Читать книгу Self Condemned онлайн

79 страница из 92

'I still recoil,' Percy protested, 'at the picture of civilized men, however corrupt, plotting the destruction of whole populations, and even sacrificing perhaps half of their own. I consider Mr. Churchill a very bad man, but scarcely a Borgia.'

René stroked his beard; he was thinking of the Borgias.

'All Tories are potential Borgias,' René laid it down (for if he was so stupid as he had revealed himself, even so childish a statement as this would go down all right!). 'I say it quite seriously,' he added—for he believed he saw a shade of suspicion darkening his brother-in-law's face, and must plug it in pretty stiff. 'The ruling class of a country, the traditional ruling class, is completely ruthless. Human emotions are luxuries which those desiring power must discard entirely.'

'You speak like Machiavelli,' Percy smiled.

'But the modern politician behaves like Machiavelli. This is brought home to the historian, though he is very careful never to betray the guilty secrets he has learned. It is more than his place is worth. As the servant of the ruling class, he cannot but become privy in the course of his researches to the dark secrets of his masters.'