The Way to the Stars Page #9

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to get ourselves a good pilot.

Yeah. You'll have to put up

with them bad landings just a little bit longer.

Bad landings? What about them takeoffs?

Since when did l ever do a bad takeoff?

Well, you usually manage to miss

the control tower, l'll give you that.

l suppose you think l'm a fool?

Sure l do.

Only... well, we got kinda used

to your flying now, Johnny,

and... l guess a good landing

would kinda throw us off.

- What are you throwing for?

- Double deuce.

- Double deuce! Here, let me try, will you?

- Ok.

Here. Let's see if our luck's in.

Double deuce - the target for today.

Smacko! Right on the...

Smacko, right on the target all right.

l oughta autograph this miss.

Johnny.

His mark. Let's go.

What a charming boy that American is.

Charming.

- l must say, you're a very lucky girl.

- Yes.

He's asked us both to dinner tonight, hasn't he?

- Did he say what time he was coming?

- l don't think he'll be coming at all.

- Oh, why ever not?

- l told him a lie and he found out.

You know, lris, l don't want to be unkind, but

l despair sometimes of being able to help you.

l took a lot of trouble

to become friends with that boy.

And just by using the ordinary little ways

of politeness and charm, if you wish,

l get him to like me very much indeed.

So much that he called you a selfish old gorgon

who thinks only of her stomach.

Said it l had any sense

ld leave you to stew in your own juice

And what's more,

l agreed with every word he said.

- lris, how dare you?

- l said l wouldn't leave, l owed you something.

l should say you do owe me something.

No, l did owe you something. l don't any longer.

Whatever l owed you,

l don't think it was as much as you said it was.

And it's been paid back a hundred times over.

l'm going to leave you and l'm going to get a job.

l'm never coming back as long as l live.

Goodbye.

Well, really.

What exactly is a gorgon ?

Do you know, Miss W?

l'll thank you to keep your impertinence

for your bar cronies, Mr P.

Miss Todd, lris has gone off her head.

- She says she's going to leave me.

- Good.

- What did you say?

- l said good.

- That settles it. l shall leave myself.

- Good.

- Have you gone off your head, too?

- lt may interest you to know, Miss Winterton,

you've only been tolerated in this hotel

for so long because of lris.

As l seemed to be her only friend in the world,

l thought if l threw you out -

which, heaven knows, you've richly deserved

time and again in the last six years -

lris would be in a worse position

than she is now.

Or rather was, until she had the sense

to walk out and leave you flat.

- How...

- l will make out your bill at once, Miss Winterton.

And l may say nothing l have done for years

will give me greater satisfaction.

Morning, Miss Winterton, how's everything?

Oh, go to the devil.

- Peter !

- Hello, Toddy.

Come into my office, quickly.

- What's the matter with the old trout?

- How long have you got here?

l don't know what good fairy brought you here,

but it's providential.

You've got half a minute to make a big decision.

lris is leaving.

Now, do you or don't you want to marry her?

Toddy, you see, it's all very difficult,

- Let me do the talking. Do you mind?

- l've thought about it a lot...

l've known for a long time

what's been the trouble between you two.

The thing that's been holding you back has been

the thought of David and me, isn't that right?

l shouldn't have told you this

in a hundred years. That's about it, yes.

Peter, believe me, you're wrong, dead wrong.

- Are you sure, Toddy?

- l wouldn't lie to you about a thing like this.

l promise you, if l could go back five years

and choose again whether or not to meet David,

whether or not to fall in love,

to marry him and bear his child,

l'd choose again to have things happen

exactly the way they did before, no other way.

- l can't understand...

- There isn't anything to understand.

l can't explain it, but any other woman

in the world would tell you the same.

Look, there she is now. Go on.

lris... look, could you...

Have you got a minute to...

- Peter! You haven't let her go?

- Toddy, l couldn't stop her.

Go after her. Tell her she's to stay as my guest

until she gets a job, tell her the gorgon's gone,

- and tell her...

- What?

Well, tell her you love her

and then see what happens.

To the station and please hurry.

Please, l've got something l must say to you.

- Well?

- Well... you see...

Look, a squadron leader's pay is 29 bob a day.

- ls it really?

- Yes.

And then with allowances and a bit of fiddling,

you can get it up to 31s/3d.

- Really?

- Oh, yes, yes.

Then if you slip in a marriage allowance,

of course, that's different.

That's about 49s/9d a day.

That's what l was trying to suggest.

l mean, to ask you if...

- What are you trying to ask me?

- Well...

Look, it hasn't altogether been my fault.

l've been confused and muddled about things,

but my feelings haven't changed a bit

in the last four years, not an atom.

- And l wondered if you could...

- What, Peter?

Well, if you could take on 49s/9d a day.

- Tiny... Oh, good afternoon, sir.

- Afternoon.

- Come outside a minute, will you?

- Yes. Excuse me.

Well, congratulate me.

- Why?

- Don't l look any different?

- No.

- l'm engaged to be married.

- Who to?

- l'll give you one guess.

- And about time too.

- Tiny, l want you to be best man.

l'd have murdered you if you hadn't.

This calls for a party.

You bet. Got any money?

We'll get Johnny and some station chaps.

- And some of those of those types from 720.

- Are they back from the Med?

Didn't you know? They're at Marston now.

Old Prune's the flight commander.

Prune? Good Lord. Old Hitler's really had it now.

Well, here they are.

l make it three missing.

Stearns's in.

Only B for Baker missing.

B for Baker sighted, sir.

Coming towards the field now.

He's flying on three engines.

Sir, B Baker reports one engine cut,

rudder half shot away.

Elevator damaged

and one 500lb bomb stuck in bomb bay.

Bomb bay door won't close. Any advice?

Hello, Johnny.

Suggest you make a heading of 1-6-5.

1-6-5...

and bail out over airfield.

Bail out.

Seven.

Eight Nine

- One to come

- Sir ?

Pilot reports crew bailed out. No accidents.

The controls were not set to required course.

- Right.

- Exterior speaker.

Hello, Johnny. Blueprint calling. Over.

Climb to 3,000ft and bail out. Over.

And have a 500lb bomb going off in Shepley?

Not on your life lm coming in Out

- Hello, Johnny? Hello, Johnny?

- Go ahead Bluueprint

Climb to 3,000ft and bail out. That's an order.

Helo Bluueprint

There"s something wrong with my receiver

l didn "t get that

Third time luucky

Here l come Out

Do you mind coming to the platform with me?

Children, ladies and gentlemen...

Children!

Now, at this stage of the proceedings, l had

hoped to introduce to you Captain John Hollis.

Uncle Johnny!

Exactly. But, unfortunately, it appears that

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