tc.redrabbit-第14部分

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er　eye　surgeon；　hell　of　a　good　guy。　The　Agency　interviewed　him　and　the　others　after　they　came　back。　Ever　see　that　document？〃
　　　There　was　interest　in　his　eyes　now：　〃No。　Is　it　any　good？〃
　　　〃One　of　the　things　I've　learned　being　married　to　a　doc　is　that　I　listen　to　what　she　says　about　people。　I'd　damned　sure　listen　to　Bernie。　It's　worth　reading。　There's　a　universal　tendency　for　people　to　talk　straight　to　surgeons　and；　like　I　said；　docs　are　good　for　seeing　things　that　most　of　us　miss。　They　said　Suslov　was　smart；　courteous；　businesslike；　but　underneath　he　was　the　sort　of　guy　you　wouldn't　trust　with　a　gun　in　his　hand…or　more　likely　a　knife。　He　really　didn't　like　the　fact　that　he　needed　Americans　to　save　his　sight　for　him。　It　didn't　tickle　his　fancy　that　no　Russians　were　able　to　do　what　he　needed　done。　On　the　other　hand；　they　said　that　the　hospitality　was　Olympic…class　once　they　did　the　job。　So　they're　not　plete　barbarians；　which　Bernie　halfway　expected…he's　Jewish；　family　from　Poland；　back　when　it　belonged　to　the　czar；　I　think。　Want　me　to　have　the　Agency　send　that　one　over？〃
　　　Harding　waved　a　match　over　his　pipe。　〃Yes；　I　would　like　to　see　that。　The　Russians…they're　a　rum　lot；　you　know。　In　some　ways；　wonderfully　cultured。　Russia　is　the　last　place　in　the　world　where　a　man　can　make　a　decent　living　as　a　poet。　They　revere　their　poets；　and　I　rather　admire　that　about　them；　but　at　the　same　time。。。　you　know；　Stalin　himself　was　reticent　about　going　after　artists…the　writing　sort；　that　is。　I　remember　one　chap　who　lived　years　longer　than　one　would　have　expected。。。　Even　so；　he　eventually　died　in　the　Gulag。　So；　their　civilization　has　its　limits。〃
　　　〃You　speak　the　language？　I　never　learned　it。〃
　　　The　Brit　analyst　nodded。　〃It　can　be　a　wonderful　language　for　literature；　rather　like　Attic　Greek。　It　lends　itself　to　poetry；　but　it　masks　a　capacity　for　barbarism　that　makes　the　blood　run　cold。　They　are　a　fairly　predictable　people　in　many　ways；　especially　their　political　decisions；　within　limits。　Their　unpredictability　lies　in　playing　off　their　inherent　conservatism　against　their　dogmatic　political　outlook。　Our　friend　Suslov　is　seriously　ill；　heart　problems…from　the　diabetes；　I　suppose…but　the　chap　behind　him　is　Mikhail　Yevgeniyevich　Alexandrov；　equal　parts　Russian　and　Marxist；　with　the　morals　of　Lavrenti　Beria。　He　bloody　hates　the　West。　I　expect　he　counseled　Suslov…they　are　old；　old　friends…to　accept　blindness　rather　than　submit　to　American　physicians。　And　if　this　Katz　chap　is　Jewish；　you　said？　That　would　not　have　helped；　either。　Not　an　attractive　chap　at　all。　When　Suslov　departs…a　few　months；　we　think…he'll　be　the　new　ideologue　on　the　Politburo。　He　will　back　Yuriy　Vladimirovich　on　anything　he　wishes　to　do；　even　if　it　means　a　physical　attack　on　His　Holiness。〃
　　　〃You　really　think　it　could　go　that　far？〃　Jack　asked。
　　　〃Could　it？　Possibly；　yes。〃
　　　〃Okay；　has　this　letter　been　sent　to　Langley？〃
　　　Harding　nodded。　〃Your　local　Station　Chief　came　over　to　collect　it　today。　I　would　expect　your　chaps　have　their　own　sources；　but　there's　no　sense　taking　chances。〃
　　　〃Agreed。　You　know；　if　Ivan　does　anything　that　extreme；　there's　going　to　be　hell　to　pay。〃
　　　〃Perhaps　so；　but　they　do　not　see　things　in　the　same　way　we　do；　Jack。〃
　　　〃I　know。　Hard　to　make　the　full　leap　of　imagination；　however。〃
　　　〃It　does　take　time；〃　Simon　agreed。
　　　〃Does　reading　their　poetry　help？〃　Ryan　wondered。　He'd　only　seen　a　little　of　it；　and　only　in　translation；　which　was　not　how　one　read　poetry。
　　　Harding　shook　his　head。　〃Not　really。　That's　how　some　of　them　protest。　The　protests　have　to　be　sufficiently　roundabout　that　the　more　obtuse　of　their　readers　can　just　enjoy　the　lyrical　tribute　to　a　particular　girl's　figure　without　noticing　the　cry　for　freedom　of　expression。　There　must　be　a　whole　section　of　KGB　that　analyzes　the　poems　for　the　hidden　political　content；　to　which　no　one　pays　particular　attention　until　the　Politburo　members　notice　that　the　sexual　content　is　a　little　too　explicit。　They　are　a　bunch　of　prudes；　you　know。。。　How　very　odd　of　them　to　have　that　sort　of　morality　and　no　other。〃
