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“Maybe not,'' said M iround whole wheat do you eat? How etables, nuts, fresh fruit?''
Bond smiled "Practically none at all, sir''
“It's no laughing er on the desk for emphasis ”Mark my words There is no way to health except the natural way All your troubles''---Bond opened his mouth to protest, but M held up his hand---"the deep-seated toxemia revealed by your Medical, are the result of a basically unnatural way of life Ever heard of Bircher-Brenner, for instance? Or Kneipp, Preissnitz, Rikli, Schroth, Gossman, Bilz?''
"No, sir''
“Just so Well, those are the reat naturopaths---the nored Fortunately''---M's eyes gleamed enthusiastically---”there are a nuland Nature cure is not beyond our reach''
Jaot into the old n of senile decay? But M looked fitter than Bond had ever seen hiray eyes were clear as crystal and the skin of the hard, lined face was luray hair seemed to have new life Then as all this lunacy?
M reached for his IN tray and placed it in front of hiesture of dismissal He said cheerfully, "Well, that's all, James Miss Moneypenny has h to put you right You won't know yourself when you come out New man''
Bond looked across at M, aghast He said in a strangled voice, "Out of where, sir?''
"Place called Shrublands Run by quite a famous man in his line---Wain, Joshua Wain Remarkable chap Sixty-five Doesn't look a day over forty He'll take good care of you Very up-to-date equiparden Nice stretch of country Near Washington in Sussex And don't worry about your work here Put it right out of your mind for a couple of weeks I'll tell 009 to take care of the Section''
Bond couldn't believe his ears He said, "But, sir I ht Are you sure? I mean, is this really necessary?''
“No'' M smiled frostily ”Not necessary Essential If you want to stay in the double-O Section, that is I can't afford to have an officer in that section who isn't one-hundred-per-cent fit'' M lowered his eyes to the basket in front of hinal file "That's all, 007'' He didn't look up The tone of voice was final
Bond got to his feet He said nothing He walked across the rooerated softness Outside, Miss Moneypenny looked sweetly up at hied his fist down so that the typewriter jumped He said furiously, "Nohat the hell, Penny?
Has the old one off his rocker? What's all this bloody nonsense? I' He's absolutely nuts''
Miss Moneypenny ser's been terribly helpful and kind He says he can give you the Myrtle rooht over the herb garden They've got their own herb garden, you know''
“I know all about their bloody herb garden Now look here, Penny,'' Bond pleaded with her, ”be a good girl and tellhim?''
Miss Moneypenny, who often dreamed hopelessly about Bond, took pity on him She lowered her voice conspiratorially “As aphase But it is rather bad luck on you getting caught up in it before it's passed You know he's always apt to get bees in his bonnet about the efficiency of the Service There was the tih that physical-exercise course Then he had that head-shrinker in, the psychoanalyst man---you missed that You were somewhere abroad All the Heads of Section had to tell hi So Well, last o and so ones I suppose''---Miss Moneypenny turned down her desirable mouth---”told him about this place in the country This man swore by it Told M that ere all like o to a garage and get decarbonized He said he went there every year He said it only cost twenty guineas a week, which was less than what he spent in Blades in one day, and itnew things, and he went there for ten days and careat talking-to all about it and this ot a whole lot of tins of treacle and wheat germ and heaven knohat all I don't knohat to do with the stuff I'm afraid my poor poodle'll have to live on it Anyway, that's what's happened and I must say I've never seen him in such wonderful form He's absolutely rejuvenated''
"He looked like that blasted man in the old Kruschen Salts advertiseo to this nuthouse?''