Requiem for a Nun

REQUIEM FOR A NUN 191

even himself just the government; for that moment at least, he was the

United States.

'Uncle Alec hasn't lost any lock,' he said. 'That was Uncle Sam.'

After a moment someone said, 'WhatT

'That's right,' Pettigrew said. 'Whoever put that lock of Holston's on that

mail bag either made a voluntary gift to the United States, and the same

law covers the United States Government that covers minor children: you can

give something to them, but you can't take it back, or he or they done

something else.'

They looked at him. Again after a while somebody said something; it was

Ratcliffe. 'What elseT Ratcliffe said. Pettigrew answered, still bland,

impersonal, heatless and glib: 'Committed a violation of act of Congress as

especially made and provided for the defacement of government property,

penalty of five thousand dollars or not less than one year in a Federal

jail or both. For whoever cut them two slits in the bag to put the lock in,

act of Congress as especially made and provided for the injury or

destruction of government property, penalty of ten thousand dollars or not

less than five years in a Federal jail or both.' He did not move even yet;

he simply spoke directly to old Alec: 'I reckon you're going to have supper

here same as usual sooner or later or more or less.'

'Wait,' Ratcliffe said. He turned to Compson. 'Is that true?'

'What the hell difference does it make whether it's true or not?' Compson

said. 'What do you think he's going to do as soon as he gets to Nashville?'

He said violently to Pettigrew: 'You were supposed to leave for Nashville

yesterday. What were you hanging around here forT

'Nothing to go to Nashville for,' Pettigrew said. 'You dont want any mail.

You aint got anything to lock it up with.'

'So we aint,' Ratcliffe said. "So we'll let the United States find the

United States' lock.' This time Pettigrew looked at no one. He wasn't even

speaking to anyone, any more than old Alec had been when he decreed the

return of his lock:

'Act of Congress as made and provided for the unauthorized removal and or

use or willful or felonious use or misuse or loss of government property,

penalty the value of the article plus five hundred to ten thousand dollars

or thirty days to twenty years in a Federal jail or both. They may even

make a new one when they read where you have charged a postoffice

department lock to the Bureau of Indian Affairs.' He moved; now he was

speaking to old Alec again: 'I'm going out to my horse. When this meeting

is over and you get back to cooking, you can send your nigger for me.'

Then he was gone. After a while Ratcliffe said, 'What do