A Division Of The Spoils (Raj Quartet 4) by Paul Scott

carved sofa and then looked in the opposite direction at the main door of the flat which the bearer had just opened. Two tall white girls, exaggeratedly made up and wearing sarees, came in ahead of a couple of Air Force officers, an Englishman and an American. The taller of the girls, who seemed familiar with the flat, led her companion down the passage towards the room set aside for women. As she went by she gave Perron a dazzling smile. But heavy make-up – and pungent scents – had never much appealed to him, neither for that matter had white women in sarees. Their bones were usually too big – as in this case. He watched them go into the women’s room. Apparently the three Indian girls thought them as incongruous as he did; they lowered their heads, covered their faces and laughed.
    ‘I sympathize with you then, sergeant, if this is routine.’
    ‘I don’t mean the party, sir. The reason for my being at it.’
    ‘You see nothing odd about the party, though? Nothing that would encourage you seriously to consider leaving if you were in my shoes and had Miss Layton to think of? Or even if you were by yourself and had no special reason for staying?’
    ‘I suppose it is a bit noisy, sir. And of course it does have its unusual aspect.’
    ‘What is that, in your opinion?’
    ‘Other ranks mixing with officers, sir. But of course I knew beforehand, otherwise I should have had to come in civilian clothes and that leads to so many awkward questions; who does one work for, what does one do. A sergeant is more anonymous.’
    ‘And better bait. Well, I won’t ask you what you expect to hook but if you’re thinking of this as routine I should advise you to be careful where and how you cast. In fact, although I think you’re being less than frank with me I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and a friendly warning. I have a much longer experience of this country and its peculiarities, on most levels of its society. In Indian terms you may think this an example of the top level because the hostess is a Maharanee. That is as may be. But it’s at the top you find thescum, isn’t it? You can certainly see plenty of it here. I must give Count Bronowsky the benefit of the doubt too and assume he had no idea the particular kind of party the Maharanee is giving this evening. I shall know better about that in a moment when I go back in and tell him I intend to take Miss Layton home before things get worse.’
    ‘Worse, sir?’
    ‘Worse.’ Merrick studied him. ‘I begin to wonder about your powers of observation, sergeant. The two white girls in sarees who have just gone into the ladies’ room – one of whom made a pass at you – are boys, probably airmen. The three Indian girls giggling on the sofa there are also boys, not professional transvestites, which as you may know is a special kind of Indian sect, and all right in its place, but not I assure you all right here. They will undoubtedly dance for the company later in the evening and manage to make it clear what they are, and what they are offering.’
    Perron looked at the three figures on the settee. He studied their covered breasts, their ringed fingers and bare forearms, the sandalled feet and bangled ankles; the shapes of jaws, joints and noses. Because he had been told, he saw.
    He turned back to Merrick.
    ‘Yes, I see.’
    ‘I’m glad to hear it. The English boys’ get-up is very good but crude in comparison. That’s why the Indian boys laughed at them. Tell me at least one thing. Are the REME corporal and the AB you were talking to also on duty, like you?’
    ‘No, sir. Certainly not to my knowledge.’
    ‘Do you know who they’re with?’
    ‘They’re just with each other, sir. But the party’s a bit of a surprise to them. They were expecting something rather different.’
    ‘Meaning?’
    ‘A place called Amy’s at a cost of six rupees.’
    ‘They weren’t far wrong. Would you say that an ageing teaplanter wasn’t what they hoped to