The only place to sit was on a bench before the desk or upon one of the many cushions scattered about on the floor. The boys seated themselves on the bench.
“General, I have brought two men who hope to join the China Air Force. They are the men Commander Beakin reported upon, and the same men I told you about,” Stan explained.
“I am grateful. China is grateful. To have three aces from the Royal Air Corps is indeed a great gift.” The general’s voice was smooth and controlled, but his eyes were searching and watchful.
“There was to be another man. He should be here,” Stan said.
The thin, yellow lips parted in a smile. “Mr. Munson asked to come one hour later. He informed me he had an engagement.”
“Sure, an’ I’m thinkin’ this Nick Munson is a bad one,” O’Malley broke in.
The general beamed upon O’Malley. “It is good to be of a suspicious nature. However, we have checked the credentials Mr. Munson presented and find them eminently satisfactory. He boasts overmuch, perhaps, but China has great need of instructors and pilots.”
“We’ll handle the spalpeen, General. We’ll break his neck if he gets funny,” O’Malley assured the officer.
“He may well break his own neck if he does the things he tells us are easy for him,” the general said without smiling.
“We are prepared to be watchful, that is what Lieutenant O’Malley means,” Allison explained.