During the days that followed, every man, woman and child who were not employed in augmenting their supplies, laboured at the fortifications which he threw up; and once they understood the grim menace of the furtive strangers whom Gregory's sentries were already turning back from the outskirts of their area, they worked cheerfully enough; joking and laughing as though they were assisting in the erection of some strange fair for a super Bank Holiday.
His main objective was to make the place impregnable and self supporting so that whatever horrors might befall beyond the wooded hills that ringed them in, they might live secure and in plenty for many months, or even years, if need be.
Silas was set to build a strong redoubt at the north end of the village and with his machine gun party took up his residence there. Gregory continued to occupy the Martello Tower which must prove the natural keep of the fortified enclosure, and Kenyon, now made Town Major, moved with Veronica to the Anchor.
All! four messed at the inn, Mr. Andrews handing over his private sitting room to them for the purpose, and after the first night the jolly little landlord became by invitation a member of the Mess.
The day after their arrival was mainly occupied by making the first dispositions, and after dinner that night Gregory outlined his plans.
'Hell's bells!' exclaimed Veronica when he spoke of remaining there for months or years; 'what a prospect!'
'Sorry you re bored.' He gave her a quick, sidelong glance, 'but later 1 hope to have more leisure to entertain you.'
Her curved eyebrows went up as she puffed at her after dinner cigarette; two a day was the ration now. 'Is that a promise or a threat?'
'Shall we say a desire,' Gregory answered smoothly, and for once Veronica was left without an apt reply. Then he turned to Kenyon: 'You and Silas will take out parties tomorrow. Four men apiece should be enough. Move off at eight o'clock, and scour the country for five miles around, one to the south and one to the north. Visit the nearest farms, make a note of all provisions, live stock, fruit and crops, then get back about four o'clock to let me have all the information that you can. On Thursday we'll start in to clear up everything we can lay our hands on while the going is good.'
'Do you mean that you're going to rob these poor people of anything they have left?' Kenyon asked in a shocked tone.
'My heart bleeds for them,' Gregory smiled with mocking cynicism, 'but my stomach craves for fresh meat or will do before long. So I fear it has to be. By the by, keep your eyes skinned for a bull and if you find one don't take any chances on it being there the following day, but bring it back with you.'
'You're going in for raising cattle then,' Silas remarked.
'Yes, the sooner we start a home farm the better. Cows, pigs, sheep, geese, chickens; we'll need them all if life is to be made bearable.'
Solly Andrews shook an admiring head. 'It was a lucky tide for Shingle Street that washed you up on the beach, if I may say so, sir.'
'Well, I hope you're right,' Gregory laughed. 'Who's for bed?'
Silas stood up slowly. 'I've no objection if you're all for it, but not requiring a deal of sleep I'd be happy to take a stroll along the shore first; if Lady Veronica felt that way.'
Gregory just caught the twinkle in Veronica's eye before she lowered her lids and said demurely: 'I'd adore to, Mr. Harker.'
'That's fine.' He held the door open for her and threw a casual good night over his vast shoulder to the others.
Secretly she was tremendously intrigued. Gregory's interest in her had been patent from the beginning, but Silas had never shown anything more than the genial good nature that seemed to radiate from his large person to all about him.
He led her down to the fringe of the beach where the rollers thundered ceaselessly upon the shingle, without attempting to start a conversation, and vaguely troubled by his silence she said suddenly:
'The waves are a natural orchestra, aren't they? We might be listening to the overture of the “Flying Dutchman”.'
'Yes, or Beethoven. It must have been like this when he wrote the “Moonlight”.' He nodded at the bright August moon riding high in the heavens, and added slowly: 'It seems natural somehow to transmute these long dark shadows and the shimmering of the waters into sound.'
She looked at him curiously. 'You're musical then; I don't know why, but somehow I feel I might have guessed.'
'Yes, it's half my life by far the better half and I knew we had that in common from the way you watched that fellow singing in the boat.'
'Did you? But tell me about the other half. What do you do in normal times, Mr. Harker?'
'I? oh, I'm in Steel,' he replied laconically. '
'Were you over here travelling for your firm when the trouble started?'
'I wouldn't say that exactly, the firm's got a London office on this side.'
'Oh, you were here permanently then?'
'No, just looking round, but maybe you wouldn't have heard the name of Harker in connection with Steel before.'
'What!' Veronica exclaimed, 'are you the Harker?'
'Surely. If you have ever heard of anyone named Harker in Steel, I think it would be me.'
'Of course; how stupid of us not to realise that before.'
'Well, now, why would you?' he protested with a little laugh. 'I'd hate to go around with “Millionaire” placarded on my back.'
'Yes, but your other name, Gonderport, ought to have given us the clue, if we hadn't been so busy wondering how long we were going to remain alive; and you must admit it's surprising to find a Captain of Industry who rows boats and digs trenches as cheerfully as if he had been used to it all his life.'
'Believe me, Lady Veronica, this is the first decent holiday I've had in years.'
' Holiday!'
'Yes, it's as good as breaking prison to get away from the sort of life I lead. Stenographers, balance sheets, and big business folk chasing me all the time, and every ten minutes: “This'll be your call, Mr. Harker. Mr. Harker, I've got your office on the wire. Mr. Harker, you're wanted on the Transatlantic line.” The same thing goes on even if I'm at Deauville or down for a bit at my favourite home in Atlanta, Georgia, for what the folk on the news sheets call vacation. For once in my life, too, I was dead certain that no one was after me for my money, and you've no idea what a joy it is to be taken at my face value by people like your brother and the General, without having to wonder just what they want to sting me for.'
Veronica nodded. 'Looked at that way a millionaire's life must be pretty grim, but how in the world did you metamorphose yourself into an officer of Greyshirts?'
'Easy,' he chuckled. 'I tumbled to it pretty early in the game that there was real trouble coming and I figured that every live man would have to take a hand some way in the cause of law and order, so I had a talk with an old friend of mine that I met way back in the War. He just insisted that I must be an officer and fixed it for me; so when the crash came all I had to do was to walk right out of Claridges and get into a suit of dungarees.'
And you honestly mean to tell me that you are enjoying this incredible party?'
'I do; but you're not really unhappy, are you?'
'Not really. In fact 1 might be quite enjoying it too, if only I could see my hairdresser and buy a few things for my miserable face.'
'Now isn't that queer ' she could see his cherubic smile in the bright moonlight 'ten days ago I could have gone right off and bought you a whole beauty parlour if you'd felt that way, now I can't even buy a ten cent cigar for anyone; but why worry, you don't need those things, you re just lovely as you are.'