone number. She is staying in London at the moment. Pimlico 87693—one of the Fulham Palace extensions. She’ll be there anytime from (Vic-toria’s eyes slid to the clock on the mantelpiece) 11:30 onwards if youwould like to ring her up and ask about me.”
“Why, I’m sure—” Mrs. Clipp began, but her husband interrupted.
“Time’s very short you know. This plane leaves day after tomorrow.
Now have you got a passport, Miss Jones?”
“Yes.” Victoria felt thankful that owing to a short holiday trip to Francelast year, her passport was up to date. “I brought it with me in case,” sheadded.
“Now that’s what I call businesslike,” said Mr. Clipp approvingly. If anyother candidate had been in the running, she had obviously dropped outnow. Victoria with her good recommendations, and her uncles, and herpassport on the spot had successfully made the grade.
“You’ll want the necessary visas,” said Mr. Clipp, taking the passport.
“I’ll run round to our friend Mr. Burgeon42 in American Express, and he’llget everything fixed43 up. Perhaps you’d better call round this afternoon, soyou can sign whatever’s necessary.”
This Victoria agreed to do.
As the door of the apartment closed behind her, she heard Mrs.
Hamilton Clipp say to Mr. Hamilton Clipp:
“Such a nice straightforward girl. We really are in luck.”
Victoria had the grace to blush.
She hurried back to her flat and sat glued to the telephone prepared toassume the gracious refined accents of a Bishop’s secretary in case Mrs.
Clipp should seek confirmation44 of her capability45. But Mrs. Clipp had obvi-ously been so impressed by Victoria’s straightforward personality that shewas not going to bother with these technicalities. After all, the engagementwas only for a few days as a travelling companion.
In due course, papers were filled up and signed, the necessary visaswere obtained and Victoria was bidden to spend the final night at the Sa-voy so as to be on hand to help Mrs. Clipp get off at 7 a.m. on the followingmorning for Airways46 House and Heathrow Airport.
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1
temperament
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| n.气质，性格，性情 | |
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attain
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| vt.达到，获得，完成 | |
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delectable
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| adj.使人愉快的；美味的 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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inquiries
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| n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听 | |
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sterling
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| adj.英币的(纯粹的，货真价实的)；n.英国货币(英镑) | |
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7
whatsoever
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| adv.（用于否定句中以加强语气）任何；pron.无论什么 | |
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8
savings
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| n.存款，储蓄 | |
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straightforward
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| adj.正直的，坦率的；易懂的，简单的 | |
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queries
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| n.问题( query的名词复数 )；疑问；询问；问号v.质疑，对…表示疑问( query的第三人称单数 )；询问 | |
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11
stewardess
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| n.空中小姐，女乘务员 | |
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coveted
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| adj.令人垂涎的；垂涎的，梦寐以求的v.贪求，觊觎(covet的过去分词)；垂涎；贪图 | |
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pallid
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| adj.苍白的，呆板的 | |
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conjured
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| 用魔术变出( conjure的过去式和过去分词 )； 祈求，恳求； 变戏法； （变魔术般地） 使…出现 | |
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astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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annoyance
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| n.恼怒，生气，烦恼 | |
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conspired
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| 密谋( conspire的过去式和过去分词 )； 搞阴谋； （事件等）巧合； 共同导致 | |
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situated
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| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
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shipping
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| n.船运（发货，运输，乘船） | |
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prospects
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| n.希望，前途(恒为复数) | |
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promising
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| adj.有希望的，有前途的 | |
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subconscious
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| n./adj.潜意识(的)，下意识(的) | |
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positively
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agitated
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| adj.被鼓动的，不安的 | |
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applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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exuberant
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| adj.充满活力的；（植物）繁茂的 | |
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renowned
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| adj.著名的，有名望的，声誉鹊起的 | |
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clergy
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| n.[总称]牧师，神职人员 | |
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bishop
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| n.主教，（国际象棋）象 | |
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kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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suite
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| n.一套(家具)；套房；随从人员 | |
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primitive
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| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
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savagery
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velvet
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| n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的 | |
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partially
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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itinerary
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| n.行程表，旅行路线；旅行计划 | |
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reverently
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| adv.虔诚地 | |
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improvise
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| v.即兴创作；临时准备，临时凑成 | |
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distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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archaeology
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| n.考古学 | |
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burgeon
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| v.萌芽，发芽；迅速发展 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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confirmation
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| n.证实，确认，批准 | |
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capability
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| n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等 | |
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46
AIRWAYS
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| 航空公司 | |
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