Chapter 15 Chapter Fourteen

Flick stood in front of the building, turned around and saw a beautiful girl in the uniform of a U.S. Army lieutenant got out of the car and hugged Paul with open arms.She could see Paul was happy, hugging the girl tightly.This was probably his wife, girlfriend or fiancée, who came to London by chance.She must have belonged to the American troops stationed in Britain, taking part in the offensive.Paul jumped into her car. Flick entered the Orchard Palace, feeling a little sad in his heart.Paul had a girl come to see him, and the two were so in love that they could visit each other unexpectedly.Flick hoped that Michelle would suddenly appear beside her, but now he was lying in a bed in Lance, being tended by a shameless nineteen-year-old beauty.

Percy had returned from Hendon.Flick saw him making tea. "How's your RAF girl?" she asked. "Ms. Denise Bowyer is on her way to finishing school for girls," he said. "Wonderful! We now have four!" "I'm a little worried, though. She's a braggart. She brags about her job in the Air Force, telling me a lot of details that should and shouldn't be said. You can see how she trains." "She probably doesn't know much about telephone exchanges." "I don't know anything, and I don't know how to explode. Would you like tea?"

"OK." Percy handed her the teacup and sat down at the crude old desk. "Where's Paul?" "He's gone to the prosecutor, and he's trying to get Ruby Roman out of jail tonight." Percy gave her an inquiring look. "do you like him?" "Better than the beginning." "me too." Flick laughed and said, "He charmed the old prison hag." "How about Ruby Roman?" "Scary. She got into a fight with another inmate over a bar of soap and slit the guy's throat." "God." Percy shook his head in disbelief. "What kind of unlucky team did we have, Flick?"

"Dangerous teams, as they should be, it's not a problem. Besides, generally speaking, we should all have some slack in order to weed out one or two least satisfied players in the training process. My concern is that we haven't found what we need. It’s meaningless if you only bring these few girls who can work hard into France and blow up the wrong cable.” Percy finished his tea and went to fill his pipe. "I know a female explosion expert who speaks French." Flick was very surprised. "That's great! But why didn't you say so sooner?" "At first I thought about her, but it was rejected immediately, she was not suitable at all, but I didn't expect us to be so difficult at the time."

"What's wrong with her?" "She's about forty. Special Operations rarely uses someone that old, especially when we have skydiving missions." He struck a match. Age was no obstacle in this matter, Flick thought.Excited, she said, "Will she volunteer?" "I think it's quite possible, especially if I ask her." "You are friends." He nodded. "How did she become an explosion expert?" Percy was a little embarrassed, still holding the match in his hand.He said: "She's the one who broke the safe. I met her years ago, when I was working in politics in the East End." The match died and he struck another.

"Percy, I didn't expect you to be so careless. Where is she now?" Percy looked at his watch. "It's six o'clock. She's supposed to be in Mudduck's private bar at this time every night." "In a tavern." "that is." "Then light that damned pipe of yours, and we'll be off there." After getting into the car, Flick said again: "How do you know she broke the safe?" "It's well known." "Oh? Even the police know?" "Yes. Cops and thugs grow up together in the East End. They go to the same schools, live in the same neighbourhood, and all know each other."

"If they know who the criminals are, why don't they put them in jail? I guess they don't have evidence." "It's always been like this," Percy said, "when they need a conviction, they arrest a guy in the business, and if it's a burglary, they catch a burglar, whether he's connected to a specific crime or not." , because they have always been good at creating cases, buying witnesses, forging confessions, and producing physical evidence in court. Of course, sometimes they also make mistakes and put innocent people in prison. They also use this system to publicize private revenge, settle personal grievances, and so on. But , nothing is perfect in life, is there?"

"So, in your opinion, the tedious procedure of the court and jury is a farce?" "An extraordinarily successful, long-running farce, offering very favorable conditions of employment to those who would otherwise be useless citizens as detectives, lawyers, and judges." "Did your friend who broke the safe ever go to jail?" "No. You can get away with it if you're willing to pay a large bribe and make friends with the detectives. If you live on the same street as Inspector Callaghan's mother, you can visit often. , ask her if she has anything to buy, look at the pictures of her children and grandchildren...the detective is unlikely to arrest you and go to prison."

