THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM ThE COLD by Le Carre, John

She recognized him at once, although she could only discern his silhouette against the pale blue light in the corridor. The trim, agile figure, the clear line of the cheek and the short fair hair just touched by the light behind him.

“It’s Mundt,” he said. “Come with me, at once.” His voice was contemptuous yet subdued, as if he were not anxious to be overheard.

Liz was suddenly terrified. She remembered the wardress: “Mundt knows what to do with Jews.” She stood by the bed, staring at him, not knowing what to do.

“Hurry, you fool.” Mundt had stepped forward and seized her wrist. “Hurry.” She let herself be drawn into the corridor. Bewildered, she watched Mundt quietly relock the door of her cell. Roughly he took her arm and forced her quickly along the first corridor, half running, half walking. She could hear the distant whirr of air conditioners; and now and then the sound of other footsteps from passages branching from their own. She noticed that Mundt hesitated, drew back even, when they came upon other corridors, would go ahead and confirm that no one was coming, then signal her forward. He seemed to assume that she would follow, that she knew the reason. It was almost as if he were treating her as an accomplice.

And suddenly he had stopped, was thrusting a key into the keyhole of a dingy metal door. She waited, panic-stricken. He pushed the door savagely outwards and the sweet, cold air of a winter’s evening blew against her face. He beckoned to her again, still with the same urgency, and she followed him down two steps onto a gravel path which led through a rough kitchen garden.

They followed the path to an elaborate Gothic gateway which gave on to the road beyond. Parked in the gateway was a car. Standing beside it was Alec Leamas.

“Keep your distance,” Mundt warned her as she started to move forward. “Wait hete.”

Mundt went forward alone and for what seemed an age she watched the two men standing together, talking quietly between themselves. Her heart was beating madly, her whole body shivering with cold and fear. Finally Mundt returned.

“Come with me,” he said, and led her to where Leamas stood. The two men looked at one another for a moment.

“Good-bye,” said Mundt indifferently. “You’re a fool, Leamas,” he added. “She’s trash, like Fiedler.” And he turned without another word and walked quickly away into the twilight.

She put her hand out and touched him, and he half turned from her, brushing her hand away as he opened the car door. He nodded to her to get in, but she hesitated.

“Alec,” she whispered, “Alec, what are you doing? Why is he letting you go?”

“Shut up!” Leamas hissed. “Don’t even, think about it, do you hear? Get in.”

“What was it he said about Fiedler? Alec, why is he letting us go?”

“He’s letting us go because we’ve done our job. Get into the car; quick!” Under the compulsion of his extraordinary will she got into the car and closed the door. Leamas got in beside her.

“What bargain have you struck with him?” she persisted, suspicion and fear rising in her voice. “They said you had tried to conspire against him, you and Fiedler. Then why is he letting you go?”

Leamas had started the car and was soon driving fast along the narrow road. On either side, bare fields; in the distance, dark monotonous hills were mingling with the gathering darkness. Leamas looked at his watch.

“We’re five hours from Berlin,” he said. “We’ve got to make Köpenick by quarter to one. We should do it easily.”

For a time Liz said nothing; she stared through the windshield down the empty road, confused and lost in a labyrinth of half-formed thoughts. A full moon had risen and the frost hovered in long shrouds across the fields. They turned onto an autobahn.

“Was I on your conscience, Alec?” she said at last. “Is that why you made Mundt let me go?”

Leamas said nothing.

“You and Mundt are enemies, aren’t you?”

Still he said nothing. He was driving fast now, the speedometer showed a hundred and twenty kilometers; the autobahn was pitted and bumpy. He had his headlights on full, she noticed, and didn’t bother to dip for oncoming traffic on the other lane. He drove roughly, leaning forward, his elbows almost on the wheel.

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