Читать книгу An Affair of State онлайн

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Matson had been doodling a set of round noseless faces across his blotter. He punctuated them with grim little mouths before he spoke. "What you've just said proves I was right. I don't mind telling you that you're in my Division in spite of my protests. In times like these men of your temperament should be sent to Madagascar or New Zealand, whatever their experience. The Secretary insisted you go to Europe, and Dannenberg gave you to me."

"I didn't know that," Jeff said.

"I'm glad to have you, so long as you behave. You've been picked for Budapest, and you'll go to Budapest next week, and by God you'll go as a soldier. You'll take orders and carry them out."

"Yes, sir," Jeff said, because there wasn't anything else to say.

"I mean that literally," said Matson. "The Legation in Budapest is on a quasi-military footing. We now consider the Embassy in Moscow as nothing more than a garrison under siege, from which there can be few sorties for intelligence and information. But Budapest is a listening post and observation post deep inside the enemy lines. Exactly what you'll do there is up to Admiral Blankenhorn, as Chief of Mission. Maybe he'll let you work under Keller. Maybe he'll make you stable boy. I don't know."