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Authors: John le Carré
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secretary speaking.”
“I’m ringing on behalf of Mr. Sam
Kiever,” Leamas said. “He has accepted theinvitation and hopes to contact Mr. Thomas personally this
evening.”
“I’ll pass that on to Mr. Thomas. Does he
know where to get in touch with you?”
“ Dolphin
Square ,” Leamas replied, and gave the
address. “Good-bye.”
After making some inquiries at the reception desk,
he returned to Ashe’s flat and sat on the camp bed looking at his clasped
hands. After a while he lay down. Hedecided
to accept Ashe’s advice and get some rest. As he closed his eyes he remembered
Liz lying beside him in the flat in Bayswater, and he wondered vaguely what had
become of her.
***
He was wakened by Ashe, accompanied by a small,
rather plump man with long, graying hair swept back and a double-breasted suit.
He spoke with a slight central European accent; German perhaps, it was hard to
tell. He said his name wasKiever—Sam
Kiever.
They had a gin and tonic, Ashe doing most of the
talking. It was just like oldtimes,
he said, in Berlin :
the boys together and the night their oyster. Kiever said hedidn’t want to be too late; he had to
work tomorrow. They agreed to eat at a Chineserestaurant that Ashe knew of—it was opposite Limehouse police
station and you brought your own wine. Oddly enough, Ashe had some Burgundy in the kitchen,
and they took that with them in the taxi.
Dinner was very good and they drank both bottles
of wine. Kiever opened up a little on the second: he’d just come back from a
tour of West Germany and France . France was in a hell of a mess, de
Gaulle was on the way out, and God alone knew what would happen then. With a
hundred thousand demoralized colons returning from Algeria he reckoned fascism was in the cards.
“What about Germany ?” asked Ashe,
prompting him.
“It’s just a question of whether the Yanks
can hold them.” Kiever looked invitingly at Leamas.
“What do you mean?” asked Leamas.
“What I say. Dulles gave them a foreign
policy with one hand, Kennedy takes it away with the other. They’re getting
waspish.”
Leamas nodded abruptly and said, “Bloody
typical Yank.”
“Alec doesn’t seem to like our American
cousins,” and Ashe, stepping in heavily, and Kiever, with complete
disinterest, murmured, “Oh really?”
Kiever played it, Leamas reflected, very long.
Like someone used to horses, he let you come to him. He conveyed to perfection
a man who suspected that he wasabout
to be asked a favor, and was not easily won.
After dinner Ashe said, “I know a place in Wardour Street —you’ve
beenthere, Sam. They do you all
right there. Why don’t we summon a cab and go along?”
“Just a minute,” said Leamas, and there
was something in his voice which made Ashe look at him quickly. “Just tell
me something, will you? Who’s paying for this jolly?”
“I am,” said Ashe quickly. “Sam
and I.”
“Have you discussed it?”
“Well—no.”
“Because I haven’t got any bloody money; you
know that, don’t you? None tothrow about, anyway.”
“Of course, Alec. I’ve
looked after you up till now, haven’t I?”
“Yes,” Leamas replied. “Yes, you
have.”
He seemed to be going to say something else, and
then to change his mind. Ashe looked worried, not offended, and Kiever as
inscrutable as before.
***
Leamas refused to speak in the taxi. Ashe attempted
some conciliatory remarkand he
just shrugged irritably. They arrived at Wardour Street and dismounted, neitherLeamas nor Kiever making any attempt
to pay for the cab. Ashe led them past a shopwindow full of “girlie” magazines, down a narrow
alley, at the far end of which shone a tawdry neon sign: PUSSYWILLOW CLUB—MEMBERS
ONLY. On either side of the door were photographs of girls, and pinned across
each was a thin, hand-printed strip of paper which read Nature Study. Members Only .
Ashe pressed the bell. The door was at once opened
by a very large man in awhite
shirt and black
“I’m ringing on behalf of Mr. Sam
Kiever,” Leamas said. “He has accepted theinvitation and hopes to contact Mr. Thomas personally this
evening.”
“I’ll pass that on to Mr. Thomas. Does he
know where to get in touch with you?”
“ Dolphin
Square ,” Leamas replied, and gave the
address. “Good-bye.”
After making some inquiries at the reception desk,
he returned to Ashe’s flat and sat on the camp bed looking at his clasped
hands. After a while he lay down. Hedecided
to accept Ashe’s advice and get some rest. As he closed his eyes he remembered
Liz lying beside him in the flat in Bayswater, and he wondered vaguely what had
become of her.
***
He was wakened by Ashe, accompanied by a small,
rather plump man with long, graying hair swept back and a double-breasted suit.
He spoke with a slight central European accent; German perhaps, it was hard to
tell. He said his name wasKiever—Sam
Kiever.
They had a gin and tonic, Ashe doing most of the
talking. It was just like oldtimes,
he said, in Berlin :
the boys together and the night their oyster. Kiever said hedidn’t want to be too late; he had to
work tomorrow. They agreed to eat at a Chineserestaurant that Ashe knew of—it was opposite Limehouse police
station and you brought your own wine. Oddly enough, Ashe had some Burgundy in the kitchen,
and they took that with them in the taxi.
Dinner was very good and they drank both bottles
of wine. Kiever opened up a little on the second: he’d just come back from a
tour of West Germany and France . France was in a hell of a mess, de
Gaulle was on the way out, and God alone knew what would happen then. With a
hundred thousand demoralized colons returning from Algeria he reckoned fascism was in the cards.
“What about Germany ?” asked Ashe,
prompting him.
“It’s just a question of whether the Yanks
can hold them.” Kiever looked invitingly at Leamas.
“What do you mean?” asked Leamas.
“What I say. Dulles gave them a foreign
policy with one hand, Kennedy takes it away with the other. They’re getting
waspish.”
Leamas nodded abruptly and said, “Bloody
typical Yank.”
“Alec doesn’t seem to like our American
cousins,” and Ashe, stepping in heavily, and Kiever, with complete
disinterest, murmured, “Oh really?”
Kiever played it, Leamas reflected, very long.
Like someone used to horses, he let you come to him. He conveyed to perfection
a man who suspected that he wasabout
to be asked a favor, and was not easily won.
After dinner Ashe said, “I know a place in Wardour Street —you’ve
beenthere, Sam. They do you all
right there. Why don’t we summon a cab and go along?”
“Just a minute,” said Leamas, and there
was something in his voice which made Ashe look at him quickly. “Just tell
me something, will you? Who’s paying for this jolly?”
“I am,” said Ashe quickly. “Sam
and I.”
“Have you discussed it?”
“Well—no.”
“Because I haven’t got any bloody money; you
know that, don’t you? None tothrow about, anyway.”
“Of course, Alec. I’ve
looked after you up till now, haven’t I?”
“Yes,” Leamas replied. “Yes, you
have.”
He seemed to be going to say something else, and
then to change his mind. Ashe looked worried, not offended, and Kiever as
inscrutable as before.
***
Leamas refused to speak in the taxi. Ashe attempted
some conciliatory remarkand he
just shrugged irritably. They arrived at Wardour Street and dismounted, neitherLeamas nor Kiever making any attempt
to pay for the cab. Ashe led them past a shopwindow full of “girlie” magazines, down a narrow
alley, at the far end of which shone a tawdry neon sign: PUSSYWILLOW CLUB—MEMBERS
ONLY. On either side of the door were photographs of girls, and pinned across
each was a thin, hand-printed strip of paper which read Nature Study. Members Only .
Ashe pressed the bell. The door was at once opened
by a very large man in awhite
shirt and black
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