OCR Text |
Show 165 "Once a house is sprung --" Mrs Bryce shrugged; then, looking at Louise, bent forward, "You got any?" "Any - ?" "Openings. Houses." "Oh. No. Not at the moment." "'At the moment.' Expecting some?" "No," said Louise. "No houses." Mike, who had paid little attention to the conversation, suddenly raised her beautiful head. "How about Murakamis'?" Mrs Bryce peered. "Murakamis'?" Louise looked at Mike sharply before turning back to Mrs Bryce. "Ken and Evelyn are awaiting transfer," she explained. "But their house is already assigned." "Who to?" "Ken's replacement: a Captain Lambert." "Captain. But Satterwhite's a colonel." "I know . . . " said Louise, trying to think her way out of the difficulty. The Detachment houses stood on an L-shaped street, the three at the base having been built for the higher ranks. In them not only were the rooms larger, but each contained a Western "apartment": one high-ceilinged, small-windowed room with concrete walls. The floor was at ground level (in the Japanese section it was raised) and under the Japanese had been fitted out with elegance enough to stun the bourgeoisie. In the early days these houses had been the crux of battles |