10
A TERRIFYING EXPERIENCE
Lavina’s eyes narrowed and her under-lip drooped a little. Normally she was a very gay, good-tempered person but quick to follow her emotional impulses, and although her anger never lasted any length of time, it could be surprisingly intense and it showed now in every line of her slender body.
‘You fool!’ she snapped. ‘We’re not living in the Dark Ages. If the two of us were marooned on a desert island I wouldn’t let you even kiss my hand unless I wanted you to.’
‘But you would want me to,’ he said quietly.
As she looked at his firm, sunburnt face, square shoulders, and strong, healthy body, she knew that he was right. Ever since she was seventeen she had been having love affairs, although she had never really been in love, except, perhaps, with Derek, and she was quite certain now that her love for him was as dead as last year’s roses; yet she liked being kissed and she knew that, if she were marooned with any attractive man, she would not be able to resist the temptation.
‘I don’t think we need discuss it,’ she said more soberly. ‘The chances are we’ll all be killed or all survive together. In the meantime you’d better not try to start anything, because, if you do, there’ll be trouble.’
‘Are you inferring that if I did you’d tell Sam what I said just now?’
‘Good Lord, no! I’ve always handled my own affairs and the last thing I’d do would be to run screaming to my husband.’
‘Well, you needn’t worry. I’m much too fond of you to cast the least shadow on your married bliss. I was only saying that, if anything happened to Sam, I should enter the lists again. That’s fair enough, isn’t it?’
‘Oh, perfectly. But, even then, you wouldn’t get anywhere by trying to be possessive. Let’s go down to the kitchen and try to rake up a meal, shall we?’
‘By all means.’ He smiled again. ‘I’ll cook you some of those scrambled eggs I was boasting about.’
By the time the eggs were sizzling in the pan, the emotional tension had eased and they were back once more on their normal friendly footing.
Lavina’s slender hands were not made for work and she was a past mistress in the art of getting other people to do things for her. While Derek cooked the eggs, and at the same time endeavoured to prevent the toast from burning, she sat perched on the edge of the kitchen table idly swinging her legs and puffing lazily at the twenty-fourth cigarette she had smoked that morning.
After the meal they went upstairs again and played the gramophone until three o’clock. Lavina then said she thought she would go and look through her things to decide what she would take when they left London.
Derek read for a bit, dozed a little in a comfortable armchair and, rousing up about half-past four, went down to the kitchen to make tea.
He carried a cup up to Lavina and found her in her bedroom, surrounded with trunks and enough hats, shoes, dresses and lingerie to fill a small shop.
‘My dear! What are you up to?’ he laughed aloud. ‘You won’t be able to take one-tenth of that lot.’
She opened wide her grey eyes and stared at him. ‘Why not? I must have clothes, whatever happens to us.’
‘Yes, clothes, but not a film-star’s trousseau; some serviceable tweeds and your warmest fur coat, a pair of trousers, perhaps, some woollies, gum-boots if you’ve got them, and a few changes of underwear. That’s all you’ll need for this trip. We’re not carrying a jazz band in the Ark so there won’t be any dancing after dinner.’
‘Silly of me. I hadn’t thought. Oh, well,’ she smiled resignedly, ‘I think I’ll take my new grey satin, though. If I’m fated to die I’d like to meet Death looking my best.’
‘I believe you’d even tempt Saint Peter into giving you a special place in Heaven if you had the chance.’
‘Derek, you’re horrid.’
‘No, darling. It’s only that I know you rather well.’
Eventually he managed to persuade her to confine her packing to one cabin-trunk and two large suitcases, after which they went downstairs.
At six o’clock they turned on the radio to get the news, and both their faces became grave as they heard the first item. That morning one of the worst earthquakes ever recorded had occurred in Tokyo. For over three hours tremors had shaken the city. Huge crevices had appeared, engulfing houses, buses, cars and hundreds of people. Two-thirds of the buildings, other than those made of steel and concrete, were reported to be in ruins; and great fires were still raging in many parts of the city. The loss of life was not yet known, but it was estimated already at over a hundred thousand.
