Bertram &apos;s face was grim . you think it was the snort , do n&apos;t you ? John gave a short laugh . I did , he said ; but I &apos;d better stop thinking that now . Pericles is fitted with an identically similar one . so there you are , my dear . Peggy &apos;s eyes filled with tears . it &apos;s so unfair , she said . that little beast Robbie Munyard spent six months ashore while Pericles was refitting in the dockyard and now that she &apos;s ready for sea he goes sick . just because he &apos;s an honourable he can do what he likes . anyway , why pick on you to succeed him ? John did n&apos;t answer . there was no point in sharing his discomfort with Peggy . a submariner &apos;s wife needed to be spared as much as possible . anyway the Parsifal affair was far too fresh in both their minds to be a comfortable subject for discussion . it &apos;s a command , he said . we can do with the extra money . it &apos;ll just about pay Jacky &apos;s school fees . what shall we do about this house ? - and Jill &apos;s school ? - and oh ! how I hate the navy ! if I &apos;d known what it would be like I &apos;d sooner have married a parson . he kissed her . parsons work on Sundays , he said . they &apos;re worse off than submariners . you ought to have married that fat stockbroker chap and shared him with his three mistresses . anyway it might be much worse . Pericles is a Portsmouth boat . she spends longer in harbour than any other submarine . practically a shore job . cheer up . she wiped her eyes and reached for her address book . I &apos;ll write to those agents and try to get a flat in Alverstoke , she said . but I do n&apos;t know what Jill will say about leaving her school . it &apos;s a blessing that Jacky &apos;s off to boarding school . and all the trouble you &apos;ve taken with the garden ! that little beast , Robbie Munyard ! having said her say Peggy manfully shouldered her burden and prepared to break up yet another home . in the ten years of married life this had already happened half a dozen times . such is the life of a naval officer &apos;s wife . John &apos;s father had been a naval officer of the old school ; some of his rigid ideas had been passed on to the second generation . one of these was that an officer should join a ship , on taking up a new appointment , at nine a.m precisely , dressed in the modern equivalent of frock-coat and sword . it would have been acceptable to all concerned if John had stepped into Fort Blockhouse clad in plain-clothes on the previous night , but ways instilled by martinet parents have a habit of sticking . so he put up for the night at the Admiral &apos;s head , that famous Portsmouth hostelry , second only in historic interest to the George , unhappily destroyed by German bombs during the last war . having deposited his baggage and unpacked his overnight-bag he went in search of a drink . the lower bar was empty , save for the lady known by all habitu&amp;eacute;s as Seaweed , and a youngish , sharp-eyed man who was staring moodily into a gin and tonic . Seaweed &apos;s memory was prodigious ; her manner must have been worth a great deal to the proprietors of the hotel . she greeted John , however , with less than her usual cordiality and flashed a warning glance at him . evidently the other occupant of the bar was not persona grata . if her memory was good , so was this stranger &apos;s . you &apos;re Commander Winter , he said . have a gin ? he turned to Seaweed - make it a large one , darling . I know the naval habits . drink gin and call each other wallahs , what ! - as the guards officer said on his return from a visit to the royal navy . submarines , what . youngest D.S.C in the war , what ? crawled inside a submarine casing to defuse a Jerry bomb . should have been a V.C . what are you waiting for , darling ? the officer is obviously thirsty . John fought back his inherited desire to snub the man . if he did he would have to leave the bar and either sit in the lounge or return to his bedroom . Seaweed sensed his embarrassment and came to the rescue . you have n&apos;t introduced yourself , she said with mock severity . it &apos;s a rule on these premises . no treating with strangers - that &apos;s right , John , is n&apos;t it ? my fault entirely , said the stranger . it &apos;s my conceited nature - I assumed that you both knew who I was . I &apos;m Ian Bawley . does that mean anything to you ? it did . Ian Bawley &apos;s name was printed at the head of most naval articles in the daily courier . oh , the press , said Seaweed . down here on business , Mr Bawley ? a pressman is always on the job . he held out his hand and John could not do otherwise than take it . pleased to meet you , Commander , he said . now what about that drink ? John nodded - he could afford to buy one in return and he was lonely . for the sake of accuracy , he said , and I know how you newspaper people value that commodity ! - please do n&apos;t address me as Commander . I &apos;m a Lieutenant-Commander . perhaps we could drop the rank - such a mouthful ! you &apos;re absolutely right , said Bawley , as he pushed over his glass . fill it up , darling . accuracy above all else . we pride ourselves about accuracy on the courier . ever known us bowl a wide about your service ? check and counter-check - nothing but the truth . somewhat embarrassing , what ? how can the truth be embarrassing ? John sipped his double gin with relish . it was his favourite brand , he was on the verge of a new chapter in his career , and his companion &apos;s attitude was challenging . life at home and in Bath had been a trifle too comfortable and humdrum . he &apos;d never before met a pressman and found him curiously stimulating . you &apos;re a bit of a humorist , are n&apos;t you ? said Bawley . the truth is usually very embarrassing . you &apos;re in submarines , are n&apos;t you ? you know a great deal about me , said John . it &apos;s my business . I &apos;ll tell