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Behind hiuard throw himself at the door, but Bond had his back to it and it held The e for the knife, called out soe Bond had never heard The pressure on the door ceased Thesot to his feet and slowly raised his hands 'I surrender And I a of you At least not until we have had a stiff whisky and soda and a talk Then I will give you the choice again OK?'

Bond rose to his full height He shtful face, so lit with hunetism that, at least in the man's present role, Bond could no more have killed him than he could have killed, well, Tracy

There was a calendar hanging on the wall beside theHe said,' Septeht hand forward hi the underhand throw The knife flashed across the roo, half-way down the page of the calendar

The hed out loud 'Actually the fifteenth But quite respectable I ht even bet on you It would teach them a lesson'

He caed man with a brown, crinkled face He was dressed in the sort of comfortable dark blue suit Bond hied with muscle Bond noticed the fullness of the cut of the coat under the aruns? The e Draco is my name You have heard of it?'

'No'

'Aha! But I have heard of yours It is Commander James Bond You have a decoration called the CMG You are a member, an important member, of Her Majesty's Secret Service You have been taken off your usual duties and you are on teht'Yes?'

James Bond, to cover his confusion, walked across to the calendar, verified that he had in fact pierced the fifteenth, pulled out the knife and slipped it back in his trouser pocket He turned and said, 'What makes you think so?'

The man didn't answer He said, 'Come Come and sit down I have much to talk to you about But first the whisky and soda Yes?' He indicated a comfortable are silver box containing various kinds of cigarettes, and went to a ainst the wall and opened it It contained no files It was a complete and compact bar With efficient, housekeeperly , another of I W Harper's Bourbon, two pint glasses that looked like Waterford, a bucket of ice cubes, a siphon of soda and a flagon of iced water One by one he placed these on the desk between his chair and Bond's Then, while Bond poured himself a stiff Bourbon and water with plenty of ice, he went and sat down across the desk fro Bond very directly in the eye, 'I learned who you are froive me such infor I am in the opposite caent on the field' He paused He lifted his glass He said withto establish confidence with you By the only ain to place my life in your hands'

He drank So did Bond In the filing cabinet, in its icebox, the huoing to be an ioing to be He didn't think it was going to be bad But he had an instinct that, somehow, perhaps because he had conceived respect and affection for thisto enerator stopped

The eyes in the walnut face held his

'I am the head of the Union Corse'