Horse Under Water by Len Deighton

Author:Len Deighton [Deighton, Len]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 1963-11-29T00:00:00+00:00

34 Awakening

Sleet was falling as we arrived at Charlotte Street. A man in a shiny car threw a handful of sparks on to the wet road as he sped by us. We went up to Dawlish’s office on the top floor. Things were hectic: Dawlish had taken his jacket off.

‘Take that tea tray off the chair and sit down,’ he said, and Alice poked her head round the door because she couldn’t remember how many sugars I took.

‘Terrible night,’ said Dawlish. ‘Sorry to drag you into this fracas. I’ve missed my Tuesday bridge game for the first time in nearly two years.’

‘We must all make sacrifices,’ I said.

‘Yes, when our masters bid us jump,’ said Dawlish.

‘I understand,’ I said. ‘It wasn’t my evening for playing anything, I’m afraid.’ Jean shot me a glance.

‘Strutton Plan, so it’s all your doing,’ said Dawlish in mock admonition. ‘We now have permission to set up an Advisory Board’ – he looked at the papers on his desk and read off the words – ‘Strutton Plan Advisory Board’. He looked up and beamed. Behind the beam was a worried face.

‘Subtle titling,’ I said.

‘Yes,’ said Dawlish doubtfully, and then he was away into the administration: this is what he was so good at – the tactics of bureaucracy – and don’t ever imagine it’s not important. ‘The Board will appoint four specialized committees: Communications, Finance, Training, and a Control Structure Committee. Now we won’t be able to control all of those, so what we do is this. Let the Ministry people grab anything they want, in fact we’ll nominate a few of them, lavish compliments on their suitability. Incidentally,’ Dawlish blew his nose loudly on a big handkerchief, ‘don’t overdo the compliments; they’re beginning to suspect you of sarcasm over the other side.’

‘No,’ I said.

‘Yes,’ said Dawlish. ‘Now; when they are committed up to the armpits you will suggest a fifth committee: a Compatibility Committee – for co-ordination …’

‘Very neat,’ I said, ‘just as you did on the Dundee Report – you ended up in control – I’ve often wondered how you did it.’

‘Mum’s the word, old boy,’ said Dawlish. ‘I’d like to do it again before they tumble to it.’

‘O.K.,’ I said, ‘but when does all this begin?’

‘Well, you will be on the Board and I don’t see who they can possibly suggest as Chairman of the Finance if it isn’t you.’

‘I follow you all right,’ I said, ‘between the two of us we’ll have the situation well in hand; but what I meant was, when does it begin?’

Dawlish looked at his desk diary. ‘Convened for Thursday at 3.30 p.m., Storey’s Gate, for the first meeting anyway.’

‘No, but look, I can’t hang around here till next Thursday. The Albufeira situation is far too flexible.’

‘Ah yes,’ said Dawlish. ‘I want to speak to you about that.’ Dawlish walked across to the I.B.M. machine that correlated all his data. He fidgeted around with the controls. ‘I want you to complete the report as soon as possible.’ He kept his back towards me.

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