Lavina switched the wireless off. ‘I don’t want to listen,’ she said. ‘It’s too terrible.’
Derek put his arm round her shoulders in brotherly fashion. ‘Don’t let it get you down, old girl. I’ve a sort of conviction that we’re coming through it.’
‘Oh, but it’s not us,’ she moaned, as she leant against him. ‘I’m not afraid for myself, but just think of those poor people.’
‘Try not to.’ He squeezed her hand. ‘We’d help them if we could, but we can’t, and we must do our best to carry on as cheerfully as possible. That’s all there is to it. I’m going to mix you a cocktail.’
Sam and Hemmingway returned soon afterwards. They were hot and tired after their long day of dashing from factory to factory, and neither of them had eaten since breakfast. Without a word Lavina suddenly disappeared. Ten minutes later she returned with cake, fruit, sandwiches and drinks for them.
They had just settled down to their picnic meal when the knocker on the front door sounded. Derek went to answer it and found Roy on the doorstep.
‘What’s brought you up here?’ Lavina inquired, as soon as he had greeted the little gathering in the lounge.
‘Your especial safety, dear friends,’ he grinned. ‘Uncle Gervaise sent me. Apparently, the world has started to blow up already so he’s anxious you should come down to Stapleton as soon as possible.’
‘You mean the Japanese earthquake?’ said Derek quickly. ‘We heard about it on the radio. Pretty ghastly, isn’t it?’
‘That, and other things.’ The grin left Roy’s face. ‘Oliver was on the telephone to Greenwich this afternoon and heard about the Tokyo business before it was announced over the wireless. Of course, the announcer said afterwards that the ‘quake had no connection with the comet, and, as they’re always having earthquakes in Japan, most people will accept that; but we know better. The fools ought never to have announced it at all, but they’ve had orders now to suppress all news about the other eruptions.’
‘There have been others, then?’ Hemmingway inquired.
‘Yes. There’s been a bad one in northern India and another in Brazil. Lots of volcanoes, too, are reported as showing unusual activity. That’s why Gervaise is so set on it you should leave London to-night. If the shocks get worse, we’re going to feel them here. Then people may lose their heads and in the stampede you may not be able to get out of London at all.’
‘Sorry,’ said Sam, ‘I can’t go down to-night. I’ve got to go over a big factory out at Hendon this evening, and I’ve another two that I must visit to-morrow; but that’s no reason the rest of you shouldn’t go.’
‘I’m not leaving London without you,’ Lavina said quietly.
‘Nonsense, darling.’ He squeezed her arm. ‘I was going to suggest that you got away to-night before the evacuation starts, in any case. You needn’t worry about me. I must see my job through, then I’ll get to Stapleton under my own steam.’
‘I’m not leaving without you, Sam,’ she repeated.
‘Now, be sensible,’ he urged. ‘I’ll be much easier in my mind knowing that you’re safely out of it.’
‘I’m sorry, but I’ve no intention of being parted from you at a time like this.’
Sam had known Lavina long enough to realise how mulish she could be when she had made up her mind upon a thing, so he did not press her further; and after a short silence Derek aske
d Roy:
‘How did you find things on your way here?’
Roy depressed the corners of his mouth. ‘Down the line everyone’s hard at it digging trenches and sand-bagging their houses and that sort of thing, but London’s pretty mouldy. Squads of soldiers and police are patrolling the streets and breaking up any crowds that try to gather. The shops are all shut, of course, which seems queer, with so many people about. A woman threw herself under my train as we steamed into Waterloo, but apart from that I didn’t see much hysteria.’
‘The churches are doing a roaring business, though,’ Sam added. ‘They’re in perpetual session and packed to suffocation. I even saw some people kneeling on the steps of St. Martin-in-the-Fields as I passed it. There are a good few drunks about, too. But, by and large, people are still taking things pretty calmly. There are no signs of any riots yet, anyway.’
