if.goldfinger-第11部分

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…　right　figure　and　all　that。　Thank　you；　Miss　Philby。'
　Colonel　Smithers　took　out　a　handkerchief　and　mopped　his　forehead。　'Sorry　about　that。　Sports　and　welfare　are　being　almost　too　much　of　a　fetish　at　the　Bank。　I've　just　had　the　women's　hockey　team　thrown　into　my　lap。　As　if　I　hadn't　got　enough　to　do　with　the　annual　gymkhana　ing　on。　How　ever'　…　Colonel　Smithers　waved　these　minor　irritations　aside　…　'as　you　say；　time　to　get　on　to　the　smuggling。　Well；　to　begin　with；　and　taking　only　England　and　the　sterling　area；　it's　a　very　big　business　indeed。　We　employ　three　thousand　staff　at　the　Bank；　Mr　Bond；　and　of　those　no　less　than　one　thousand　work　in　the　exchange　control　department。　Of　those　at　least　five　hundred；　including　my　little　outfit；　are　engaged　in　controlling　the　illicit　movements　of　valuta；　the　attempts　to　smuggle　or　to　evade　the　Exchange　Control　Regulations。'
　'That's　a　lot。'　Bond　measured　it　against　the　Secret　Service　which　had　a　total　force　of　two　thousand。　'Can　you　give　me　an　example　of　smuggling？　In　gold。　I　can't　understand　these　dollar　swindles。'
　'All　right。'　Colonel　Smithers　now　talked　in　the　soft；　tired　voice　of　an　overworked　man　in　the　service　of　his　Government。　It　was　the　voice　of　the　specialist　in　a　particular　line　of　law　enforcement。　It　said　that　he　knew　most　things　connected　with　that　line　and　that　he　could　make　a　good　guess　at　all　the　rest。　Bond　knew　the　voice　well；　the　voice　of　the　first…class　Civil　Servant。　Despite　his　prosiness；　Bond　was　beginning　to　take　to　Colonel　Smithers。　'All　right。　Supposing　you　have　a　bar　of　gold　in　your　pocket　about　the　size　of　a　couple　of　packets　of　Players。　Weight　about　five　and　a　quarter　pounds。　Never　mind　for　the　moment　where　you　got　it　from　…　stole　it　or　inherited　it　or　something。　That'll　be　twenty…four　carat　…what　we　call　a　thousand　fine。　Now；　the　law　says　you　have　to　sell　that　to　the　Bank　of　England　at　the　controlled　price　of　twelve　pounds　ten　per　ounce。　That　would　make　it　worth　around　the　thousand　pounds。　But　you're　greedy。　You've　got　a　friend　going　to　India　or　perhaps　you're　on　good　terms　with　an　airline　pilot　or　a　steward　on　the　Far　East　run。　All　you　have　to　do　is　cut　your　bar　into　thin　sheets　or　plates…you'd　soon　find　someone　to　do　this　for　you　…　and　sew　the　plates　…they'd　be　smaller　than　playing　cards　…　into　a　cotton　belt；　and　pay　your　friend　a　mission　to　wear　it。　You　could　easily　afford　a　hundred　pounds　for　the　job。　Your　friend　flies　off　to　Bombay　and　goes　to　the　first　bullion　dealer　in　the　bazaar。　He　will　be　given　one　thousand　seven　hundred　pounds　for　your　five…pound　bar　and　you're　a　richer　man　than　you　might　have　been。　Mark　you；'　Colonel　Smithers　waved　his　pipe　airily；'that's　only　seventy　per　cent　profit。　Just　after　the　war　you　could　have　got　three　hundred　per　cent。　If　you'd　done　only　half　a　dozen　little　operations　like　that　every　year　you'd　be　able　to　retire　by　now。'
　'Why　the　high　price　in　India？'　Bond　didn't　really　want　to　know。　He　thought　M　might　ask　him。
　'It's　a　long　story。　Briefly；　India　is　shorter　of　gold；　particularly　for　her　jewellery　trade；　than　any　other　country。'
　'What's　the　size　of　this　traffic？'
　'Huge。　To　give　an　idea；　the　Indian　Intelligence　Bureau　and　their　Customs　captured　forty…three　thousand　ounces　in　1955。1　doubt　if　that's　one　per　cent　of　the　traffic。　Gold's　been　ing　into　India　from　all　points　of　the　pass。　Latest　dodge　is　to　fly　it　in　from　Macao　and　drop　it　by　parachute　to　a　reception　mittee　…　a　ton　at　a　time　…　like　we　used　to　drop　supplies　to　the　Resistance　during　the　war。'
