“Up to a point, yes.”
“That’s funny,” said Paul, “because the price Aird and Co. are tendering at is quite a bit higher than some of the other tenders we have received.”
“You can always be undercut,” said the man from Aird and Co., “by fly-by-night outfits. If you’ll take my advice you’ll have nothing to do with any of them.”
“Dassin, Laporte et Lebrun are hardly a fly-by-night outfit,” said Paul.
The man from Aird and Co. made a dismissive gesture. “They’ve not been doing too well lately on some of their contracts in Turkey. Anyway, for a job like this it’s experience in Egypt that counts. The Nile can be a tricky river.”
“They’re quite a lot cheaper,” said one of the civil servants.
“Yes, but when you think of price you’ve got to think of quality too.”
“We ought to be able to specify quality.”
“Yes, but if you’re underfunded you might not be able to deliver the quality in the time available. This is an important part of the works. We can’t afford to have a delay in completion.”
“I thought we were already running behind time on the main work?” said Paul.
“Oh, surely not,” said the man from Aird and Co. “Not by much, anyway.”
“Can we check?” asked Paul. “We’ve got the schedules there.”
“I don’t think we need bother,” said the Chairman.
“I think if you give it to Aird and Co. you’ll be pretty satisfied.”
“We’ve certainly been satisfied up to now,” said the Chairman.
“Yes,” said Paul, “but there are other considerations.”
“Really?”
“Political ones.”
“I think you’ll find,” said the man from Aird and Co., “that there’s a lot of support for Aird and Co. back home.”
“I’m sure there is. But we have to take an international view.”
“Do you? I’m not sure a lot of people at home would think that. Wasn’t I reading in The Times just before I came out here that some questions have been asked in the House about the Foreign Office failing to support British industry abroad?”
“I hardly think Aird and Co. are in a position to complain of lack of support when they have landed the lion’s share of the contracts.”
“Ah, well,” said the man from Aird and Co. with a broad smile, “quality will tell.”
Paul smiled too.
“I think it does tell,” he said, “and will go on doing so. All the same, it would be unfortunate if because of its very success Aird and Co. began to suffer through being too- exposed.”
The man from Aird and Co. looked thoughtful.
“You think so?”
“A question of proportion-that is all.”
“But such a small contract-comparatively-”
“Because it is small,” said Paul, “that makes it all the better.”
“Well, yes, that’s certainly true, if you see it that way.”
“You wouldn’t have to give up much. And Aird and Co. might get quite a lot of benefit.”
“You think so?”
“Yes.”
“Well, we would wish to take a responsible view-”
“I’m sure you would. And it’s because of that that I’ve brought Captain Owen along this morning. The Mamur Zapt, I should explain, is responsible for law and order in the city. He will be able to tell us about some of the present tensions in Cairo, the political scene, Nationalist pressure-” He paused invitingly.
Owen responded to his cue and talked briefly about the current political scene in Egypt: the growing strength of nationalism, the rise of the Nationalist Party, increasing resentment of foreigners (“Why, only recently they went so far as to kidnap a foreign businessman: a Frenchman, fortunately”), mounting hostility to wealth passing out of the country, as the Egyptians saw it, in the form of lucrative contracts awarded abroad. In this situation it was only too easy for unscrupulous interests, too often, regrettably, easily identifiable with foreign powers (“Shocking!” said Paul, “shocking!”), to stir up trouble.
“And the trouble with that,” said Paul, coming in smoothly, “is that it could so easily have repercussions on agreed programs of development, which would be in no one’s interest.”
“Quite so,” said the man from Aird and Co.
In the circumstances, Paul went on, it was only prudent to head off trouble, not to spoil the ship for a ha’porth of tar, to cast a little bread upon the waters, etc., etc. Paul, who despised cliches, was a master of them when he chose and felt the opposition deserved.
“Give the dogs a bone or two to fight over,” said the man from Aird and Co.
“Exactly,” said Paul.
The upshot was that the contract for constructing the masonry apron went to the French firm and another, smaller, contract to an Italian firm.
“Three countries involved, I don’t think anyone can complain about that,” said the Chairman.
“But not Egypt,” said one of the civil servants.
“They’re hardly ready yet,” said the man from Aird and Co. “Give them a year or two, or perhaps a little longer, and they’ll be among the tenderers.”
“There may be an Egyptian tenderer sooner than you think,” said the other civil servant.
“Oh?” The man from Aird and Co. was interested.
“If what I’ve heard is true.”
“What have you heard?”
“There’s a big deal in the offing. Egyptian interests only.”
“I’ve not heard of a big deal,” said the man from Aird and Co. “Are you sure?”
“It may be only talk.”
“It would have to be a private development.”
“I think it is.”
“Public works is where the money is. Still, it would be interesting to know more.”
“If I hear anything I’ll tell you.”
After the meeting Paul and Owen walked out together. “Satisfied?” asked Owen.
“Greedy buggers, aren’t they?” said Paul. “Yes, I’m satisfied. This will keep the French off our backs for a day or two. Want a drink? I’ll buy you one. It will have to be somewhere close because I’ve got something I’m going on to. Shepheard’s?”
In the bar they met the French Charge. He waved to them in friendly fashion and pointed to his glass. “A drink?”
“My turn,” said Owen. “Fortunately, Paul is buying this round.”
“You ought to be buying me a drink,” Paul said to the Charge, “after what I’ve been doing for you this morning.”
“I will buy you a drink,” said the Charge. “What have you been doing?”
“Giving Dassin, Laporte et Lebrun a contract, I hope,” said Paul, waving the barman down.
The Charge looked at him curiously. “Really?”
“Yes,” said Paul. “What’ll you have? The same again?”
“Yes, please. Funny,” said the Charge, “I thought…Well, I thought you were operating against us.”
“Me?” said Paul. “I’m a Francophile at heart. And an Egyptophile. I’m every sort of phile except an Anglophile after a morning like this.”
“You’ve obviously had a hard morning. But productive, I would say,” said the Charge, “and I certainly will buy you a drink when you’ve finished that one.”
“How’s Madame Moulin?” inquired Owen.
The Charge pulled a face and drank deep.
“I’m waiting for her now. In fact, I’m waiting for her all the time. She’s supposed not to move a step without me. But that means I can’t move a step without her. It’s terrible! It’s killing me!”
He looked at Owen.
“I had hopes…” he said. “Look, you’re not hiding Moulin yourself, are you? Because if you are, I beg of you, I plead with you-” he clasped his hands in mock prayer-“let him go, just for my sake, so that she will go away again!”
Paul pulled out his handkerchief and pressed it to his eyes. “This is a pretty powerful plea,” he said to Owen. “ Are you holding him?”
“I wish I was,” said Owen. “Then I could release him and we could all go home. I’ll tell you what,” he offered, “since it’s for your sake, I’ll try harder.”
“Thank you,” said the Charge.
“Anyway,” said Paul, “he’s more interested in holding Zeinab.”
“Zeinab!” The Charges eyes lit up. He put his hand on Owen’s sleeve. “You can help me!”