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The Count was off-hand 'They suffer froricultural field They are country girls and their disabilities affect the possibility of their elad to say that the signs are propitious We are ether' The telephone by his side buzzed 'Excuse me' The Count picked up the receiver and listened 'Ja Machen Sie die Verbindung' He paused Bond politely studied the papers he had brought along 'Zdies de Bleuville Da Da Kharascho!' He put the receiver back 'Forgive me That was one ofsome materials for the laboratories The cable railway is closed, but they area special trip up for him Brave reen contact lenses hid any sympathy he may have felt The fixed set on with our work'

Bond laid out his big sheets on the desk and proudly ran his finger down through the generations There was excitement and satisfaction in the Count's comments and questions 'But this is tremendous, really tremendous, my dear fellow And you say there is mention of a broken spear or a broken sword in the arranted?'

Bond rattled off a lot of stuff about the Norman Conquest The broken sword had probably been awarded as a result of some battle More research in London would be needed to pin the occasion down Finally Bond rolled up the sheets and got out his notebook 'And noeback from the other end, Count' Bond became inquisitorial, authoritative 'We have your birth date in Gdynia, May 28th, 1908 Yes?'

'Correct'

'Your parents' nae Blofeld and Maria Stavro Michelopoulos'

'Also born in Gdynia?'

'Yes'

'Now your grandparents?'

'Ernst Stefan Blofeld and Elizabeth Lubo of a farandfather, he was also Ernst'

'That isthere are no less than two Ernsts!'

The Count's hands had been lying on the green blotting-pad on his desk, relaxed Now, i white knuckles

My God, you've got it bad! thought Bond

'And that is ih fanificant clues Now, can you remember any farther back? You have done well We have covered three generations With the dates I shall later ask you for, we have already got back to around 1850 Only another fifty years to go and we shall have arrived at Augsburg'

'No' It was alrandfather Of hi-paper 'Perhaps, perhaps If it is a question of money People, witnesses could be found' The hands parted, held themselves out expansively 'My dear Sir Hilary, you and I are men of the world We understand each other Extracts fros, do they have to be completely authentic?'

Got you, you old fox! Bond said affably, with a hint of conspiracy, 'I don't quite understand what you ain, happy hands Blofeld had recognized one of his kind 'You are a hardworking ion of Scotland Life could perhaps be made easier for you There are perhaps material benefits you desire - motorcars, a yacht, a pension You have only to say the word, nareen orbs bored into Bond'sthem 'Just a little co-operation A visit here and there in Poland and Germany and France Of course your expenses would be heavy Let us say five hundred pounds a week The technical e It would only require your supporting evidence Yes? The Ministry of Justice in Paris, for thee of Arood to be true! But how to play it? Diffidently, Bond said, 'What you are suggesting, Count, is - er - not without interest Of course' - Bond's smile was sufficiently expansive, sufficiently bland - 'if the docu, so to speak solid, very solid, then it would be quite reasonable for me to authenticate the to be patted, to be told that everything would be all right, that he would be coan, with force, sincerity, 'You need have absolutely no' when there was the noise of an approaching hubbub down the passage The door burst open A man, propelled fro, to the floor

Two of the guards came stiffly to attention behind him They looked first at the Count and then, sideways, towards Bond, surprised to see him there