The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad

“I’ve no doubt the papers would give you an obituary notice then.

You know best what that would be worth to you. I should think you

can imagine easily the sort of stuff that would be printed. But

you may be exposed to the unpleasantness of being buried together

with me, though I suppose your friends would make an effort to sort

us out as much as possible.”

With all his healthy contempt for the spirit dictating such

speeches, the atrocious allusiveness of the words had its effect on

Chief Inspector Heat. He had too much insight, and too much exact

information as well, to dismiss them as rot. The dusk of this

narrow lane took on a sinister tint from the dark, frail little

figure, its back to the wall, and speaking with a weak, self-

confident voice. To the vigorous, tenacious vitality of the Chief

Inspector, the physical wretchedness of that being, so obviously

not fit to live, was ominous; for it seemed to him that if he had

the misfortune to be such a miserable object he would not have

cared how soon he died. Life had such a strong hold upon him that

a fresh wave of nausea broke out in slight perspiration upon his

brow. The murmur of town life, the subdued rumble of wheels in the

two invisible streets to the right and left, came through the curve

of the sordid lane to his ears with a precious familiarity and an

appealing sweetness. He was human. But Chief Inspector Heat was

also a man, and he could not let such words pass.

“All this is good to frighten children with,” he said. “I’ll have

you yet.”

It was very well said, without scorn, with an almost austere

quietness.

“Doubtless,” was the answer; “but there’s no time like the present,

believe me. For a man of real convictions this is a fine

opportunity of self-sacrifice. You may not find another so

favourable, so humane. There isn’t even a cat near us, and these

condemned old houses would make a good heap of bricks where you

stand. You’ll never get me at so little cost to life and property,

which you are paid to protect.”

“You don’t know who you’re speaking to,” said Chief Inspector Heat

firmly. “If I were to lay my hands on you now I would be no better

than yourself.”

“Ah! The game!’

“You may be sure our side will win in the end. It may yet be

necessary to make people believe that some of you ought to be shot

at sight like mad dogs. Then that will be the game. But I’ll be

damned if I know what yours is. I don’t believe you know

yourselves. You’ll never get anything by it.”

“Meantime it’s you who get something from it – so far. And you get

it easily, too. I won’t speak of your salary, but haven’t you made

your name simply by not understanding what we are after?”

“What are you after, then?” asked Chief Inspector Heat, with

scornful haste, like a man in a hurry who perceives he is wasting

his time.

The perfect anarchist answered by a smile which did not part his

thin colourless lips; and the celebrated Chief Inspector felt a

sense of superiority which induced him to raise a warning finger.

“Give it up – whatever it is,” he said in an admonishing tone, but

not so kindly as if he were condescending to give good advice to a

cracksman of repute. “Give it up. You’ll find we are too many for

you.”

The fixed smile on the Professor’s lips wavered, as if the mocking

spirit within had lost its assurance. Chief Inspector Heat went

on:

“Don’t you believe me eh? Well, you’ve only got to look about you.

We are. And anyway, you’re not doing it well. You’re always

making a mess of it. Why, if the thieves didn’t know their work

better they would starve.”

The hint of an invincible multitude behind that man’s back roused a

sombre indignation in the breast of the Professor. He smiled no

longer his enigmatic and mocking smile. The resisting power of

numbers, the unattackable stolidity of a great multitude, was the

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130

Leave a Reply 0

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *