Ripley flew six times. At the end of each sortie, Lee felt the Marlins and found them warm. His first reaction was a stab of wonder, not at all pleasant, and then he realized it was his job to restock the bullets and attend to the hydraulics. All day long he was at the aerodrome, listening to howitzers in the distance, the cracks and whistles of weapons just over the horizon. It was like standing outside a music hall and hearing an orchestra tuning up. There was some smoke, the occasional smell of cordite, and, three times, a Boche plane was thought to be approaching, so he had to throw himself into shelter.

He was thinking of troubled eyes, ratty ears, rough fur, the sound of a distant animal drinking water. He kept looking back at the enclosure, as if she might be hiding cleverly in the doghouse, and he looked all around the camp, including the garbage dump, in case she was hungry. He told himself there were many dogs in the world, and even in this desolate corner there were many pregnant shepherds, should he want another.

The Saint-Mihiel offensive was proclaimed a success after two days of fighting and a third to take prisoners into custody. The 135th had lost three planes: one to the Fokkers, one to an unfortunate incident involving their own artillery, and one to an “accidental” landing in Switzerland. All in all, the squadron was quite pleased with how it had come through, and could now, having four fallen comrades, complain about war as convincingly as anyone.

After the push across l’hernie ended, there was silence at the aerodrome for several hours. Lee was more awake to any noise now, listening in vain for distant barking.

11

The Supreme Council housed Edmund Ironside at the Savoy. Later, he wrote, “The first moment I understood the gravity of this mission was when I saw that the War Office had assigned me a suite with a view of Parliament and Tower Bridge, a room just above the memorial to Sir Arthur Sullivan, all guarantees that the reminders of Empire would be fresh in sight.” The tailors fitted a winter suit, a hooded sealskin parka that belled over his massive form in one piece. He said to his wife that he looked like “an enormous, unscrupulous baby.”