The Quest of Julian Day Read Free Page A

can’t cut you off, can he?’
    â€˜No, fortunately the place is entailed, so he can’t stop its coming to me on his death; and as I inherited my father’s money when I was twenty-one I’m all right for cash.’
    â€˜How about going into commerce?’ he suggested. ‘Lots of people do these days and you’ve got plenty of brains.’
    â€˜D’you think any decent firm would take me? Once this business gets out my name’s going to stink like mud.’
    Sir Roger tapped his desk thoughtfully with an ivory paperknife. ‘No, that’s just the rub. We have given a new orientation to our policy, of course; always have an alternative ready for just such an emergency, and we’ve been working like stevedores to repair, as far as possible, the damage that has been done. But that meant communicating with every Embassy and Legation on the list and we couldn’t conceal the reason for such an upheaval from the senior members of the Service. Such matters are highly confidential, but even so, there’s bound to be a certain amount of talk, and it is inevitable that your name will be linked with Carruthers’ suicide.’
    â€˜Naturally,’ I agreed glumly. ‘They’ll all assume that Carruthers and I sold these secrets to foreign agents between us and that he did the decent thing by committing suicide whereas I hadn’t the guts. I’ve got to face it, sir. My name is going to stink in the Service for generations and as the story gradually becomes common property everyone outside the Service is going to regard me as a leper too.’
    â€˜If settling down at Queen’s Acres is impracticable, perhaps it would be wisest for you to travel for a bit.’
    â€˜That’s what I had in mind.’
    Sir Roger hesitated for a moment and then went on softly, ‘Have you thought at all what line you mean to take if you run up against O’Kieff or any of his friends again?’
    â€˜I’ve hardly had time to consider that yet, sir.’
    â€˜You may, you know, if you propose to travel. In fact as you have money and—er almost unlimited time at your disposal, you certainly could, if you felt so inclined.’
    â€˜Are you suggesting that I should endeavour to do so?’ I asked.
    He stared at his blotting pad. ‘I suggest nothing. It only occurred to me that you might quite reasonably feel a certain animus against these people for wrecking your career. God knows, you’ve plenty of cause; and I think the Government would owe a considerable debt of gratitude to anyone who succeeded in breaking up their organisation.’
    â€˜Are you inferring, sir, that if I could do so, the Government would reinstate me in the Service?’
    He shook his head. ‘Hardly that, I’m afraid; but it is not altogether outside the bounds of possibility that they might consider conferring a decoration on you for services rendered; which, in itself, would be quite sufficient to wipe out the stigma that is bound to attach to you as the result of this affair.’
    â€˜With help from the Secret Service it might be done,’ I said impulsively.
    He dropped his eyes for a moment. ‘It distresses me very much to have to say so but while I, personally, believe in your integrity, others may not be quite so willing to do so; therefore any such tie-up is out of the question. You would have to act on your own.’
    â€˜In that case I doubt if I should stand much chance of securing evidence against them.’
    â€˜If you could secure evidence, well and good; but that is not essential. From our point of view it would, perhaps, be even better if they—er ceased to exist.’
    â€˜You mean…’ I hesitated.
    â€˜I am not given to looseness of speech, young man, and I mean exactly what I said.’ He seemed quite annoyed that I should question his words, yet it made me positively gasp to believe that this quiet,