"Jay Lake - Benedice Te" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lake Jay)

himself to other quarters. The business was a continuing minor scandal in Mexico
City and Rome, but the dignity of the British Empire had been at stake, Galvezton
being the largest port in the eastern Americas. It apparently pleased the current
Consul-General to retain much of the Papist d├йcor of the place. The hushed quiet
and elaborate artwork was a startling contrast to the chaos of yesterdayтАЩs events.

The butler swung open one door and announced Algernon. тАЬMr. Algernon
Black-Smith, British subject, a gentleman, bachelor of arts of Balliol College,
Oxford, master of laws of the Sorbonne, in Her Imperial MajestyтАЩs service without
portfolio, paying a courtesy call.тАЭ

тАЬEh,тАЭ grunted the Consul-General. тАЬCome in.тАЭ

Algernon stepped into the office. The sun glowed through tall stained glass
windows in all the colors Spanish art could produce. The thick walls of the BishopтАЩs
Palace showed in the depth of the window wells. The room had that strangely gentle
scent of paper rot that one seemed to find only in old mansions.

The Consul-General, Lord Quinnipiac, was a rough-featured man with blue
marbled eyes set in a classically aristocratic horsey face. The man had every
advantage of breeding and position Algernon so painfully lacked, and so Algernon
regarded Quinnipiac with an automatic resentment.

Quinnipiac sat at a scarred worktable, a small mechanism spread before him in
pieces. тАЬIronman,тАЭ the Consul-General said, renewing his examination of the pieces
on the tabletop. Algernon hated that nickname with a passion, but it had followed
him from Public School through university and into the QueenтАЩs service.

тАЬSir, the world is broad and wide.тАЭ It was the opening line of the most
ordinary secret recognition phrase used by his branch of Her Imperial MajestyтАЩs
service.

тАЬOne should have stout men by oneтАЩs side,тАЭ replied Lord Quinnipiac. That
was the most common response. He looked back up from his mechanology project
with a toothy smile. тАЬWelcome to my humble abode here in the cloaca of the Texian
Republic.тАЭ

тАЬSir.тАЭ Algernon stood at respectful attention. He was newly assigned to
Galvezton as Facilitator-in-place for the Confidential Office. The Consul-General
was not within AlgernonтАЩs chain of command, but in every other way that counted,
the man stood above Algernon in Her Imperial MajestyтАЩs service, and probably
always would. If nothing else, he had a claim on AlgernonтАЩs time and attention by
virtue of his office.

Lord Quinnipiac waved the valve cap of a hydraulic pressure line at a copy of
the Galvezton Daily News resting on one end of his worktable. тАЬSome damned fool
destroyed a valuable steam ram downtown yesterday. Fennian scum, IтАЩll wager,
stirring up trouble for the old sod once again. No respect for property. Fecking
white wogs, those Irish.тАЭ