　'I　see。　Is　there　anywhere　else　I　can　get　a　good　premium　for　my　gold　bar？'
　'You　could　get　a　small　premium　in　most　countries　…Switzerland；　for　instance…but　it　wouldn't　be　worth　your　while。　India's　still　the　place。'
　'All　right；'　said　Bond。　1　think　I've　got　the　picture。　Now　what's　your　particular　problem？'　He　sat　back　and　lit　a　cigarette。　He　was　greatly　looking　forward　to　hearing　about　Mr　Auric　Goldfinger。
　Colonel　Smithers's　eyes　took　on　their　hard；　foxy　look。　He　said；　'There's　a　man　who　came　over　to　England　in　1937。　He　was　a　refugee　from　Riga。　Name　of　Auric　Goldfinger。　He　was　only　twenty　when　he　arrived；　but　he　must　have　been　a　bright　lad　because　he　smelled　that　the　Russians　would　be　swallowing　his　country　pretty　soon。　He　was　a　jeweller　and　goldsmith　by　trade；　like　his　father　and　grandfather　who　had　refined　gold　for　Faberge。　He　had　a　little　money　and　probably　one　of　those　belts　of　gold　I　was　telling　you　about。　Stole　it　from　his　father；　I　daresay。　Well；　soon　after　he'd　been　naturalized　…　he　was　a　harmless　sort　of　chap　and　in　a　useful　trade　and　he　had　no　difficulty　in　getting　his　papers　…　he　started　buying　up　small　pawn…brokers　all　over　the　country。　He　put　in　his　own　men；　paid　them　well　and　changed　the　name　of　the　shops　to　〃Goldfinger〃。　Then　he　turned　the　shops　over　to　selling　cheap　jewellery　and　buying　old　gold　…　you　know　the　sort　of　place：　〃Best　Prices　for　Old　Gold。　Nothing　too　Large；　Nothing　too　Small〃；　and　he　had　his　own　particular　slogan：　〃Buy　Her　Engagement　Ring　With　Grannie's　Locket。〃　Goldfinger　did　very　well。　Always　chose　good　sites；　just　on　the　dividing　line　between　the　well…to…do　streets　and　the　lower…middle。　Never　touched　stolen　goods　and　got　a　good　name　everywhere　with　the　police。　He　lived　in　London　and　toured　his　？shops　once　a　month　and　collected　all　the　old　gold。　He　wasn't　interested　in　the　jewellery　side。　He　let　his　managers　run　that　as　they　liked。'　Colonel　Smithers　looked　quizzically　at　Bond。　'You　may　think　these　lockets　and　gold　crosses　and　things　are　pretty　small　beer。　So　they　are；　but　they　mount　up　if　you've　got　twenty　little　shops；　each　one　buying　perhaps　half　a　dozen　bits　and　pieces　every　week。　Well；　the　war　came　and　Gold…finger；　like　all　other　jewellers；　had　to　declare　his　stock　of　gold。　I　looked　up　his　figure　in　our　old　records。　It　was　fifty　ounces　for　the　whole　chain！　…　just　enough　of　a　working　stock　to　keep　his　shops　supplied　with　ring　setting　and　so　forth；　what　they　call　jewellers'　findings　in　the　trade。　Of　course；　he　was　allowed　to　keep　it。　He　tucked　himself　away　in　a　machine…tool　firm　in　Wales　during　the　war　…　well　out　of　the　firing　line　…　but　kept　as　many　of　his　shops　operating　as　he　could。　Must　have　done　well　out　of　the　GIs　who　generally　travel　with　a　Gold　Eagle　or　a　Mexican　fifty…dollar　piece　as　a　last　reserve。　Then；　when　peace　broke　out；　Goldfinger　got　moving。　He　bought　himself　a　house；　pretentious　sort　of　place；　at　Reculver；　at　the　mouth　of　the　Thames。　He　also　invested　in　a　wellfound　Brixham　trawler　and　an　old　Silver　Ghost　Rolls　Royce　…　armoured　car；　built　for　some　South　American　president　who　was　killed　before　he　could　take　delivery。　He　set　up　a　little　factory　called　〃Thanet　Alloy　Research〃　in　the　grounds　of　his　house　and　staffed　it　with　a　German　metallurgist；　a　prisoner　of　war　who　didn't　want　to　go　back　to　Germany；　and　half　a　dozen　Korean　stevedores　he　picked　up　in　Liverpool。　