'And Dieter —'
'Dead:'
Guillam handed him a cup of tea and some ratafia biscuits from Fortnums.
'How long have you been here, Peter?'
'Well, we came here in a series of tactical bounds, as it were. The first was to Chelsea Hospital where they licked your wounds and gave you a fairly substantial tranquilliser. Then we came back here and I put you to bed. That was disgusting. Then I did a spot of telephoning and, so to speak, went round with a pointed stick tidying up the mess. I looked in on you now and again. Cupid and Psyche. You were either snoring like a saddle- back or reciting Webster.'
'God.'
'Duchess of Malfi, I think it was. 'I bad thee, when I was distracted of my wits, go kill my dearest friend, and thou hast done it!' Dreadful nonsense, George, I'm afraid:'
'How did the police find us — Mendel and me?'
'George, you may not know it but you were bellowing pejoratives at Dieter as if —'
'Yes, of course. You heard:'
'We heard.'
'What about Maston? What does Maston say about all this?'
'I think he wants to see you. I have a message from him asking you to drop in as soon as you feel well enough. I don't know what he thinks about it. Nothing at all I should imagine:'
'What do you mean?'
Guillam poured out more tea.
'Use your loaf, George. All three principals in this little fairy tale have now been eaten by bears. No secret information has been compromised for the last six months. Do you really think Maston wants to dwell on the details? Do you really think he is bursting to tell the Foreign Office the good tidings — and admit that we only catch spies when we trip over their dead bodies?'
The front-door bell rang and Guillam went downstairs to answer it. In some alarm Smiley heard him admit the visitor to the hall, then the subdued sound of voices, footsteps coming up the stairs. There was a knock on the door and Maston came in. He was carrying an absurdly large bunch of flowers and looked as though he had just been to a garden party. Smiley remembered it was Friday: no doubt he was going to Henley this week-end. He was grinning. He must have been grinning all the way up the stairs.
'Well, George, in the wars again!'
'Yes, I'm afraid so. Another accident?'
He sat on the edge of the bed, leaning across it, one arm supporting him the other side of Smiley's legs.
There was a pause and then he said:
'You got my note, George?'
'Yes?'
Another pause.
'There has been talk of a new section in the Department, George. We (your Department, that is) feel we should devote more energy to technique research, with particular application to satellite espionage. That is also the Home Office view, I'm pleased to say. Guillam has agreed to advise on terms of reference. I wondered if you'd take it on for us. Running it I mean, with the necessary promotion of course and the option of extending your service after the statutory retirement age. Our personnel people are right behind me on this.'
'Thank you ... perhaps I could think about it, may I?'
'Of course ... of course,' Maston looked slightly put out. 'When will you let me know? It may be necessary to take on some new men and the question of space arises .... Have the week-end to think about it will you and let me know on Monday. The Secretary was quite willing for you to —'
'Yes, I'll let you know. It's very good of you.'
'Not at all. Besides I am only the Adviser you know, George. This is really an internal decision. I'm just the bringer of good news, George; my usual function of errand boy?'
Maston looked at Smiley hard for a moment, hesitated and then said: 'I've put the Ministers in the picture . . . as far as is necessary. We discussed what action should be taken. The Home Secretary was also present.'
'When was this?'
'This morning. Some very grave issues were raised. We considered a protest to the East Germans and an extradition order for this man Mundt?'
'But we don't recognise East Germany?'
'Precisely. That was the difficulty. It is however possible to lodge a protest with an intermediary?'
'Such as Russia?'
'Such as Russia. In the event, however, certain factors militated against this. It was felt that publicity, whatever form it took, would ultimately rebound against the nation's interests. There is already considerable popular hostility in this country to the rearmament of Western Germany. It was felt that any evidence of German intrigue in Britain — whether inspired by the Russians or not — might encourage this hostility. There is, you see, no positive evidence that Frey was operating for the Russians. It might well be represented to the public that he was operating on his own account or on behalf of a united Germany?'
'I see.'
'So far very few people indeed are aware of the facts at all. That is most fortunate. On behalf of the police the Home Secretary has tentatively agreed that they will do their part in playing the affair down as far as possible .... Now this man Mendel, what's he like. Is he trustworthy?'
Smiley hated Maston for that.
'Yes,' he said.
Maston got up. 'Good,' he said, 'good. Well, I must get along. Anything you want at all, anything I can do?'
'No, thank you. Guillam is looking after me admirably.'
Maston reached the door. 'Well good luck, George. Take the job if you can.' He said this quickly in a subdued voice with a pretty, sidelong smile as if it meant rather a lot to him.
'Thank you for the flowers.' said Smiley.
Dieter was dead, and he had killed him. The broken fingers of his right hand, the stiffness of his body and the sickening headache, the nausea of guilt, all testified to this. And Dieter had let him do it, had not fired the gun, had remembered their friendship when Smiley had not. They had fought in a cloud, in the rising stream of the river, in a clearing in a timeless forest: they had met, two friends rejoined, and fought like beasts. Dieter had remembered and Smiley had not. They had come from different hemispheres of the night, from different worlds of thought and conduct. Dieter, mercurial, absolute, had fought to build a civilisation. Smiley, rationalistic, protective, had fought to prevent him. 'Oh God,' said Smiley aloud, 'who was then the gentIeman ... '
Laboriously he got out of bed and began to dress. He felt better standing up.
XVII
Dear Adviser
'Dear Adviser,
I am at last able to reply to Personnel's offer of a higher appointment in the Department. I am sorry that I have taken so long to do this, but as you know, I have not been well recently, and have also had to contend with a number of personal problems outside the scope of the Department. As I am not entirely free of my indisposition, I feel it would be unwise for me to accept their offer. Kindly convey this decision to Personnel. I am sure you will understand. Yours, George Smiley?'
'Dear Peter, I enclose a note on the Fennan case. This is the only copy. Please pass it to Maston when you have read it. I thought it would be valuable to record the events—even if they did not take place. Ever, George!
