The Pledge by Howard Fast Read Free Book Online Page A

solutions offered themselves by the time the jeep reached headquarters, and Bruce comforted himself with the thought that all his emotional responses had been shaken out of context here in Calcutta. Or replaced by other responses totally unfamiliar to him. Within sight of headquarters was one of the many pools that abounded in Calcutta, large square basins of filthy water that were a response to the Bengali lust for cleanliness where no cleanliness was possible; and these pools were crowded with kids swimming and adults washing and cleaning dhotis and shirts and dresses, and, seeing the pool this morning, Bruce was brought back to a book he had read as a child, The Water Babies , by Charles Kingsley, and the refrain that ran through the book, something like “he who would be clean could be clean,” perhaps the strangest connection imaginable — or perhaps not so strange at all.
    â€œSir?” the jeep driver said.
    Bruce left the jeep and entered the building. There was a long mirror just inside the entry, and the sight of himself was curiously unfamiliar, a tall man with brown hair, hazel eyes and glasses, nondescript features, all of it encased in a wrinkled uniform. His appearance won no points from Colonel Scott, very proper and military and not too long ago the head of a large New York advertising agency. Colonel Scott felt that war must be appreciated, and he had already made up his mind that Bacon was one of those whose appreciation of war was limited.
    â€œI have just a few points to make with you, Bacon,” Colonel Scott said. “Then Major Hillton would like to have a talk with you.”
    â€œWho is Hillton?”
    â€œArmy Intelligence.”
    â€œAnd what does Intelligence want of me? My own is strained to the breaking point.”
    â€œI presume that’s a joke. I think you might take a more serious view of things.”
    â€œWhat things?” Bruce asked angrily, finding a convenient target for his stifled frustration and irritation. “I want to remind you, Colonel, that I am a civilian. I am a newspaper man, and I have been covering this godforsaken war where it was fought, in Africa and on the Continent. You dragged me over here without so much as a by your leave —”
    â€œOh, come on,” Scott interrupted. “I sent a jeep for you. You weren’t dragged anywhere.”
    â€œOK. You want to see me. Why?”
    â€œNothing very serious on my part. Major Hillton informed me that he desired to have a talk with you and would I send for you, and since you’re here, I thought I might mention a thing or two, small matters.”
    â€œAll right. Mention them.”
    â€œI don’t understand your hostility,” Colonel Scott said. “We have done everything conceivable to make matters easy and as pleasant as possible, considering that this is Calcutta, for correspondents stationed here.” He paused, and when Bruce did not elucidate on his hostility, continued, “The shirt you are wearing. I noticed the same shirt or type of shirt on two occasions when I briefed the correspondents at the palace. Aside from the fact that it is khaki, it bears no resemblance whatsoever to government issue. It has no theater patch, no epaulets, and no other sign of military distinction.”
    Containing himself, Bruce said, “I came here directly from Europe, Colonel. The shirts I owned were heavy. My mother bought three shirts at Abercrombie’s and sent them to me. Are you against motherhood, Colonel?”
    â€œJust for the record, I’m not against motherhood, and I damn well don’t know what that has to do with it.”
    â€œOh, fuck the whole thing, Colonel. What are you going to do to me? God be praised, I’m a civilian.”
    Very stiffly, the colonel said, “I’d suggest you wear government issue, and a little politeness might not be amiss.” He opened the door of the office and instructed the sergeant to