And so now we are two women, weeping and wringing our hands. I watch us doing it.
Here we are, in this flat, the two of us with two children, a family, and she leans all over me and makes me cups of soup and gives me her rations, and says, You must eat, Ra-chel, you must sleep, Ra-chel. She has altered all the furniture in Mother's and Father's room. There is no reason why she shouldn't. I've watched her stand in the door smiling in at the room, as if she had been given something wrapped in pretty paper and she doesn't want to unwrap it for fear of spoiling the paper.
When I saw this I kissed her. I loved her for it. I wished I could give her everything wrapped in pretty paper to make up for the awful things that have happened to her, and that she came through. I can't imagine anything that could defeat Suzannah. If they put her down in a desert with Kassim and Leila, all by herself, a thousand miles from anywhere, she would say, Now Kassim, now Leila, this is what we must do, listen carefully. We must be sensible and...
I am leaving tomorrow.
COMRADE CHEN LIU, to PEKING:
re the GEORGE SHERBAN situation
Attempts to dispose of this dangerous man have failed. What went wrong is not clear. A woman impersonating him, who we later discovered was his sister, appeared in various places, but not where he was scheduled to be: he has never made any attempt to disguise his movements. This woman was wearing the uniform of Section 3, North African Youth Movements, while leaving Tunis and arriving in Spain - aided by the Youth networks, and getting lifts with various types of military vehicle. In the south of France she changed to clothes commonly worn by the said George Sherban, and succeeded in passing for him, but only for a few days. Appearing in towns and encampments where he was not expected, and behaving in a bizarre manner, "he" was reported to have suffered a mental breakdown. Meanwhile the real George Sherban was in Brussels. This period of less than a week sufficed to start rumours that this "holy man" - as in some quarters he is taken to be - has the capacity to be in two places at once. The rumours spread widely and the real George Sherban was reportedly embarrassed. At any rate, in Amsterdam he addressed a meeting of hysterics, denying he had any such capacity, but such was the fervour of the crowd, he had to make a getaway. He went to Stockholm where he disappeared from our agents' view for some days. In the meantime, while our agents were still taking Rachel Sherban for him, she was involved in two serious accidents outside Paris, but escaped from both with minor injuries. We tend to believe that he was attempting to reach her, or to send messengers of some kind to her. But she was arrested by the Paris People's Police on our instructions, and before she could be questioned, killed herself.
These theatrical events are not all that obscure this situation. For instance, we expected George Sherban to seek election as representative for all North Africa, and we are informed that he would certainly have succeeded. But he did not, and made no attempt to do so. He is travelling through the Youth networks representing an assortment of miscellaneous organisations, some with status, some without influence to the point of being ridiculous. I can only believe that his ambitions are pitched much higher. I can make no guess at what this man is aiming for. This is by no means the first opportunity for fulfilling apparent ambitions that he has despised. There have been others that were his for the picking and he ignored them.
Looking for factors that distinguish his career as representative of so many various and different Youth organisations, our agents can offer only a few consistent facts. One is that wherever he has been a handful of individuals abandon the positions they hold and make their way to other destinations. We can find no common denominator in these individuals, who are of every race and nation, and of both sexes. Nor in the places they go to. Or in the places they come from. Or in the work they do when they arrive. They may stay in the Youth networks or may not. Their work may be visibly responsible and respect-inspiring, or without civic value.
Taking these factors into account, I suggest that George Sherban be left alive for the time being, until we ascertain what it is he is aiming for.
The nine attempts to dispose of him have lost us five of our employees.
His brother Benjamin Sherban is in Camp 16, Czechoslovakia. He is undergoing Top Treatment on Elite Level. It is too early to assess results. George Sherban, reported to be on his way to India, spent a day with Benjamin Sherban. This was done in a way typical of his style of working. There was nothing illegal in his arrival or stay in Camp 16. Yet no one else has attempted such a thing, nor had we believed anyone would attempt it: it seems pointless. But it is outside our jurisdiction unless we decide to make our Benevolent Rule specific and obtrusive.
BENJAMIN SHERBAN, CAMP 16, CZECHOSLOVAKIA, to GEORGE SHERBAN
in SIMLA
I have things to tell you, my little brother! But how is another matter. One thing after another, I hear you say? Right. Here goes. You were here the day before the "Friendship Tutorial" was destined to begin. We did not know what to expect. I thought luxury and opulence, carrying on the grand traditions of Karlovy Vary, that baroque consolation of the Bourgeoisie, for their hard lives, ditto of the Party Bosses and their hard lives. But not at all. In a splendid shell, all gilt and cupids and rubbishy splendour of all sorts, behold, functional cells for us students, and common rooms conducive only to spartan thought. Two hundred of us. Cream of the cream. All under twenty-five, including the Chinese, our mentors. Equal numbers of men and women. And adequate austerity and no privileges for anybody, including the Chinese.
The other three of us arrived, in the end, but late: they had had difficulties. I made myself known to them and the instructions were passed.
The various artefacts were placed as advised.
We ate our meals in the former hotel dining room, lush to the point of lubricity, but the food was mostly potatoes-and-lucky-to-get-them.
The Chinese, ten of them, mingled from the start, very correct but friendly. They let it be understood that for the first few days nothing would be organised. The agenda: we were to get to know each other. The agenda when further pressed: informal discussions on the problems which face us.
Which are?
The relations between the Youth Armies and the European subject masses, correct attitudes towards said subject masses.
This was not at all what was generally expected. Which was of course tourist trips hither and yon, interviews with the Bosses, being photographed on cultural monuments, and probably a year in a Chinese city as honoured guests and all that crap.
Faced with this "agenda" you can bet there were informal discussions. At which the Chinese did not appear at all. They let us get on with it. We then concluded that the expected rewards for good behaviour and "co-operation" would be nothing so crude as above, but jobs and offices of various kinds in the new structure controlling the said populations. In other words, we decided - and still think - that the top layers of the structure of the Youth Armies will be incorporated into the Overlords Administration. Time-honoured stuff of course. But then, if it had not always been so effective, would it be honoured? In other words, we were being faced with the complete loss of autonomy of the Youth Armies - such as it has been - but we are not expected to mind: on the contrary, we must allow ourselves to be swallowed whole without a protest.