“I arrived in the late evening, so my first meal was breakfast. I was given kippers, which I did not like but learned to like, a fried egg, and a piece of toast, tinned orange juice, and strong tea.”

“Describe your first class at Dartmouth.”

“It was an orientation class. We were shown a slide—an aerial photograph of the school—and various places were pointed out on it. We were given a rule book and told to memorize it before the next day, then we were issued uniforms and taught how to wear them properly.”

“Who was the first other student you met?”

“Timothy Barnes,” Roger said. “We got on immediately.”

“Did you have a homosexual relationship with Tim Barnes?”

“No, but I knew he was queer.”

“How did you know?”

“Something in his manner toward me. He realized at once that I was not queer, and it never came up again. I knew he had dalliances with some others, though.”

“Did you keep a diary or journal?”

“I did for a few days, but we were kept very busy, and I discovered, anyway, that I was not a good journal keeper. I preferred to rely on my memory, which is excellent.”

“What did you excel at when you were at Dartmouth?”

“There was no one thing, but I was good at everything they threw at me.”

“Were you promoted while a student?”

“Yes, but always just behind Tim. He was a more attractive personality than I, and I knew it, so I felt no resentment. He finished as the student commandant, and I was his executive officer.”

—

Alex droned on with his questions, as much to get Roger comfortable with answering him as to glean actual information, since most of it was in Roger’s dossier, anyway. He was impressed with the clarity and accuracy of Roger’s answers.

He took Roger through his early assignments after graduation, then suddenly asked, “Who was Simon Garr?”

Roger blinked and took a moment to answer. “He was a class ahead of me at Dartmouth and we shared some assignments afterward.”

“Did you know Simon to be homosexual?”

“I surmised it. He was the boy whose nose I bloodied my first night at Dartmouth.”

“Did you ever report him to a superior as being queer?”

“No, but I let him know that I could, and if I did, he would be cashiered.”

“Did you use this knowledge to extract favors from him?”

“Only once, when a promotion was at stake. After that he was very helpful to me without being asked, because he knew I could destroy him, if he crossed me.”

“Were there others, like Simon, in this position?”

“Oh, yes. I seemed to have a gift for spotting them, and I always found a way to let them know I knew. They were very helpful throughout my career.”

Alex changed course. “Describe the entryway into the offices of MI-6.”