could telephone to him and find out.’
‘It would take several hours to reach Havana on the telephone.’
‘I can’t leave Santiago at night. I will wait for you at the hotel.’
‘Or in a cell at the station here.’
‘I don’t think Captain Segura would be pleased.’
The sergeant considered the matter for a long time, going through the contents of the wallet while he thought. Then he told one of the men to accompany Wormold back to the hotel and there to examine his passport (in this way the sergeant obviously thought that he was saving face). The two walked back in an embarrassed silence, and it was only when Wormold had lain down that he remembered the postcard to Dr Hasselbacher was still on the sergeant’s desk. It seemed to him to have no importance; he could always send another in the morning. How long it takes to realize in one’s life the intricate patterns of which everything – even a picture-postcard – can form a part, and the rashness of dismissing anything as unimportant. Three days later Wormold took the bus back to Santa Clara; his Hillman was ready; the road to Havana offered him no problems.
CHAPTER 3
A GREAT MANY telegrams were waiting for him when he arrived in Havana in the late afternoon. There was also a note from Milly. ‘What have you been up to? You-know-who’ (but he didn’t) ‘very pressing – not in any bad way. Dr Hasselbacher wants to speak to you urgently. Love. P.S. Riding at Country Club. Seraphina’s picture taken by press photographer. Is this fame? Go, bid the soldiers shoot.’
Dr Hasselbacher could wait. Two of the telegrams were marked urgent.
‘No. 2 of 5 March paragraph A begins trace of Hasselbacher ambiguous stop use utmost caution in any contact and keep these to minimum message ends.’
Vincent C. Parkman was rejected as an agent out of hand. ‘You are not repeat not to contact him stop probability that he is already employed by American service.’
The next telegram – No. 1 of 4 March – read coldly, ‘Please in future as instructed confine each telegram to one subject.’
No. 1 of 5 March was more encouraging, ‘No traces Professor Sanchez and Engineer Cifuentes stop you may recruit them stop presumably men of their standing will require no more than out-of-pocket expenses.’
The last telegram was rather an anticlimax. ‘Following from A.O. recruitment of 59200/5/1’ – that was Lopez – ‘recorded but please note proposed payment below recognized European scale and you should revise to 25 repeat 25 pesos monthly message ends.’
Lopez was shouting up the stairs, ‘It is Dr Hasselbacher.’
‘Tell him I’m busy. I’ll call him later.’
‘He says will you come quick. He sounds strange.’
Wormold went down to the telephone. Before he could speak he heard an agitated and an old voice. It had never occurred to him before that Dr Hasselbacher was old. ‘Please, Mr Wormold …’
‘Yes. What is it?’
‘Please come to me. Something has happened.’
‘Where are you?’
‘In my apartment.’
‘What’s wrong, Hasselbacher?’
‘I can’t tell you over the telephone.’
‘Are you sick … hurt?’
‘If only that were all,’ Hasselbacher said. ‘Please come.’ In all the years they had known each other, Wormold had never visited Hasselbacher’s home. They had met at the Wonder Bar, and on Milly’s birthdays in a restaurant, and once Dr Hasselbacher had visited him in Lamparilla when he had a high fever. There had been an occasion too when he had wept in front of Hasselbacher, sitting on a seat in the Paseo telling him that Milly’s mother had flown away on the morning plane to Miami, but their friendship was safely founded on distance – it was always the closest friendships that were most liable to break. Now he even had to ask Hasselbacher how to find his home.
‘You don’t know?’ Hasselbacher asked in bewilderment.
‘No.’
‘Please come quickly,’ Hasselbacher said, ‘I do not wish to be
‘It would take several hours to reach Havana on the telephone.’
‘I can’t leave Santiago at night. I will wait for you at the hotel.’
‘Or in a cell at the station here.’
‘I don’t think Captain Segura would be pleased.’
The sergeant considered the matter for a long time, going through the contents of the wallet while he thought. Then he told one of the men to accompany Wormold back to the hotel and there to examine his passport (in this way the sergeant obviously thought that he was saving face). The two walked back in an embarrassed silence, and it was only when Wormold had lain down that he remembered the postcard to Dr Hasselbacher was still on the sergeant’s desk. It seemed to him to have no importance; he could always send another in the morning. How long it takes to realize in one’s life the intricate patterns of which everything – even a picture-postcard – can form a part, and the rashness of dismissing anything as unimportant. Three days later Wormold took the bus back to Santa Clara; his Hillman was ready; the road to Havana offered him no problems.
CHAPTER 3
A GREAT MANY telegrams were waiting for him when he arrived in Havana in the late afternoon. There was also a note from Milly. ‘What have you been up to? You-know-who’ (but he didn’t) ‘very pressing – not in any bad way. Dr Hasselbacher wants to speak to you urgently. Love. P.S. Riding at Country Club. Seraphina’s picture taken by press photographer. Is this fame? Go, bid the soldiers shoot.’
Dr Hasselbacher could wait. Two of the telegrams were marked urgent.
‘No. 2 of 5 March paragraph A begins trace of Hasselbacher ambiguous stop use utmost caution in any contact and keep these to minimum message ends.’
Vincent C. Parkman was rejected as an agent out of hand. ‘You are not repeat not to contact him stop probability that he is already employed by American service.’
The next telegram – No. 1 of 4 March – read coldly, ‘Please in future as instructed confine each telegram to one subject.’
No. 1 of 5 March was more encouraging, ‘No traces Professor Sanchez and Engineer Cifuentes stop you may recruit them stop presumably men of their standing will require no more than out-of-pocket expenses.’
The last telegram was rather an anticlimax. ‘Following from A.O. recruitment of 59200/5/1’ – that was Lopez – ‘recorded but please note proposed payment below recognized European scale and you should revise to 25 repeat 25 pesos monthly message ends.’
Lopez was shouting up the stairs, ‘It is Dr Hasselbacher.’
‘Tell him I’m busy. I’ll call him later.’
‘He says will you come quick. He sounds strange.’
Wormold went down to the telephone. Before he could speak he heard an agitated and an old voice. It had never occurred to him before that Dr Hasselbacher was old. ‘Please, Mr Wormold …’
‘Yes. What is it?’
‘Please come to me. Something has happened.’
‘Where are you?’
‘In my apartment.’
‘What’s wrong, Hasselbacher?’
‘I can’t tell you over the telephone.’
‘Are you sick … hurt?’
‘If only that were all,’ Hasselbacher said. ‘Please come.’ In all the years they had known each other, Wormold had never visited Hasselbacher’s home. They had met at the Wonder Bar, and on Milly’s birthdays in a restaurant, and once Dr Hasselbacher had visited him in Lamparilla when he had a high fever. There had been an occasion too when he had wept in front of Hasselbacher, sitting on a seat in the Paseo telling him that Milly’s mother had flown away on the morning plane to Miami, but their friendship was safely founded on distance – it was always the closest friendships that were most liable to break. Now he even had to ask Hasselbacher how to find his home.
‘You don’t know?’ Hasselbacher asked in bewilderment.
‘No.’
‘Please come quickly,’ Hasselbacher said, ‘I do not wish to be
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