Colonel Butler's Wolf

'I'm sorry. The word was ill-chosen.'

'But the word reflected the attitude nevertheless, Colonel Butler—what's a dozen or two students between friends, eh?'

Butler shrugged.

'Then I differ from you, Butler. These were a dozen or two of tomorrow's foremost men in their fields, in industry and government and politics. I'd be inclined to call that a fair return for very little outlay—

much better return than some expensive spy ring set up to obtain a few petty secrets. And secrets are soon outdated; this would be in the nature of an investment, don't you think?'

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Or maybe a pilot project, thought Butler, impressed a little despite his misgivings. If such a thing could be done successfully in Britain, where conformity and a clean sheet was not yet an absolute key to high advancement, what might not be achieved in the far more vulnerable and sensitive upper levels of American society?

To pinpoint the best men—the coming men—and make sure they never arrived . . .

Sir Geoffrey was watching him narrowly now.

'Well, Colonel Butler?'

'Hmm!' Butler cleared his throat. 'We'll look into it, Master. But in the meantime—tell me about Zoshchenko.'

'Zoschenko?' The Master's expression saddened. 'Zoshchenko ... I still find it hard to think of him as anyone other than Neil Smith. Indeed, if it was not my own testimony— if you were now telling me what I told Freisler—you might find me hard to convince.'

'You knew him well?'

'Well? Not well, perhaps, but I liked what I knew. He was a likeable fellow, good-humoured but mature in his way. He seemed older than his years—'

'He probably was older.'

'Yes . . . yes, I suppose he might have been. But he was still young—a jolly young man, if I may use a somewhat archaic word.'

'Convivial?'

'A drinker? No, hardly that. I rather think it was part of the joke that everyone called him 'Boozy' when his friends relied on him to drive them home.'

'He was popular, then?'

'He joined in the social life of the college certainly. Rowed bow in the second eight, and played a bit of rugger I believe. And he was president of the college's de Vere Society, which prides itself on balancing culture with athletic pursuits.'

'And he was a scholar.'

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'An exhibitioner. He had a good mind, but steady rather than brilliant—if he'd been less clever one might put him down as a plodder. But he was no plodder—plodders don't often get first-class degrees, you know. But I rather think teaching was more in his line than research.'

'That was why I had no hesitation in recommending him to Gracey at Cumbria—Gracey is one of the few provincial vice-chancellors who are determined on quality rather than quantity in his student body, and I believed that Smith . . . that is, Zoschenko . . . was just the man for him.'

The Master sighed heavily, though whether at his own error or at Zoschenko's betrayal of his confidence it was impossible to judge.

'And you never for one moment suspected that he might have any hand in the—ah—plot you suspected?'

Sir Geoffrey raised an eyebrow. 'I never came upon him singing the Red Flag if that's what you mean,'

he murmured drily.

'I mean—' Butler began sharply and then blunted the anger in his voice as he saw the glint in the Master's eye '—I mean did he take part in politics here?'

'His politics were to the left of centre. He wasn't a communist—' The Master stopped abruptly. 'I should say he gave no indication that he was a communist. I would have described him as a liberal socialist, equally anti- communist and anti-fascist.'

Butler snorted. 'Do you find that surprising?'

'Not in the least.' Sir Geoffrey regarded him equably now. 'It's fashionable to be a political animal up here. Not all the best of the young are left-wingers, but some of the cleverest certainly are. So he was neither extreme nor unusual.'

'It wasn't as if he was going into the government service either. He had an academic career ahead of him and a moderate left-wing involvement wouldn't have damaged his chances. More likely it would have made him a more useful senior member later on.'

Butler nodded. Deep down Sir Geoffrey still could not quite believe in Smith's duplicity, or was unwilling to believe in it in spite of his own knowledge. But in fact Zoshchenko's political cover had been simple commonsense.

'How did he come to you—to the college?'

'Through UCCA in the normal way. That is, through the University Central Council for Admissions.

The only complication, as I remember, was that the last years of his secondary education had been in dummy2.htm