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'My name is Bana Would you like to come and talk with us?' Nobby looked past her There were a nue well One of them waved at him shyly He blinked This was uncharted territory He looked down at his clothes, which were already the worse for wear His clothes always looked the worse for wear five irl 'We kno it is But you looked so alone And perhaps you can help us They were aitimate shape and size, and so far none of them had said 'Yuk,' an experience hitherto unchronicled in Nobby's personal history In a detached, light– headed way, Corporal Nobbs felt that he was entering Paradise, and it was only an unfortunate detail that he'd co to coirl 'Her betrothed won't marry her toirls, eyes red with crying, looked up sharply 'He wanted to,' she sobbed 'But he's been taken off to fight in Gebra! All over some island no–one's heard of! And all my family are here!'

'Who took him off?' said Nobby 'He took hi differences aside, there was soly familiar about her, and Nobby realized that if you cut her in half the words 'h 'Oh, Mrs Atbar,' said Netal, 'he said it was his duty Anyway, all the boys have had to go'

'Men!' said Nobby, rolling his eyes 'I expect you'd know a lot about the pleasures of men, then,' said Mother– in–Law sourly 'Mother!'

'Who,himself for a moment 'Oh, yeah Lots'

'You do?'

'Why not? Beer's favourite,' said Nobby 'But you can't beat a good cigar, as long as it's free'

'Hah!' Mother–in–Law picked up a basket of washing and stamped away, followed by hed Even the disappointed Netal smiled 'I think that's not what she les, she leaned down and whispered in Nobby's ear

His expression did not change but it did seem to solidify 'Oh, that,' he said There were some worlds of experience which Nobby had only conte about Of course he'd patrolled certain parts of the Shades in his ti around without verycold too – but those areas of police work that in other places ht be of interest to a Vice Squad now tended to be looked after by the Guild of Sealected to obey the no, not the law as such, call them the unwritten rules as laid down by Mrs Palm and her committee of very experienced ladies 15 attracted the attention of the Agony Aunts, Dotsie and Sadie, and ain Even Mr Viement It didn't cause paperwork, 'Oh, yeah,' said Nobby, still staring at some inner screen Of course, he knehat 'Oh, that,' he ely on postcards, he had to admit 'It must be wonderful to have so ain Her friends fluttered around her 'I don't see why the one too' There was a cackle fro by the well 'I can tell you why, dears Because it's better than growing melons all day It's better than women'

'Men think war is better than wo, and you can et killed!'

'Better to die in battle than in bed, they say' She cracked a toothless grin 'But there are good ways for a low of his ears wasn't singeing his veil Suddenly, he felt he'd caught up with his future Ten damn pence worth of it hit him in the face '

'scuse me,' he said 'Are any of you Nubilians?'

'What are Nubilians?' said Bana 'It's a country round here,' said Nobby He added hopefully, 'Isn't it?' Not a single face suggested that this was so Nobby sighed His hand reached up to his ear for a cigarette end, but it caain empty 15 And Mr Harris of the Blue Cat Club His adument in the Guild, who knew competition when they saw it, but Mrs Palm overruled opposition on the basis, she said, that unnatural acts were only natural

'I'll tell you this, girls,' he said 'I wish I'd settled for the tendollar version Don't you just sometimes want to sit down and cry?'

'You look even sadder than Netal,' said Bana 'Isn't there some e can cheer you up?' Nobby stared at her for aat Colon, their food halfway to their lips ‘Did I just hear him say that, Faifal? What do I want to be on a caler I think The poor man is several pals spit and they’re a bugger to get up the stairs with your toolbox–‘ ‘Now, come on it’s not his fault, let’s show a little charity’ The speaker cleared his throat 'Good , friend,' he said 'May we invite you to share our couscous?' Sergeant Colon peered at the bowl, and then dipped in a finger and tasted it 'Hey, this is seot sehed 'Yeah, right Thanks Got any strawberry jaed 'We know not of this "strawberry hjam" of which you speak,' he said carefully, We prefer it with laotta have strawberry jam,' said Colon, carried away 'When ere kids we'd stir it in and and' He looked at their faces, 'O' course, that was back in Ur,' he said The men nodded at one another Suddenly it was all dear Colon belched loudly Froot from everyone else, he was the only one who'd heard of this common Klatchian custom 'So,' he said, 'where's the army these days? Approxias one?'