Sentence the Fivehundredandsixteenth

Now, as it happens, the two Professor Sir Clement Danes had been lodging in The Ship Inn, with Rusty Irons and Dusty Douglas and had been getting along famously – although, just occasionally,

some of the old enmity which had been observed in the period immediately following their first encounter at Tweedbank Station, could still be read from their body language, their eyes – and, great bon viveurs that they are, both with the same extensive knowledge of zymurgy, had been attempting to anneal Rusty into setting up a mini-brewer or wine-making venture, with them, in the back of the outside Beer Garden; but Rusty was hesitant, she had an image of her hard-earned savings dashing like gadarene swine into a bottomless pit, though she could only admit that to Dusty, in the privacy of their bedroom: "but Sophie," said Dusty, being the only person in Melrose who used Rusty's real Christian name, and only ever used it when they were tête-à-tête, "you could make so much more of The Ship, of yourself – you are brilliant with your customers, you run the best pub in Melrose," at which Rusty interjected: "the only Pub in Melrose!" and Dusty slipped her hand down the front of Rusty's jeans, finding the warmth she loved so much, and said: "you know exactly what I mean, sweetheart, look what you've done with The Ship since you took it over, it's never not busy, the staff are happy, the customers are happy, I'm happy," and Rusty took her in her arms and kissed her, then

said: "it's those two Danes, they're so creepy, they look like twins but they're the same person. I can't get my head round it – and I'm convinced they know more about what's been happening than they let on: one of them was in here the day that Dalwhinnie guy was struck by lightning – the auteur, you know, Allan Massie, was talking with him over in the corner, and Dalwhinnie joined them and they had quite a heated conversation – I'm not saying they came to blows, but it was gey animated – and then I saw Massie on one of the benches in the Square and he was talking to Dalwhinnie again, and that was just before the lightning; I told the cops but they didn't seem interested," and Dusty looked Rusty straight in the eyes, "so you think he, the original Dane, was involved with the Dalwhinnie person?" and Rusty shook her head, "I don't know, but I don't trust him, I don't trust either of him, them, whatever they are!"