When the food they ordered was served, Tex was no longer interested. While Matt and Oscar were busily chewing he kept urging them to sing. "Come on, Oscar! You can learn it."
"I can't sing."
"Sure you can. I've heard you sing, with the Hog Alley band. Ill sing the verse, we'll all clap, then hit the chorus together: 'Deep in ... the heart of ... Texas!' Like that."
"Shut up," said Oscar, "or you'll be deep in the heart of trouble."
"Kill-joy! Come on, Matt."
"I can't sing with my mouth full."
"Look," said Oscar to Matt, in a tense, low voice. "Do you see what I see?"
Matt looked and saw Lieutenant Wong entering the far end of the dining room. He went to a table, sat down, looked around, spotted the table of cadets, nodded, and started studying a menu. "Oh, mother!" Matt breathed softly.
"Then we'll sing 'loway,' " announced Tex. "I'm broad-minded."
"We won't sing anything. For the love of Mike, Tex- shut up! An officer just came into the joint."