Lunchtime read: Cat & Mouse

The individualism of Mahlke continues to provide the narrator with plenty of material and because he is so self sufficient the nick name of 'The Great Mahlke' is dreamt up and manages to stick.

Bullet points between pages 53 - 80

* Mahlke finds a room above water on the barge and after allowing his friends to think him drowned pops up and tells them that it is going to be his secret room and then over the course of the summer moves in most of the things he has pilfered off the barge

* He starts playing music from the depths which fascinates his friends but despite it all they still find him an odd character and not the sort of person you would encourage your sister to go to the cinema with

* But everything changes with the arrival of a naval lieutenant commander at the school that talks about the navy and seems to have an impact because he steals his decoration, which leads to a large search of the changing rooms and the slapping of an innocent boy

* Those close to mhim suspect Mahkle of stealing the iron cross and sure enough the narrator swins out to the barge and lying their naked basking in the sun with nothing except the iron cross around his neck is Mahlke

More tomorrow...