Chapter 4 Dinner With Eric
I
‘Do you mind if I tell you something, old man?’ said Eric Pugh.
Sir Stafford Nye looked at him. He had known Eric Pugh for a goodmany years. They had not been close friends. Old Eric, or so Sir Staffordthought, was rather a boring friend. He was, on the other hand, faithful.
And he was the type of man who, though not amusing, had a knack¹ ofknowing things. People said things to him and he remembered what theysaid and stored them up. Sometimes he could push out a useful bit of in-formation.
‘Come back from that Malay Conference, haven’t you?’
‘Yes,’ said Sir Stafford.
‘Anything particular turn up there?’
‘Just the usual,’ said Sir Stafford.
‘Oh. I wondered if something had–well, you know what I mean. Any-thing had occurred to put the cat among the pigeons.’
‘What, at the Conference? No, just painfully predictable. Everyone saidjust what you thought they’d say only they said it unfortunately at rathergreater length than you could have imagined possible. I don’t know why Igo on these things.’
Eric Pugh made a rather tedious remark or two as to what the Chinesewere really up to.
‘I don’t think they’re really up to anything,’ said Sir Stafford. ‘All theusual rumours², you know, about the diseases poor old Mao has got andwho’s intriguing³ against him and why.’
‘And what about the Arab-Israeli business?’
‘That’s proceeding⁴ according to plan also. Their plan, that is to say. Andanyway, what’s that got to do with Malaya?’
‘Well, I didn’t really mean so much Malaya.’
‘You’re looking rather like the Mock Turtle,’ said Sir Stafford Nye. ‘“Soupof the evening, beautiful soup.” Wherefore this gloom?’
‘Well, I just wondered if you’d–you’ll forgive me, won’t you?–I mean youhaven’t done anything to blot⁵ your copybook, have you, in any way?’
‘Me?’ said Sir Stafford, looking highly surprised.
‘Well, you know what you’re like, Staff. You like giving people a joltsometimes, don’t you?’

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