J said, «Why the interest in Lady Diana's peccadilloes? Do you know the lady?»

Blade avoided a direct lie, but only just. «Not really know her,» he said. «I've seen her in films.»

He did not really know her. He thought of the old joke about sexual congress not constituting an introduction, and had difficulty in repressing a smile.

J leaned forward and spoke sharply to the driver. «Can't you go a little faster, man?» Lord Leighton would have the computer ready and His Lordship did not like to be kept waiting.

They were trapped in — a endless maze of traffic. The driver scowled in his mirror and said, «If I 'ad wings, Gov, I could maybe fly over this blinkin' mess. But this 'ere cab didn't come equipped with no wings, so we waits. Yer can always walk, Gov.»

J settled back in frustration. Blade took the paper from his pocket and began to skim through the story about

Lady Diana. J craned to see the picture. «Quite a lovely girl, isn't she?»

Blade nodded. «Beautiful.» And passionate. Fey. Certainly amoral-somehow he could not think of her as immoral-with a hard core of honest lust and a sweetness to temper it. All of this he must keep to himself.

J began to stuff his pipe, resigned now to the long wait and the fact that they would be late and Lord L would be angry. Helmeted bobbies appeared and began to sort out the traffic amid an unholy din of squawking horns.

J, reading over Blade's shoulder, said, «She has run away from the old boy again, eh? Not the first time, either. Not much news in that, really, but of course they have to puff it up. Make what they can of it. A pity, really. For both of them. Of course they should have known better-these May and December things never work Out.»