On the Beach Read Online Free PDF Page A

herself to the inevitable. “How long is he staying for?”
    “Only the one night,” he told her. “He says he’s got to be back in
Scorpion
on Sunday.”
    “If it’s only for one night it shouldn’t be too bad …” She sat in thought for a minute, frowning a little. “The thing is, we’ll have to find him plenty to do. Keep him occupied all the time. Never a dull moment. That’s the mistake we made with that R.A.F. bloke. What does he like doing?”
    “Swimming,” he told her. “He wants to have a swim.”
    “Sailing? There’s a race on Saturday.”
    “I didn’t ask him. I should think he sails. He’s the sort of man who would.”
    She took a drink of beer. “We could take him to the movies,” she said thoughtfully.
    “What’s on?”
    “I don’t know. It doesn’t really matter, so long as we keep him occupied.”
    “It might not be so good if it was about America,” he pointed out. “We might just hit on one that was shot in his home town.”
    She stared at him in consternation. “Wouldn’t that be
awful!
Where
is
his home town, Peter? What part of America?”
    “I haven’t a clue,” he said. “I didn’t ask him.”
    “Oh dear. We’ll have to do
something
with him in the evening, Peter. I should think a British picture would be safest, but there may not be one on.”
    “We could have a party,” he suggested.
    “We’ll have to, if there’s not a British picture. It might be better, anyway.” She sat in thought, and then she asked, “Was he married, do you know?”
    “I don’t. I should think he must have been.”
    “I believe Moira Davidson would come and help us out,” she said thoughtfully. “If she isn’t doing anything else.”
    “If she isn’t drunk,” he observed.
    “She’s not like that all the time,” his wife replied. “She’d keep the party lively, anyway.”
    He considered the proposal. “That’s not a bad idea,” he said. “I should tell her right out what she’s got to do. Never a dull moment.” He paused, thoughtful. “In bed or out of it.”
    “She doesn’t, you know. It’s all on the surface.”
    He grinned. “Have it your own way.”
    They rang Moira Davidson that evening and put the proposition to her. “Peter felt he had to ask him,” Mary told her. “I mean, he’s his new captain. But you know how they are and how they feel when they come into someone’s home, with children and a smell of nappies and a feeding bottle in a saucepan of warm water and all that sort of thing. So we thought we’d clean the house up a bit and put all that away, and try and give him a gay time—all the time, you know. The trouble is, I can’t do much myself with Jennifer. Could you come and help us out, dear? I’m afraid it means a camp bed in the lounge or out on the verandah, if you’d rather. It’s just for Saturday and Sunday. Keep him occupied, all the time—that’s what we thought. Never a dull moment. I thought we’d have a party on Saturday night, and get some people in.”
    “Sounds a bit dreary,” said Miss Davidson. “Tell me, is he a fearful stick. Will he start weeping in my arms and telling me I’m just like his late wife? Some of them do that.”
    “I suppose he might,” said Mary uncertainly. “I’ve never met him. Half a minute while I ask Peter.” She came back to the telephone. “Moira? Peter says he’ll probably start knocking you about when he gets a skinful.”
    “That’s better,” said Miss Davidson. “All right, I’ll come over on Saturday morning. By the way, I’ve given up gin.”
    “Given up gin?”
    “Rots your insides. Perforates the intestine and gives you ulcers. I’ve been having them each morning, so I’ve given it away. It’s brandy now. About six bottles, I should think—for the week-end. You can drink a lot of brandy.”
    On Saturday morning Peter Holmes rode down to Falmouth station on his push bike. He met Moira Davidson there. She was a slightly built girl with straight blonde hair and