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‘Yes, I heard that. We hear all these things. It wass that that put the idea into my head.’
‘It’s to come up at the general meeting in June. I don’t know what’ll happen–it depends on
Macgregor, I think. I’ll give you my vote, but I can’t do more than that. I’m sorry, but I simply can’t.
You don’t know the row there’ll be. Very likely they will elect you, but they’ll do it as an unpleasant
duty, under protest. They’ve made a perfect fetish of keeping this Club all-white, as they call it.’
‘Of course, of course, my friend! I understand perfectly. Heaven forbid that you should get into
trouble with your European friends on my behalf. Please, please, never to embroil yourself! The mere
fact that you are known to be my friend benefits me more than you can imagine. Prestige, Mr Flory, iss
like a barometer. Every time you are seen to enter my house the mercury rises half a degree.’
‘Well, we must try and keep it at “Set Fair”. That’s about all I can do for you, I’m afraid.’
‘Even that iss much, my friend. And for that, there iss another thing of which I would warn you,
though you will laugh, I fear. It iss that you yourself should beware of U Po Kyin. Beware of the
crocodile! For sure he will strike at you when he knows that you are befriending me.’
‘All right, doctor, I’ll beware of the crocodile. I don’t fancy he can do me much harm, though.’
‘At least he will try. I know him. It will be hiss policy to detach my friends from me. Possibly he
would even dare to spread hiss libels about you also.’
‘About me? Good gracious, no one would believe anything against me. Civis Romanus sum. I’m an
Englishman–quite above suspicion.’
‘Nevertheless, beware of hiss calumnies, my friend. Do not underrate him. He will know how to
strike at you. He iss a crocodile. And like the crocodile’–the doctor nipped his thumb and finger
impressively; his images became mixed sometimes–‘like the crocodile, he strikes always at the
weakest spot!’
‘Do crocodiles always strike at the weakest spot, doctor?’
Both men laughed. They were intimate enough to laugh over the doctor’s queer English
occasionally. Perhaps, at the bottom of his heart, the doctor was a little disappointed that Flory had
not promised to propose him for the Club, but he would have perished rather than say so. And Flory
was glad to drop the subject, an uncomfortable one which he wished had never been raised.
‘Well, I really must be going, doctor. Good-bye in case I don’t see you again. I hope it’ll be all
right at the general meeting. Macgregor’s not a bad old stick. I dare say he’ll insist on their electing
you.’
‘Let us hope so, my friend. With that I can defy a hundred U Po Kyins. A thousand! Good-bye, my
friend, good-bye.’
Then Flory settled his Terai hat on his head and went home across the glaring maidan, to his
breakfast, for which the long morning of drinking, smoking and talking had left him no appetite.