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his shirt。 all the loose and removed parts fill the various pockets across his chest。 he is tired； checking things repetitively。 he hears miss morden’s voice。 “kip？” “yes。” “stop what you’re doing for a while； i’m ing down。” “you’d better not； miss morden。” “of course i can。” he does up the buttons on his various vest pockets and lays a cloth over the bomb； she clambers down into the white horse awkwardly and then sits next to him and opens up her satchel。 she douses a lace handkerchief with the contents of a small bottle of eau de cologne and passes it to him。 “wipe your face with this。 lord suffolk uses it to refresh himself。” he takes it tentatively and at her suggestion dabs his forehead and neck and wrists。 she unscrews the thermos and pours each of them some tea。 she unwraps oil paper and brings out strips of kipling cake。
she seems to be in no hurry to go back up the slope； back to safety。 and it would seem rude to remind her that she should return。 she simply talks about the wretched heat and the fact that at least they have booked rooms in town with baths attached； which they can all look forward to。 she begins a rambling story about how she met lord suffolk。 not a word about the bomb beside them。 he had been slowing down； the way one； half asleep； continually rereads the same paragraph； trying to find a connection between sentences。 she has pulled him out of the vortex of the problem。 she packs up her satchel carefully； lays a hand on his right shoulder and returns to her position on the blanket above the westbury horse。 she leaves him some sunglasses； but he cannot see clearly enough through them so he lays them aside。 then he goes back to work。 the scent of eau de cologne。 he remembers he had smelled it once as a child。 he had a fever and someone had brushed it onto his body。
．。
VIII The Holy Forest
，小，说，网
kip walks out of the field where he has been digging； his left hand raised in front of him as if he has sprained it。
he passes the scarecrow for hana’s garden； the crucifix with its hanging sardine cans； and moves uphill towards the villa。 he cups the hand held in front of him with the other as if protecting the flame of a candle。 hana meets him on the terrace； and he takes her hand and holds it against his。 the ladybird circling the nail on his small finger quickly crosses over onto her wrist。
she turns back into the house。 now her hand is held out in front of her。 she walks through the kitchen and up the stairs。
the patient turns to face her as she es in。 she touches his foot with the hand that holds the ladybird。 it leaves her； moving onto the dark skin。 avoiding the sea of white sheet； it begins to make the long trek towards the distance of the rest of his body； a bright redness against what seems like volcanic flesh。
in the library the fuze box is in midair； nudged off the counter by caravaggio when he turned to hana’s gleeful yell in the hall。 before it reaches the floor kip’s body slides underneath it； and he catches it in his hand。
caravaggio glances down to see the young man’s face blowing out all the air quickly through his cheeks。
he thinks suddenly he owes him a life。
kip begins to laugh； losing his shyness in front of the older man； holding up the box of wires。
caravaggio will remember the slide。 he could walk away； never see him again； and he would never forget him。 years from now on a toronto street caravaggio will get out of a taxi and hold the door open for an east indian who is about to get into it； and he will think of kip then。
now the sapper just laughs up towards caravaggio’s face and up past that towards the ceiling。
“i know all about sarongs。” caravaggio waved his hand towards kip and hana as he spoke。 “in the east end of toronto i met these indians。 i was robbing a house and it turned out to belong to an indian family。 they woke from their beds and they were wearing these cloths； sarongs； to sleep in； and it intrigued me。 we had lots to talk about and they eventually persuaded me to try it。 i removed my clothes and stepped into one； and they immediately set upon me and chased me half naked into the night。” “is that a true story？” she grinned。
“one of many！” she knew enough about him to almost believe it。 caravaggio was constantly diverted by the human element during burglar…ies。 breaking into a house during christmas； he would bee annoyed if he noticed the advent calendar had not been opened up to the date to which it should have been。 he often had conversations with the various pets left alone in houses； rhetorically discussing meals with them； feeding them large helpings； and was often greeted by them with considerable pleasure if he returned to the scene of a crime。
she walks in front of the shelves in the library； eyes closed； and at random pulls out a book。 she finds a clearing between two sections in a book of poetry and begins to write there。
he says lahore is an ancient city。 london is a recent town pared with lahore。 i say； well； e from an even newer country。 he says they have always known about gunpowder。 as far back as the seventeenth century； court paintings recorded fireworks displays。
he is small； not much taller than i am。 an intimate smile up close that can charm anything when he displays it。 a toughness to his nature he doesn’t show。 the englishman says he’s one of those warrior saints。 but he has a peculiar sense of humour that is more rambunctious than his manner suggests。 remember “i’ll rewire him in the morning。” ooh la la！ he says lahore has thirteen gates—named for saints and emperors or where they lead to。
the word bungalow es from bengali。
at four in the afternoon they had lowered kip into the pit in a harness until he was waist…deep in the muddy water； his body draped around the body of the esau bomb。 the casing from fin to tip ten feet high； its nose sunk into the mud by his feet。
beneath the brown water his thighs braced the metal casing； much the way he had seen soldiers holding women in the corner of naafi dance floors。 when his arms tired he hung them upon the wooden struts at shoulder level； which were there to stop mud collapsing in around him。 the sappers had dug the pit around the esau and set up the wood…shaft walls before he had arrived on the site。 in ； esau bombs with a new y fuze had started ing in； this was his second one。
it was decided during planning sessions that the only way around the new fuze was to immunize it。 it was a huge bomb in ostrich posture。 he had e down barefoot and he was already sinking slowly； being caught within the clay； unable to get a firm hold down there in the cold water。 he wasn’t wearing boots—they would have locked within the clay； and when he was pulleyed up later the jerk out of it could break his ankles。
he laid his left cheek against the metal casing； trying to think himself into warmth； concentrating on the small touch of sun that reached down into the twenty…foot pit and fell on the back of his neck。 what he embraced could explode at any moment； whenever tumblers tremored； whenever the gaine was fired。 there was no magic or x ray that would tell anyone when some small capsule bro