Flick thought about the story Ruby had told a few hours earlier.For some, living in London was like living under Gestapo rule.Is the situation really that far from what she imagined? "I don't know whether you're telling the truth or not," she said to Percy. "I don't know what to believe." "Oh, of course I'm telling the truth," he said, with a smile, "but I didn't expect you to believe it either." They reached Stepney, not far from the pier.This was the most bomb-damaged place Flick had ever seen, with entire streets leveled.Percy turned into a narrow cul-de-sac and stopped in front of a bar.

"Mudduck" is a humorous nickname, and the name of the bar is actually "White Swan".Although called a private pub, it's not for private people, just to differentiate it from the public pubs where the floors are covered in sawdust and a pint of beer is a penny.Flick thought it would be interesting for Paul to explain this difference to him. Geraldine Knight sat on a stool at the back of the bar as if she owned it.She had garish blond hair and a lot of make-up, but it looked appropriate.Her figure was plump, clearly visible only slightly under a corset.A flaming cigarette sat in an ashtray, with a ring of lipstick on the mouthpiece, and no one looked less like a secret agent than she.Flick was a little discouraged.

"Percy Sweet, look who I've seen!" said the woman, her voice sounding like a Cockney's learned accent, "you come here to visit the poor, you bloody old Communist? "Obviously she was delighted to see him. "Hello, 'Jelly', meet my friend Flick," said Percy. "Nice to meet you," she said, shaking Flick's hand. "'Jelly'?" Flick asked curiously. "Nobody knows where I got that nickname from." "Got it," Flick said, "and your last name is 'Gelignite'. In English, 'Gelignite' (Gelignite) has a similar pronunciation to 'Jelly Knight'. .” "Jelly" did not match up. "Percy, ask me for a martini while you're at it." Flick said to her in French: "You live near this part of London?" "I've lived here since I was ten years old," she replied in French with an American accent. "I was born in Quebec." This is not good, Flick thought.Germans may not notice the difference in accent, but French people certainly will. "Jelly" had to pose as a Canadian-born French citizen, which makes sense, but is also relatively rare and easy to attract attention.Forget it, never mind. "However, you consider yourself British." "English, not British," "Jelly" raged, and she switched back to English, "I belong to the Church of England, I vote for the Conservative Party, I don't like foreigners, heretics, and republicans." She glanced Percy glanced and added, "Of course, not at the moment." Percy said, "You should go to Yorkshire and live on a farm in the hills where you haven't seen a foreigner since the Vikings came. I don't know how you're going to survive in London, it's full of Russians. The Bolsheviks, the German Jews, the Irish Catholics, and the Welsh Protestants, they're building little churches like that and they're ruining the lawn like moles." "London isn't what it used to be, Percy." "It's different from when you were a foreigner?" This debate has never ended since the beginning.Flick could not help interrupting them. "I'm glad to hear you're a patriot, 'Jelly.'" "Why are you interested in this kind of question, can I ask?" "Because you can do something for your country," cut in Percy. "I spoke to Flick about your... specialty, 'Jelly.'" Jelly looked down at her vermilion nails, and said, "Prudence, Percy, please be careful. Prudence is the foundation of courage, as it says in the Bible." "You're probably aware that there's been quite a bit of development in this area, and I'm referring to plastic bombs," Flick said. "I try to keep up with the times." "Jelly" said with a humble attitude.Suddenly her expression changed, she looked at Flick warily, and asked, "Is it related to the war?" "yes." "I'm in. I'll do anything for England." "You're going away for a few days." "no problem." "It may not come back." "What the fuck does that mean?" "It's dangerous," Flick said quietly. "Jelly" was a little flustered. "Oh." She swallowed, "Then, there's not much difference." She didn't seem confident. "Have you figured it out?" "Jelly" paused, thinking secretly, and then said, "You want me to blow up something." Flick nodded silently. "It's not abroad, is it?" "possible." "Jelly" suddenly paled. "Oh, my God, you want me to