jamesclavell.noblehouse-第193部分

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


ust　as　much　a　man。　And　didn't　I　love　her　to　madness　that　year　and　the　next　year　and　didn't　I　almost　die　the　next　year　when　she　vanished？　〃Well；〃　he　said　as　an　equal；　〃it　really　depends　on　who　the　girl　is；　how　old　the　man　is　and　how　old　the　girl　is。〃
　〃Oh。〃　There　was　a　long　pause。　〃She's　eighteen。〃
　Dunross　was　greatly　relieved。　That　means　she's　old　enough　to　know　better；　he　thought。　〃I'd　say　that　would　be　perfect；〃　he　told　Duncan　in　the　same　voice；　〃particularly　if　the　fellow　was　about　sixteen；　tall；　strong　and　knew　the　facts　of　life。〃
　〃Oh。　Oh　I　didn't　。。。　oh！　I　wouldn't　。。。〃
　〃I　wasn't　being　critical；　laddie；　just　answering　your　question。　A　man　has　to　be　careful　in　this　world；　and　girl　friends　should　be　chosen　carefully。　Where　did　you　meet　her？〃
　〃She　was　on　the　station。　Her　name's　Sheila。〃
　Duncan　suppressed　a　smile。　Girls　in　Australia　were　referred　to　as　sheilas　just　as　in　England　they　were　called　birds。　〃That's　a　nice　name；〃　he　said。　〃Sheila　what？〃
　〃Sheila　Scragger。　She's　a　niece　of　old　Mr。　Tom　and　she's　on　a　visit　from　England。　She's　training　to　be　a　nurse　at　Guy's　Hospital。　She　was　ever　so　super　to　me　and　Paldoon's　super　too。　I　really　can't　thank　you　enough　for　arranging　such　a　super　holiday；〃　Paldoon；　the　Scragger　ranch；　or　station　as　it　was　called　in　Australia；　was　the　only　property　they　had　managed　to　save　from　the　crash。　Paldoon　was　five　hundred　miles　southwest　of　Sydney　near　the　Murray　River　in　Australia's　rice　lands；　sixty　thousand　acres　…　thirty　thousand　head　of　sheep；　two　thousand　acres　of　wheat　and　a　thousand　head　of　cattle　…　and　the　greatest　place　for　a　youth　to　holiday；　working　all　day　from　dawn　to　dusk；　mustering　the　sheep　or　cattle　on　horseback；　galloping　twenty　miles　in　any　direction　and　still　on　your　own　property。
　〃Give　Tom　Scragger　my　regards　and　make　sure　you　send　him　a　bottle　of　whiskey　before　you　leave。〃
　〃Oh　I　sent　him　a　case；　is　that　all　right？〃
　Dunross　laughed。　〃Well　laddie；　a　bottle　would　have　done　just　as　well；　but　a　case　is　perfect。　Call　me　if　there's　any　change　in　your　flight。　You　did　very　well　to　get　it　organized　yourself；　very　good。　Oh　by　the　way；　Mama　and　Glenna　went　to　London　today；　with　Aunt　Kathy；　so　you'll　have　to　go　back　to　school　alone　an…　〃
　〃Oh　jolly　good；　Father；〃　his　son　said　happily。　〃After　all；　I'm　a　man　now　and　almost　at　university！〃
　〃Yes；　yes　you　are。〃　A　small　sweet　sadness　touched　Dunross　as　he　sat　in　his　high　chair；　AMG's　letter　in　his　hand　but　forgotten。　〃Are　you　all　right　for　money？〃
　〃Oh　yes。　I　hardly　spent　anything　on　the　station　except　for　a　beer　or　two。　Father；　don't　tell　Mother　about　my　girl。〃
　〃All　right。　Or　Adryon；〃　he　said　and　at　once　his　chest　tightened　at　the　thought　of　Martin　Haply　together　with　Adryon　and　how　they　went　off　hand…in…hand。　〃You　should　tell　Adryon　yourself。〃
　〃Oh　super；　I'd　forgotten　her。　How　is　she？〃
　〃She's　in　good　shape；〃　Dunross　said；　ordering　himself　to　be　adult；　wise；　and　not　to　worry　and　it　was　all　quite　normal　for　boys　and　girls　to　be　boys　and　girls。　Yes；　but　Christ　it's　difficult　if　you're　the　father。　〃Well；　Duncan；　see　you　Monday！　Thanks　for　calling。〃
　〃Oh　yes；　and　Father；　Sheila　drove　me　up　to　Sydney。　She　。。。　she's　staying　the　weekend　with　friends　and　going　to　see　me　off！　Tonight　we're　going　to　a　movie；　Lawrence　of　Arabia；　have　you　seen　it？〃
　〃Yes；　it's　just　e　to　Hong　Kong；　you'll　enjoy　that。〃
　〃Oh　super！　Well；　good…bye；　Father；　have　to　run　。。。　love　you！〃
　〃Love　you；〃　he　said　but　the　connection　was　already　dead。
　How　lucky　I　am　with　my　family；　my　wife　and　kids；　Dunross　thought；　and　at　once　added；　Please　God　let　nothing　happen　to　them！
　With　an　effort　he　looked　back　at　the　letter。　It's　impossible　for　Jason　Plumm　or　Jacques　to　be　munist　spies；　he　told　himself。　Nothing　they've　ever　said　or　done　would　indicate　that。　Lionel　Tuke？　No；　not　him　either。　I　only　know　him　casually。　He's　an　ugly；　unpopular　fellow　who　keeps　to　himself　but　he's　on　the　cricket　team；　a　member　of　the　Turf　Club　and　he's　been　out　here　since　the　thirties。　Wasn't　he　even　interned　at　Stanley　between　'42　and　'45？　Maybe　him；　but　the　other　two？　Impossible！