They　didn't　know　a　word　of　any　civilized　language　so　they　weren't　any　security　risk。　Then；　for　ten　years；　all　we　know　is　that　he　made　one　trip　a　year　to　India　in　his　trawler　and　a　few　trips　in　his　car　every　year　to　Switzerland。　Set　up　a　subsidiary　of　his　alloy　pany　near　Geneva。　He　kept　his　shops　going。　Gave　up　collecting　the　old　gold　himself　…　used　one　of　his　Koreans　whom　he　had　taught　to　drive　a　car。　All　right；　perhaps　Mr　Goldfinger　is　not　a　very　honest　man；　but　he　behaves　himself　and　keeps　in　well　with　the　police；　and　with　much　more　blatant　fiddling　going　on　all　over　the　country　nobody　paid　him　any　attention。'
　Colonel　Smithers　broke　off。　He　looked　apologetically　at　Bond。　'I'm　not　boring　you？　I　do　want　you　to　get　the　picture　of　the　sort　of　man　this　is　…　quiet；　careful；　law…abiding　and　with　the　sort　of　drive　and　single…mindedness　we　all　admire。　We　didn't　even　hear　of　him　until　he　suffered　a　slight　misfortune。　In　the　summer　of　1954；　his　trawler；　homeward　bound　from　India；　went　ashore　on　the　Goodwins　and　he　sold　the　wreck　for　a　song　to　the　Dover　Salvage　pany。　When　this　pany　started　breaking　the　ship　up　and　got　as　far　as　the　hold　they　found　the　timbers　ingregnated　with　a　sort　of　brown　powder　which　they　couldn't　put　a　name　to。　They　sent　a　specimen　to　a　local　chemist。　They　were　surprised　when　he　said　the　stuff　was　gold。　I　won't　bother　you　with　the　formula；　but　you　see　gold　can　be　made　to　dissolve　in　a　mixture　of　hydrochloric　and　nitric　acids；　and　reducing　agents　…　sulphur　dioxide　or　oxalic　acid　…　precipitate　the　metal　as　a　brown　powder。　This　powder　can　be　reconstituted　into　gold　ingots　by　melting　at　around　a　thousand　degrees　Centigrade。　Have　to　watch　the　chlorine　gas；　but　otherwise　it's　a　simple　process。
　'The　usual　nosey　parker　in　the　salvage　firm　gossiped　to　one　of　the　Dover　Customs　men　and　in　due　course　a　report　filtered　up　through　the　police　and　the　CID　to　me；　together　with　a　copy　of　the　cargo　clearance　papers　for　each　of　Goldfinger's　trips　to　India。　These　gave　all　the　cargoes　as　mineral　dust　base　for　crop　fertilizers　…　all　perfectly　credible　because　these　modern　fertilizers　do　use　traces　of　various　minerals　in　their　make…up。　The　whole　picture　was　clear　as　crystal。　Goldfinger　had　been　refining　down　his　old　gold；　precipitating　it　into　this　brown　powder　and　shipping　it　to　India　as　fertilizer。　But　could　we　pin　it　on　him？　We　could　not。　Had　a　quiet　look　at　his　bank　balance　and　tax　returns。　Twenty　thousand　pounds　at　Barclays　in　Ramsgate。　Ine　tax　and　super　tax　paid　promptly　each　year。　Figures　showed　the　natural　progress　of　a　well…run　jewellery　business。　We　dressed　a　couple　of　the　Gold　Squad　up　and　sent　them　down　to　knock　on　the　door　of　Mr　Goldfinger's　factory　at　Reculver。　〃Sorry；　sir；　routine　inspection　for　the　Small　Engineering　Section　of　the　Ministry　of　Labour。　We　have　to　make　sure　the　Factory　Acts　are　being　observed　for　safety　and　health。〃
　〃e　in。　e　in。〃　Mr　Goldfinger　positively　weled　them。　Mark　you；　he　may　have　been　tipped　off　by　his　bank　manager　or　someone；　but　that　factory　was　entirely　devoted　to　designing　a　cheap　alloy　for　jewellers'　findings　…　trying　out　unusual　metals　like　aluminium　and　tin　instead　of　the　usual　copper　and　nickel　and　palladium　that　are　used　in　gold　alloys。　There　were　traces　of　gold　about；　of　course；　and　furnaces　to　heat　up　to　two　thousand　degrees　and　so　forth；　but　after　all　Goldfinger　was　a　jeweller　and　a　smelter　in　a　small　way；　and　all　this　wa