go to France, don't you?" Flick said nothing. "Go to the enemy's rear! God, I'm too old for this, I'm already..." She hesitated. "I'm thirty-seven." She looks five years older, Flick thought, but said, "What's the matter, we're about the same age, and I'm almost thirty. We're not old enough to take risks, are we?" " "You are you, I am me." Flick's heart sank, "Jelly" would not agree. The whole plan is screwed up, she thought.There was simply no way to find a woman who could do the job and speak French, and the plan was doomed from the start.She turned away from Jelly, feeling a little like crying. Percy said, "Jello, what we've asked you to do is vital to winning the war." "Percy, make up some other nonsense, and maybe I'll believe it," she said, laughing, but looking serious. He shook his head. "That's not an exaggeration. It can decide the outcome of a war." She stared at him without saying a word.The inner struggle made her face contorted and ugly. Percy said, "And you're the only person in the whole country who's qualified for the job." "Stop talking." She was dubious. "You're the only female safe-blasting expert, and you speak French—how many more do you think you'll find? Tell you, there aren't." "You're telling the truth, aren't you?" "I've never been this real in my life." "To hell with you, Percy." "Jelly" fell silent, and the silence lasted for a long time.Flick held his breath.Finally "Jelly" opened his mouth and said, "Okay, you bastard, I will do it." Flick cheered up and kissed her. Percy said, "God bless you, 'Jelly'." Jelly said, "When do we start?" "Now," said Percy, "after you've finished this gin, I'll take you home and pack your things, and then we'll drive to the training center." "What, tonight?" "I told you this was important." She drank what was left of her glass. "Okay, I'm ready." Watching her plump butt slide off the bar stool, Flick wondered how she'd handle skydiving. Several people left the bar.Percy asked Flick, "Can you take the subway back alone?" "certainly." "Then we'll see you at the finishing school tomorrow." "I'll be there on time," Flick said, bidding them farewell. She rushed to the nearest subway station, full of joy.It's a mild summer evening and East London is full of life.Unkempt boys playing cricket with sticks and a frayed tennis ball; a man in dirty overalls rushing home for dinner; a soldier on leave in uniform with a pack of cigarettes and a few shillings in his pocket , walking on the sidewalk with head held high, as if all the happiness in the world is under control, making the three passing girls in sleeveless dresses and straw hats laugh endlessly.The fate of all these people will be decided in the next few days. Thinking of this, Flick's heart became heavy again. Sitting on the subway back to Bayswater, her mood sank again.She still hasn't found the most critical member of the entire group.Without a phone mechanic, it was possible for Jelly to misplace the explosives.While still capable of causing damage, it's not worth the effort to risk it if it can be repaired in a day or two. Back in her single room, she finds her brother Mark waiting for her.She hugged him tightly and kissed him. "I didn't expect you to come, that's great!" she said. "I have an evening to spare, so I want to take you out for a drink," he said. "Where's Steve?" "We're doing Othello for the troops at Lyme Regis. Now we're basically working for ENSA." ENSA is short for "National Entertainment Services Association," which organizes performances for the troops. "Where are we going?" he said. Flick was very tired, and his first reaction was that he didn't want to go anywhere.But she thought she was leaving for France on Friday, and this might be her last chance to be with her brother. "How's the West End?" she asked. "Let's go to a nightclub." "great!" They left the house and took to the street arm in arm.Flick said, "I saw Ma this morning." "how is she?" "Very well, but she still won't soften up about you and Steve, I'm sorry." "I didn't expect anything. How did you happen to be able to meet Mom?" "I went to Somersholm, and it would take me half a day to explain." "It must be a secret activity, I guess." She smiled as an admission, and thinking that her problem had not been resolved, she sighed again and said, "I don't think there's a female telephone mechanic who can speak French among the people you know, right?" He stopped and said, "Well, probably."