The old man sighed deeply and Shaw felt that this was where he had come in; Rudintsev had spoken along these lines. Godov went on, “Ah well… we, like you, are largely bluff — or we have been so far. But in these times bluff is clearly most dangerous. One does not bluff with a match in a powder-magazine.”
“No.” Shaw’s eyes narrowed. “Professor, you said your country has been bluffing so far. Did you mean anything special by that?”
“Did I say that?” Godov chuckled. He put up a thin white hand, laced with the swollen bluish veins of great age, and rubbed slowly at his eyes. He said, “I would call that a leading question, Mr Alison, and hardly, perhaps, one that should be addressed to a Soviet citizen, even an exiled Soviet citizen, by an Englishman. You are most indiscreet.”
“I’m sorry.”
Godov chuckled again. “Nevertheless you have asked it, and in my own way I shall answer it. I am an old man, and I am not afraid to speak my mind.” He was silent again for some time and then he said, “You have not, I gather, been long in Moltsk — but you may have formed some impressions already. What are they?”
Shaw hesitated only for a second and then he said, “Bad, I’m afraid, Professor.”
“In what way?”
“It’s hard to be exact. The place is… well, one might say buzzing with something. The people I’ve spoken to have all been perfectly friendly, but—”
“To whom have you spoken?”
Shaw gave a shrug. “Not many people, I admit. The hotel staff, and a bunch of Army officers, that’s all so far. But their attitude struck me as strange in a way, because I’d always thought Red Army officers in particular would be rather more circumspect in their relationships with Westerners.”
“So they have been, until the last few days, at any rate in Moltsk. Certainly there are few Westerners in the port, but those that are there have been avoided so far as possible in case the MVD should become interested. This, I understand, has indeed changed in the way you say. Now, you may ask how I, an old man, know this. I shall tell you. I have a… very dear friend, a young woman, who comes often from Moltsk to see me. Almost every day, when her work permits. Also Anna, my housekeeper, and Josef, an old servant who now acts as the man about the house and also drives my car — they go often into Moltsk on my errands. Sometimes I still go myself for the drive and to sit in the big hotel and watch the world go by, you understand? All my life I have been observant, also I have trained myself to interpret, rather than merely read, what is in the newspapers. The mention of a thing here, the omission of another there — and so on. You will understand, I am sure.” The black eyes, diamond-bright, glittered at Shaw. “Thus I form my own conclusions, rather than accept at face value… what I am supposed to accept. Now, Mr Alison, this is what I want to say to you: The air is friendlier for one reason only, and that is — it no longer matters now.”
Shaw stiffened, felt a shake in his hands. “I see. Why do you think it no longer matters, Professor?”
Godov smiled. “We are on dangerous ground, Mr Alison. Even what I have already said would be considered enough to send me to Siberia.”
“Yet you said it, Professor.” Shaw’s voice was urgent, hard. “Can’t you say a little more?”
“You wish me to say things against my country?”
“Professor, let me ask you a question in reply to that.” Shaw leaned forward. “Are you content with your country’s leaders, and do you like the way things are going?”
Godov didn’t answer right away, though his bright eyes never left Shaw’s face; then he said slowly, “I am known not to be a convinced communist, and I realize that my reputation must already be fully known to you. So I can be honest. I do not like my country’s leaders, neither do I like the way things appear to be going. But I do not believe that it is the wish of our leaders that they should go that way. Our Government wants nothing to do with war, of that I am convinced. But there are pressures — you understand?”
“I think I do. Professor, tell me — what do you think is going to happen?”
Godov laughed gently. “My dear Mr Alison, I have no idea!”
“No? I think you have, Professor.”
“You do?” The black eyes surveyed him sardonically. “And if I have? How do I know I can trust you?”
“You don’t,” Shaw said frankly. “But is it really likely I’m going to go to the MVD and tell them what you’ve said? Do you think I’m an MVD spy?”
“Scarcely that!” The eyes were twinkling now, and merry. “You have a good point! No, I am quite sure you would not do that, Mr Alison, though I have formed the impression — call it an old man’s perception if you like — that you have not come to Moltsk simply on the business of our organization. Is this not so?” He paused, still looking hard at Shaw. “Come now. We are men of the world, you and I. And I am a liberal — not a communist. I believe we can, after all, trust one another?”
Shaw sweated and his face hardened. Almost unconsciously his hand slid inside his double-breasted jacket, then he withdrew it again shamefacedly. Godov, however, had seen the gesture and interpreted it. He said calmly, “Yes, Mr Alison, you could shoot me and Anna and Josef very easily and no one in the Party would mourn us, and your secret would then be quite safe. But I feel certain you will do no such thing. Men like you do not shoot down the old — and in any case it is quite unnecessary. I believe you know that, in your heart, or you would not have come to me. I, like you, am not likely to go to the authorities with any tales. The mere fact that an agent of the West — yes, you may look horrified, but I say that — an agent of the West had contacted me would be the very signature on my death warrant. You see, I dare not take the least overt risk with the Party. I have powerful enemies in Moscow, who would swing their authority against me the moment they saw their chance.” Shaw said hoarsely, “But if you reported me, that would wipe out the past, not increase the risk, wouldn’t it?”
Godov shook his head. “You do not know my country. They would be grateful for what I had done, yes — but they would put me out of the way afterwards, just in case. I know that very well, and I have no wish to die unless by dying I can be of some positive help. But leaving that aside, Mr Alison, I wish you no harm. On the contrary, I am perfectly willing to help you in such ways as I can, if you will give me your assurance of one thing.”
“And that is?”
“That you intend to bring no harm to my country or her innocent people, but only to prevent what I believe to be a very terrible thing, a tragedy.”
Shaw said, “I’ll give you that promise willingly, with one proviso: That, in doing what I have come to do, it may be necessary to cause some loss of life.”
“That I understand, and I must accept it. It is unavoidable.”
Shaw nodded and then asked, “And now — the tragedy you spoke of. What is it, Professor?”
“In concrete terms, I do not know. I only suspect certain things, you understand.” The old professor tapped his fingers on the arm of his chair. “But I believe that the great tower, apparently so innocent, where the oil-borings are, contains the seeds of that tragedy—”
“What tower is this?”