you more . you &apos;re going to take over command of Pericles . am I right ? who told you ? little bird . other half ? John nodded . on me . Bawley shook his head . all paid for by his lordship , he said . expense account . you &apos;re a married man with a couple of kids . can n&apos;t go wasting your substance on a complete stranger . set &apos;em up , darling ! John flushed . I &apos;m not in need of charity . come off it , said Bawley . the proprietor of the daily courier knows what &apos;s going on . if he does n&apos;t mind , why should you ? I see . John took the refilled glass and looked over the rim at his companion . you want me to talk , is that it ? you misjudge me , said Bawley . you have nothing to tell me , yet . but we &apos;ll be meeting again , no doubt , and then you will have . regard this as a softening-up process , and have dinner with me ? on his lordship , of course . on one condition , said John . tell me who the little bird was . can n&apos;t you guess ? whose portrait appears regularly in the shiny papers ? you mean Munyard ? sure . very useful contact , is our Robbie ; he gives us the gen and we give him the publicity . the honourable Robbie and friend , what ? you know the sort of thing . you &apos;ll get nothing out of me , said John , but you can pay for my drinks if you want to , as long as you keep off service matters . good-oh ! one for the grill-room , darling , and tell George to bring in the carte du jour . Bawley was a man of his word . he kept away from service matters , was an excellent host and a splendid raconteur . the evening passed all too quickly . as they parted in the vestibule the two men were well disposed towards each other . ever been to Fleet Street ? asked Bawley . you should . next time you &apos;re in town give me a ring at this number and I &apos;ll take you round the pubs where most of the work is done . he held out a card . John took it and put it in his pocket . thanks , he said . if ever my missus lets me off the chain I &apos;ll take you up on that . ever been out in a submarine ? I &apos;ll give you a spin round one of these days , if you like . you could write it up . Bawley made a face . not in Pericles , old man . why not ? better ask Robbie Munyard . what &apos;s he been saying ? John was furious . the little squirt ! to go gassing to a newspaper man ! look ! he went on earnestly . you &apos;re not going to write up Pericles in some way or other , are you ? what is there to write up ? said Bawley . there are forty-three submarines in the navy - why should I pick on Pericles ? John eyed him steadily . it &apos;s the Parcifal business , is n&apos;t it ? he said quietly . I do n&apos;t want it to happen again , said Bawley - more so than ever since I met you . what did Munyard say ? the snort - hull fitting fractured . supposing I was to tell you that we &apos;ve had Pericles &apos; entire snort equipment removed and X-rayed and that it was as sound as a bell ? said John . Munyard did n&apos;t tell me that . but I must confess I &apos;m relieved . but it still does n&apos;t do away with the possibility of faulty design . he held out his hand . maybe I will take a trip with you one of these days , he said . in the meantime I &apos;ll tell my editor that the story &apos;s a dead bird . glad I met you . do n&apos;t forget to give me a ring - any time - knock twice and ask for Bawley , what ? I do n&apos;t know when that will be , said John . I shall be busy for a while , cleaning up after Master bloody Munyard . 2 . Captain Henry Turton , D.S.O , R.N . there were six submarines , lying in pairs alongside the jetty at Fort Blockhouse . black and grimly businesslike they both looked and sounded , for all of them were rumbling as they charged their electric batteries . a light wind wafted the smoke of diesel exhaust in through the open windows of the Captain &apos;s house . it pervaded every room but neither Harry nor Madeleine Turton noticed its existence as they sat in silence over a substantial breakfast . although usually a very talkative lady Madeleine respected her husband &apos;s silences , for she knew they betokened a worry of some sort . there had been many such breakfasts lately since the affair of Parsifal . Harry had lost a good deal of weight . his normal placid and steady-going manner remained , but she could see that it no longer came naturally . it is the common lot of all squadron senior Officers to experience such catastrophes as the loss of a submarine , though in peace time these happenings are few and far between . this is the testing time for all . the affair blows up into a national disaster and then when it is all over life must continue as before . during this period the Captain must present an unruffled appearance and carry on as if nothing unusual has happened . Harry Turton had written letters to the bereaved , had visited many in the locality , had been interviewed by the press , had driven his surviving submarines a good deal harder than usual and in fact had applied all the usual specifics suitable for such occasions . the worst was over now , except for the Pericles affair . it had never occurred to Harry Turton that Robbie Munyard , popular as he was , especially with the ladies , son of a famous man and an ( apparently ) well weathered submariner , should go to pieces as he had done with disastrous effects on the morale of his crew ; but he had . quite suddenly he &apos;d walked into the office and declared that his command was not fit to go under water and then he had burst into tears . now he was at the naval hospital . acute neurasthenia , said the surgeon-rear-admiral . the affair had been handled quietly and efficiently but rumours of this extraordinary scene in the office had reached to the far corners of the establishment . Munyard had left his jitters behind . long conferences had been held between Harry Turton and his Admiral in which various alterations had been debated . 