The Russian Interpreter

Proctor-Gould gave a little giggle. He seemed remarkably cheerful altogether, as if restored to himself. His crumpled plastic mac hung open, and Manning could see that there was fluff on his blazer again, and an egg-stain on his trousers. The range of ballpoint pens and propelling pencils had reappeared in his breast pocket. As they walked about the park earlier he had been interested, even amused by Manning’s account of his conversation with Konstantin. When Manning had explained about the substitutions, and Raya’s visits to the office behind the Izvestia building, Proctor-Gould had laughed ruefully.

‘Well, well,’ he had said. ‘Wheels within wheels.’

And when Manning had told him about Konstantin’s demands, he had merely clicked his tongue and shaken his head.

Now Manning brought up the subject again.

‘What are you going to do about it, Gordon? Konstantin said he wanted a definite assurance by this evening.’

‘I’m going to get back to signing up clients, Paul. That’s what I’m here for. The whole Raya incident is closed and forgotten.’

‘But what about the books that Konstantin’s got?’

‘I haven’t decided yet, Paul. I might go to the militia and charge him with stealing. I might not.’

Manning stared at him in astonishment.

‘This is a great change of line, Gordon.’

‘I don’t have to think about protecting Raya any more.’

‘But last time we talked about this, Gordon, you agreed that the books might contain something incriminating that you didn’t know about.’

‘I suppose they might. That rubbish-bin over there might contain the Russian Crown Jewels, wrapped up in a copy of Pravda. But it’s not very likely.’

‘And what happened to your concern about other people’s property? You were prepared to pay nearly 300 roubles to get the first case of books back, just because some of them didn’t belong to you.’

‘All right, Paul. I’ll give Konstantin the same for the second case, if he’s interested in selling.’

‘You don’t seem very concerned about it.’

‘Oh, I’m deeply concerned.’

Proctor-Gould reflected for a moment, and then began to giggle again.

‘On second thoughts, Paul,’ he said, ‘I don’t think I will buy the books back. I don’t think I’ll complain to the militia, either. We’ll just sit tight and let him hand the books over to the security people. Think of them, Paul, sitting there examining every full stop, comma, colon, and semi-colon throughout twenty-seven books to see if it has a micro-dot stuck to it! Not to mention the dots over the i’s.’

He couldn’t stop tittering. The sound began to irritate Manning.

‘You are a most extraordinary man, Gordon,’ he said. ‘One moment you’re being as pompous as a bishop, and the next you’re sniggering like a schoolgirl. What’s come over you?’

Proctor-Gould stopped tittering, and looked into the distance.

‘I suppose it’s nervous relief,’ he said slowly. ‘For a moment this week I really did think we were sunk with all hands.’

Manning ground his shoe back and forth in the gravel.

‘You mean, the first lot of books …’ he began.

‘Just one of them, Paul.’

‘What was in it.’

‘I don’t know.’

‘How do you mean, you don’t know?’

‘I was simply given it and told who to deliver it to. I didn’t inquire about the contents, I assure you.’

‘But you knew they had something to do with intelligence?’

‘I knew that the man who handed me the book had something to do with intelligence.’

Manning couldn’t bring himself to look at Proctor-Gould. He felt a great sense of sourness, a distaste with the world in general.

‘So you were lying to me before?’ he said awkwardly.

‘These things involve deception. You know that, Paul.’

‘But, Gordon, you gave me your word, voluntarily, that you had no knowledge of anything that might incriminate you.’

‘I wanted to set your mind at rest, Paul. I didn’t want you to be involved in any risks that I might have been running.’

‘Well, I was involved, wasn’t I? And I am still. If you’re caught I shall certainly be arrested too.’

‘There’s been some risk, certainly….’

‘I think you’ve behaved badly, Gordon, very badly.’

‘I haven’t asked you to accept any risk that I didn’t share.’

‘Gordon, you didn’t ask me to accept the risk. You were the one who was asked. You put me in danger without my even knowing about it.’

Proctor-Gould pulled at his ear.

‘I wasn’t empowered to tell you about what I was doing. How could I have been? You know what happens in these cases as well as I do. Where I’ve done wrong is in telling you even now. I regret that. I regret it deeply. However, what’s done is done. I’m sorry I had to involve you, but it’s all over now. We’ll go to the Kiev Station this evening and get the books out. By ten o’clock the one book that matters will be out of our hands.’

‘You’re giving it to someone at Sasha’s dinner for the Faculty this evening?’

‘Let me just say that by the time the dinner is over there will be no more risk of any sort for either of us. Is that all right, Paul?’

Manning felt a profound sense of resentment.