me a man like Pete Quesada. There is a man who will boot them in.”
“Please.”
“If you ever want to quit a beat-up character like me that guy could give you ground support.”
“You are not beat-up, whatever that is, and I love you.”
“Please give me two tablets from that bottle and pour the glass of Valpolicella that you neglected to pour, and I will tell you some of the rest of it.”
“You don’t have to. You don’t have to tell me and I know now it is not good for you. Especially not the Valhalla Express day. I am not an inquisitor; or whatever the female of inquisitor is. Let us just lie quietly and look out of the window, and watch and see what happens on our Grand Canal.”
“Maybe we better. Who gives a damn about the war anyway?”
“You and me, maybe,” she said and stroked his head. “Here are the two things from the square bottle. Here is the glass of decanted vino. I’ll send you better from our own estates. Please let us sleep a little while. Please be a good boy and we just lie together and love each other. Please put your hand here.”
“My good or my bad?”
“Your bad,” the girl said. “The one I love and must think about all week. I cannot keep it like you keep the stones.”
“They’re in the safe,” the Colonel said. “In your name,” he added.
