The Valley of Bones - Anthony Powell [84]
‘Where’s your Company Commander?’ asked Pinkus. ‘The Commandant wants him pronto.’
‘In his room, I suppose. The Company’s just been dismissed. He’s probably changing.’
‘What’s this about putting one of the officers of the course under arrest? The Commandant’s bloody well brassed off about it, I can tell you – and, what’s more, the Commandant’s own helmet is missing, too, and he thinks one of your fellows has taken it.’
‘Why on earth?’
‘Your Platoon falls in just outside his quarters.’
‘Much more likely to be one of the permanent staff on Fire Picquet. They pass just by the door.’
‘The Commandant doesn’t think so.’
‘I bet one of the Fire Picquet pinched it.’
‘The Commandant says he doesn’t trust your mob an inch.’
‘Why not?’
‘That’s what he says.’
‘If he wants to run down the Regiment, he’d better take it up with our Commanding Officer.’
‘Make enquiries, or there’ll be trouble. Now, where’s Gwatkin?’
He went off, mouthing refinedly to himself. I saw what had happened. In the stresses following realization that he had forgotten about the changed codewords, Gwatkin had also forgotten Bithel. During the exertions of the day in the field, I, too, had given no thought to the events of the previous night, at least none sufficient to consider how best the situation should be handled on our return. Now, back at Castlemallock, the Bithel problem loomed up ominously. Bad enough, in any case, to leave the matter unattended made it worse than ever. Even Kedward had no copybook solution.
‘My God,’ he said, ‘I suppose old Bith ought to have been under escort all day. Under my escort, too, if it comes to that. It was Rowland’s last order to me.’
‘Anyway, Bithel should have been brought up before the Commandant within twenty-four hours and charged, as a matter of routine. That’s the regulation, isn’t it?’
‘Twenty-four hours isn’t up yet.’
‘Still, it’s a bit late in the day.’
‘Rowland’s going to find this one tough to sort out.’
‘There’s nothing we can do about it.’
‘Look, Nick,’ said Kedward, ‘I’ll go off right away and see exactly what’s happened before I take my boots off. Christ, my feet feel like balloons.’
After a while, Kedward returned, saying Gwatkin was already with the Castlemallock Commandant, straightening out the Bithel affair. When I saw Gwatkin later, he looked desperately worried.
‘That business of Bithel last night,’ he said harshly.
‘Yes?’
‘We’d better forget about it.’
‘OK.’
‘This Anti-Gas course is almost at an end.’
‘Yes.’
‘Bithel goes back to the Battalion.’
‘He may be going up to Division.’
‘Bithel?’
‘Yes.’
‘What on earth for?’
‘To command the Mobile Laundry.’
‘I hadn’t heard that,’ said Gwatkin. ‘How do you know?’
‘Bithel himself told me.’
Gwatkin did not look best pleased, but he reserved judgment.
‘The CO will be glad to be rid of him,’ he said, ‘no doubt about that. The point of what I’m saying now is that Bithel may have made a bloody swine of himself last night, but it’s going to be too much of a business to see he gets his desserts.’
‘I can understand that.’
‘I suspect that Bithel himself got hold of the Mess waiter concerned. Between the two of them, they are prepared to swear that the whole thing was an accident. Bithel stayed in bed all day, saying he had