День триффидов

           "Nowtogetonwiththings.You’veseenJaques?"

           "IfthatistheColonelwhoisplayingatCivilService,wehave,"Itoldhim.

           Hegrinned.

           "Gottoknowhowwestand.Can’tgetanywherewithout

           knowingyourrationstrength,"hesaid,inafairimitationof

           theColonel’smanner."Butit’squitetrue,though,"hewent

           on."I’dbettergiveyoujustaroughideaofhowthingsstand.

           Uptothepresentthereareaboutthirty-fiveofus.Allsorts.

           Wehopeandexpectthatsomemorewillcomeinduringthe

           day.Outofthoseherenow,twenty-eightcansee.Theothers

           arewivesorhusbands—andtherearetwoorthreechildren—

           whocannot.Atthemomentthegeneralideaisthatwemove

           awayfromheresometimetomorrowifwecanbereadyin

           time—tobeonthesafeside,youunderstand."

           Inodded."We’ddecidedtogetawaythiseveningforthe

           samereason,Itoldhim.

           "Whathaveyoufortransport?"

           Iexplainedthepresentpositionofthestationwagon."We

           weregoingtostockuptoday,"Iadded."Sofarwe’vepracticallynothingexceptaquantityofanti-triffidgear."

           Heraisedhiseyebrows.ThegirlSandraalsolookedatme

           curiously.

           "That’saqueerthingtomakeyourfirstessential,"he

           remarked.

           Itoldthemthereasons.PossiblyImadeabadjobofit,

           forneitherofthemlookedmuchimpressed.Henoddedcasuallyandwenton:

           "Well,ifyou’recominginwithus,here’swhatIsuggest

           Bringinyourcar,dumpyourstuff,thendriveoffandswap

           itforagoodbigtruck.