‘Then let’s go out this evening,’ Lavina suggested. ‘I’m sick of sitting here doing nothing, and I’ve been cooped up in the house all day.’
‘I’d rather you didn’t, darling,’ Sam said quickly.
She gave him one of her most bewitching smiles. ‘I shall be perfectly all right, sweet, with Derek and Roy to look after me.’
‘Where would you go?’
‘Oh, I don’t know. But we may be living in the last days of London, and I’d like to see how its people are behaving.’
‘Well, if I let you, will you promise to set off for Stapleton first thing to-morrow morning?’
‘When do you expect to get there yourself?’
‘To-morrow evening at the latest.’
Lavina nodded. She was not really an unreasonable person and was excellent at making compromises. ‘In that case, I’m game to play. What time will you be back to-night?’
‘It’s difficult to say. I tell you what, though. As you’ve agreed to leave first thing to-morrow, there’s not really much point in my coming back here at all. You see, my first visit in the morning is Edmonton and, as the evacuation will be in full swing, the traffic congestion going out of London is sure to be appalling. If I pack a bag, I could get a bed in my manager’s house at Hendon for to-night and then go across country to Edmonton to-morrow without coming back into London at all. That’d save me so much time I might even be able to get down to Stapleton by the afternoon.’
‘Then although I hate the thought of being parted from you even for a single night, that’s clearly the thing to do, darling. Roy and Derek will take care of me and we’ll all meet again at Stapleton to-morrow.’
‘I’d better pack a bag too, then,’ said Hemmingway.
Sam shook his head. ‘No. One of us must sort out all the private papers here and, since I’m not returning, that’ll be your job. I can manage quite well without you for these last factory visits. While the others are out on the spree you’d better go through the safe and sling all the contracts and important stuff into a suitcase. I shall have to take the Rolls but you’ve got your own car and Derek’s got his so one of you can take Lavina and the other Roy down to Stapleton first thing to-morrow.’
When Sam had packed and gone, Hemmingway disappeared to his room while Derek went round to get his car, which he had left in the garage at the back of the house. Lavina and Roy were waiting for him outside the front door and the three of them set off on a tour of the West End.
There was not much traffic about as most people who had private cars were now on their way to the country, feeling that they would be safer there than in London where big fires were liable to break out. Turning into Piccadilly, they saw a line of vans outside Burlington House into which porters were loading works of art for removal to places of safety. There were vans, too, in Bond Street, as many of the luxury traders had decided to evacuate their stocks of furs, jewels and objets d’art; but most of the shops were closed and shuttered.
The streets were fairly full of people strolling aimlessly, or gathered in small knots on corners arguing together. But it was by no means a typical West End crowd. Most of them seemed to have come in from the poorer districts, judging from their clothes.
Apart from the small squads of police and troops who were patrolling the streets, the most unusual sight was the activity which was going forward on nearly every roof-top. As they turned west along Oxford Street, small figures were silhouetted against the evening skyline busily placing layers of sand-bags on roofs as a protection against the smaller meteorites.
At Marble Arch the crowd overflowed into the roadway, as the Park, having been turned into a supply depot, was closed; and the Hyde Park orators had set up their stands round the Arch itself. The political speakers were, as usual, denouncing the Government but their audiences were poor ones. The religious preachers were having it all their own way as they urged the packed throngs to ‘repent in time,’ and some people were even kneeling on the pavements before them. A policeman signalled Derek down a side-street so, turning the car round, they ran slowly back towards Tottenham Court Road.
On reaching Charing Cross Road they turned south and came into the theatre district, which again was crowded. In order to keep things as normal as possible, the Government had decreed that the places of amusement should be kept open, but there were no pit queues although it was just past eight. On the other hand, the pubs were doing a roaring trade. There was not enough room in the bars to hold the customers and many of them had carried their drinks outside, where they stood arguing over them in the sultry, windless air.