　I'm　sorry　AMG's　dead。　I'd　call　him　right　now　about　Jacques　and　。。。
　First　finish　the　letter；　then　consider　the　parts；　he　ordered　himself。　Be　correct；　be　efficient。　Good　God！　Duncan　and　an　eighteen…year…old　sheila！　Thank　God　it　wasn't　Tom　Scragger's　youngest。　How　old　is　Priscilla　now？　Fourteen；　pretty；　built　much　older。　Girls　seem　to　mature　early　Down　Under。
　He　exhaled。　I　wonder　if　I　should　do　for　Duncan　what　Chen…chen　did　for　me。
　The　letter　continued；　〃。。。　As　I've　said；　I'm　not　pletely　sure　but　my　source　is　usually　impeccable。
　〃I'm　sorry　to　say　the　espionage　war　has　hotted　up　since　we　uncovered　and　caught　the　spies　Blake；　Vassal　…　the　Admiralty　cipher　clerk　…　and　Philby；　Burgess　and　Maclean　all　defected。　They've　all　been　seen　in　Moscow　by　the　way。　Expect　spying　to　increase　radically　in　Asia。　（We　were　able　to　peg　First　Secretary　Skripov　of　the　Soviet　Embassy　in　Canberra；　Australia；　and　order　him　out　of　the　country　in　February。　This　broke　his　Australian　ring　which　was；　I　believe；　tied　to　your　Sevrin　and　further　involved　in　Borneo　and　Indonesia。）
　〃The　free　world　is　abundantly　infiltrated　now。　MI…5　and　MI…6　are　tainted。　Even　the　CIA。　While　we've　been　naive　and　trusting；　our　opponents　realized　early　that　the　future　balance　would　depend　on　economic　power　as　well　as　military　power；　and　so　they　set　out　to　acquire　…　steal　…　our　industrial　secrets。
　〃Curiously　our　free…world　media　fail　dismally　to　point　out　that　all　Soviet　advances　are　based　originally　on　one　of　our　stolen　inventions　or　techniques；　that　without　our　grain　they　starve；　and　without　our　vast　and　ever…growing　financial　assistance　and　credits　to　buy　our　grains　and　technology　they　cannot　fuel　and　refuel　their　whole　military…industrial　infrastructure　which　keeps　their　empire　and　people　enthralled。
　〃I　remend　you　use　your　contacts　in　China　to　cement　them　to　you　further。　The　Soviets　increasingly　view　China　as　their　number　one　enemy。　Equally　strangely；　they　no　longer　seem　to　have　that　paranoiac　fear　of　the　U。S。　which　is；　without　doubt；　now　the　strongest　military　and　economic　power　in　the　world。　China；　which　is　economically　and　militarily　weak；　except　in　numbers　of　available　soldiers；　really　presents　no　military　threat　to　them。　Even　so　China　petrifies　them。
　〃One　reason　is　the　five　thousand　miles　of　border　they　share。　Another　is　national　guilt　over　the　vast　areas　of　historic　Chinese　territory　Soviet　Russia　has　swallowed　over　the　centuries；　another　is　the　knowledge　that　the　Chinese　are　a　patient　people　with　long　memories。　One　day　the　Chinese　will　take　back　their　lands。　They　have　always　taken　back　their　lands　when　it　was　militarily　feasible　to　do　so。　I've　pointed　out　many　times　that　the　cornerstone　of　Soviet　（Imperialist）　politics　is　to　isolate　and　fragment　China　to　keep　her　weak。　Their　great　bugaboo　is　a　tripartite　alliance　between　China；　Japan　and　the　U。S。　Your　Noble　House　should　work　to　promote　that。　（Also　a　mon　Market　among　the　U。S。；　Mexico　and　Canada；　totally　essential；　in　my　opinion；　to　a　stable　American　continent。）　Where　else　but　through　Hong　Kong　…　and　therefore　your　hands　…　will　all　the　inward　wealth　to　China　go？
　〃Last；　back　to　Sevrin：　I　have　taken　a　major　risk　and　approached　our　most　priceless　asset　in　the　inner　core　of　the　KGB's　ultra…secret　Department　5。　I　have　just　heard　back　today　that　the　identity　of　Arthur；　Sevrin's　leader；　is　Classification　One；　beyond　even　his　grasp。　The　only　clue　he　could　give　was　that　the　man　was　English　and　one　of　his　initials　is　R。　Not　much　to　go　on　I'm　afraid。
　〃I　look　forward　to　seeing　you。　Remember；　my　papers　must　never　pass　into　the　hands　of　anyone　else。　Regards；　AMG。〃
　Dunross　mitted　the　Geneva　phone　number　to　memory；　encoded　it　in　his　address　book　and　lit　a　match。　He　watched　the　airmail　paper　curl　and　begin　to　burn。
　R。　Robert　Ralph　Richard　Robin　Rod　Roy　Rex　Rupert　Red　Rodney　and　always　back　to　Roger。　And　Robert。　Robert　Armstrong　or　Roger　Crosse　or　…　or　who？
　Holy　Christ；　Dunross　thought；　feeling　weak。
　〃Geneva　871…65…65；　station　to　station；〃　he　said　into　his　private　phone。　Tiredness　engulfed　him。　His　sleep　last　night　had　been　disturbed；　his　dreams　dragging　him　back