　　　〃Well；　one　can　hardly　knock　them　for　disapproving　Debbie　Does　Dallas；〃　Ryan　suggested。
　　　Harding　nearly　choked　on　his　pipe　smoke。　〃Quite　so。　Not　exactly　King　Lear；　is　it？　They　did　produce　Tolstoy；　Chekhov；　and　Pasternak。〃
　　　Jack　hadn't　read　any　of　them；　but　this　didn't　seem　the　time　to　admit　to　it。
　　　〃He　said　what！〃　Alexandrov　asked。
　　　The　outrage　was　predictable；　but　remarkably　muted；　Andropov　thought。　Perhaps　he　only　raised　his　voice　for　a　fuller　audience；　or　more　likely　his　subordinates　over　at　the　Party　Secretariat　building。
　　　〃Here　is　the　letter；　and　the　translation；〃　the　KGB　Chairman　said；　handing　over　the　documents。
　　　The　chief…ideologue…in…waiting　took　the　message　forms　and　read　them　over　slowly。　He　didn't　want　his　rage　to　miss　a　single　nuance。　Andropov　waited；　lighting　a　Marlboro　as　he　did　so。　His　guest　didn't　touch　the　vodka　that　he'd　poured；　the　Chairman　noted。
　　　〃This　holy　man　grows　ambitious；〃　he　said　finally；　setting　the　papers　down　on　the　coffee　table。
　　　〃I　would　agree　with　that；〃　Yuriy　observed。
　　　Amazement　in　his　voice：　〃Does　he　feel　invulnerable？　Does　he　not　know　that　there　are　consequences　for　such　threats？〃
　　　〃My　experts　feel　that　his　words　are　genuine；　and；　no；　they　believe　he　does　not　fear　the　possible　consequences。〃
　　　〃If　martyrdom　is　what　he　wishes；　perhaps　we　should　acmodate　him。。。〃　The　way　his　voice　trailed　off　caused　a　chill　even　in　Andropov's　cold　blood。　It　was　time　for　a　warning。　The　problem　with　ideologues　was　that　their　theories　did　not　always　take　reality　into　proper　account；　a　fact　to　which　they　were　mostly　blind。
　　　〃Mikhail　Yevgeniyevich；　such　actions　are　not　to　be　undertaken　lightly。　There　could　be　political　consequences。〃
　　　〃No；　not　great　ones；　Yuriy。　Not　great　ones；〃　Alexandrov　repeated　himself。　〃But；　yes；　I　agree；　what　we　do　in　reply　must　be　considered　fully　before　we　take　the　necessary　action。〃
　　　〃What　does　rade　Suslov　think？　Have　you　consulted　him？〃
　　　〃Misha　is　very　ill；〃　Alexandrov　replied；　without　any　great　show　of　regret。　That　surprised　Andropov。　His　guest　owed　much　to　his　ailing　senior；　but　these　ideologues　lived　in　their　own　little　circumscribed　world。　〃I　fear　his　life　is　ing　to　its　end。〃
　　　That　part　was　not　a　surprise。　You　only　had　to　look　at　him　at　the　Politburo　meetings。　Suslov　had　the　desperate　look　you　saw　on　the　face　of　a　man　who　knew　that　his　time　was　running　out。　He　wanted　to　make　the　world　right　before　he　departed　from　it；　but　he　also　knew　that　such　an　act　was　beyond　his　capacity；　a　fact　that　had　e　to　him　as　an　unwele　surprise。　Did　he　finally　grasp　the　reality　that　Marxism…Leninism　was　a　false　path？　Andropov　had　e　to　that　conclusion　about　five　years　before。　But　that　wasn't　the　sort　of　thing　one　talked　about　in　the　Kremlin；　was　it？　And　not　with　Alexandrov；　either。
　　　〃He　has　been　a　good　rade　these　many　years。　If　what　you　say　is　true；　he　will　be　sorely　missed；〃　the　KGB　Chairman　noted　soberly；　genuflecting　to　the　altar　of　Marxist　theory　and　its　dying　priest。
　　　〃That　is　so；〃　Alexandrov　agreed；　playing　his　role　as　his　host　did…as　all　Politburo　members　did；　because　it　was　expected。。。　because　it　was　necessary。　Not　because　it　was　true；　or　even　approximately　so。
　　　Like　his　guest；　Yuriy　Vladimirovich　believed　not　because　he　believed；　but　because　what　he　purported　to　believe　was　the　source　of　the　real　thing：　power。　What；　the　Chairman　wondered；　would　this　man　say　next？　Andropov　needed　him；　and　Alexandrov　needed　him　as　well；　perhaps　even　more。　Mikhail　Yevgeniyevich　did　not　have　the　personal　power　needed　to　bee　General　Secretary　of　the　munist　Party　of　the　Soviet　Union。　He　was　respected　for　his　theoretical　knowledge；　his　devotion　to　the　state　religion　that　Marxism…Leninism　had　bee；　but　no　one　who　sat　around　the　table　thought　him　a　proper　candidate　for　leadership。　But　his　support　would　be　vital　to　whoever　did　have　that　ambition。　As　in　medieval　times；　when　the　eldest　son　became　the　lord　of　the　manor；　and　the　second　son　became　the　bishop　of　the　attendant　diocese；　so　Alexandrov；　like　Suslov　in　his　time；　had　to　provide　the　spiritual…was　that　the　proper　word？…justification　for　his　ascension　to　power。　The　system　of　checks　and　ba