The majority of the people seemed calm and expectant, just waiting for something—they didn’t quite know what—to happen; but it was clear that two schools of extremists had arisen. A strong religious revival was gaining many adherents. Street preachers had taken up their position on corners and outside some of the theatres. In raucous tones they were proclaiming the Second Coming and large, earnest audiences were gathered in front of each of them.
The other school consisted of those fatalists who were thronging the public-houses, determined to follow the old exhortation, ‘Eat, drink and be merry, for to-morrow we die.’ Many of them were already drunk and some were dancing with the women on the pavements.
Slowly Derek edged the car down as far as Trafalgar Square, where more meetings were in progress. Whitehall had been closed so the Square was packed with humanity and the car was once more turned back by the police.
‘We could get into Piccadilly via Leicester Square,’ Derek suggested, ‘then I think we’d better go home. After nightfall the streets will be more crowded than ever, and even if the police don’t close them to traffic, I don’t want to take the risk of running down a drunk.’
‘Oh, don’t let’s go home yet,’ Lavina cried. ‘I want to see things.’
‘I tell you,’ exclaimed Roy, ‘what about the cause of all the trouble—the old comet? Sunset should be in about an hour and it’s only for a short spell after sundown that one can see it.’
‘There’s not much chance of our seeing anything of it from central London,’ remarked Derek.
‘What about running up to Hampstead Heath, though? We’d get a splendid view from there.’
‘Yes, let’s!’ cried Lavina enthusiastically.
Derek had already turned the car round. Yard by yard they crawled up St. Martin’s Lane, across Oxford Street and along Tottenham Court Road. It took them over half an hour to get as far as the Euston Road but once they had crossed it the drifting crowds no longer overflowed into the roadway. Derek was able to put on speed and another ten minutes brought them to the south-east corner of Hampstead Heath.
Here they parked the car and set out along the track past the ponds, up Parliament Hill. Quite a crowd of people were moving in the same direction and several thousand more were already massed up there on the highest spot overlooking London.
Mingling with the crowd, they managed to find a place well up the slope from which they could gaze across the million rooftops of the mighty city. Right across the valley on another hilltop in the distant south-east, the two to
wers of the Crystal Palace were faintly discernible. More to the south the dome of St. Paul’s and the tower of Big Ben stood out clearly; while to the south-west rose the twin chimneys of Battersea Power Station.
But no one was now interested in picking out these famous landmarks. They were all gazing westward into the setting sun. Most of them had smoked glasses or pieces of coloured mica to prevent the glare hurting their eyes and, apparently oblivious of the fact that they possibly had only three days to live, hawkers were moving among the crowd doing a brisk business in such wares.
Derek bought three pairs of cheap smoked glasses for Lavina, Roy and himself, then they settled down on the grass to watch the heavenly phenomenon which threatened the doom of the world.
The comet was only three degrees in elevation above the sun and a little to its left; so, even through smoked glasses, it was difficult to get any clear impression of it while daylight lasted. But the menace in the heavens at least appeared to have brought a spell of exceptionally fine weather. The sky was cloudless and the opportunity for getting a good view of the comet remarkable for London.
The sun sank like a great yellow ball behind the horizon and, normally, twilight would have followed, lasting about an hour, until darkness supervened and the stars came out. But now a dull yellow-orange light became slowly perceptible above the spot where the sun had gone down. The light grew in strength until it suffused the whole scene, changing it weirdly, and the multitude were able to gaze their fill upon the concentrated blotch in the heavens from which it came.
The comet was now far bigger than any star and had a diameter about one-fifth of that of the moon. But, unlike the moon, it had no clear-cut edge or cold brilliance.
Even seen through smoked glasses it had no regular outline but wobbled slightly, having the appearance of a large red nebula; a ball of fire that twinkled fiercely.
Daylight had gone, yet the Heath, the great crowd upon it, and the nearer portion of the city below were still clearly visible; but as an eerie landscape bathed in a strange, baleful, reddish light. The sight was most uncanny and the evil radiance seemed to affect the crowd on the hillside in an alarming manner.
Sixty Days to Live Page 11
