Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Page #4

He's heading for home.

The first peep from him,

you come to the grown-ups.

Understood?

Anyone you see around this table

but not another damn soul.

Get out.

Peter?

Thank you, Belinda.

# Oh, Mr Wu

# What shall I do?

# Oh, Mr Wu

# What shall I do?

# Mr Wu... #

All go smoothly, did it?

I need to go to the hotel

to see George.

Mr Smiley isn't at the hotel, sir.

Change of venue.

George?

Mr Guillam...

Sorry it took me so long

to come home.

Ricki has been helping us, Peter.

He's been telling us

all about his adventures.

He's a double, George.

There is no mole. Whole thing's

been thought up by Moscow.

Karla bought him for 30,000.

I stole that because of you.

I spied on my own because of him.

Do you know how that mak es me feel?

Ricki...

you said you sent the Circus a telegram

concerning Irina's information.

- That's right.

- What was the date?

He doesn't know

because there was no telegram.

- The whole thing is a fabrication.

- 20th November.

It must have been 20th November.

Evening.

'lrina k ept telling me

in Moscow Centre

'everybody on the top floor

was laughing themselves sick.

- 'She told me Karla... '

- November 20th is missing.

Someone is covering their track s,

unless of course you think

that's just a coincidence?

What about the money?

to pay if it protects his mole.

I'm afraid someone in the Circus

knows all about Mr Tarr

and is doing everything they can

to discredit him.

'... everything the Circus think s

is gold is sh*t, made in Moscow.'

Why didn't you tell me

that you had Tarr?

In case I never made it

out of the Circus.

I suppose you've got your reading to do.

Come up.

I met him once.

Karla.

In '55.

Moscow Centre was in pieces.

Purge after purge.

Half their agents were jumping ship.

I travelled around, signing them up.

Hundreds of them.

One of them

was calling himself Gerstmann.

He was on his way back to Russia

and we were pretty sure

he was going to be executed.

Plane had a 24-hour lay-over at Delhi

and that's how long I had

to convince him to come over to us

instead of going home to die.

There's a little room.

I'm sitting here. He's sitting there.

The Americans had had him tortured.

He had no fingernails.

It's incredibly hot.

I'm very tired and all I want to do

is get this over with and get back home.

Things weren't going well with Ann.

I give him the usual pitch.

"Come to the West

and we can give you a comfortable life,

"after questioning."

What did he say?

"Think of your wife.

"You have a wife, don't you?

"Here. I brought you some cigarettes,

by the way.

"Use my lighter.

"We could arrange for her to join you.

We have a lot of stock to trade.

"If you go back, she'll be ostracised.

Think of her.

"Think about..."

I kept on...

...harping on about the damn wife,

telling him more about me than...

I should have walk ed out, of course.

"We're not so very different you and I.

"We've both spent our lives

"looking for the weaknesses

in one another's systems.

"Don't you think it's time to recognise

"there is as little worth on your side

as there is on mine?"

Never said a word.

Not one word.

And the next morning

he got back on his plane.

He handed the pack of cigarettes

back to me, untouched.

This was a chain-smok er, mind.

And he flew off to what

he presumed would be his death.

He k ept my lighter.

It was a gift.

"To George from Ann.

"All my love."

That was Karla.

He went back to die

rather than giving in.

Yes, and that's how I k now

he can be beaten.

Because he's a fanatic.

And the fanatic is always

concealing a secret doubt.

What did he look lik e?

I can't remember.

After today, Peter,

you have to assume

they're watching you.

If there's anything you need tidied up,

now is the time.

Nearly done.

For God's sak e.

Sometimes I think they're all

sharing the same moronic brain.

If there's someone else,

you can tell me.

I'm a grown-up.

I know. It's just going to be

such a wonderful Christmas.

Excuse me.

# And I was too proud to give in

# I had to learn the hard way

- # That pride... #

- Peter, when you're ready

Put it on now.

Everybody!

- Jerry.

- George.

- Peter.

- Jerry.

I need to talk to you.

About the night J im Prideaux was killed.

You were duty officer, weren't you?

Yeah. Control ask ed me

to man the phones that night.

He said someone was doing

a special job for the service.

He wanted someone he could trust.

'Hurricane Henry set

to be ridden by Ray Walsh at 7:2... '

There's been a bit of a panic, sir.

This is from the FO resident clerk.

A Hungarian news bulletin.

"British spy, work name Ellis,

"travelling with false Hungarian papers,

"has attempted to kidnap an unnamed

Hungarian General in Budapest.

"He's been shot.

"Other arrests imminent."

Can I have a brief, please?

Sir? Do you want me to deny it, sir?

'I couldn't get a word out of Control.

'So I followed protocol

and went for the emergency list.'

You rang my house.

J ust on the off-chance

you were back from Berlin.

What did you say?

- 'Hello? '

- Hello, Mrs Smiley.

It's Jerry.

Jerry Westerby from the office.

Just that there'd been a bit of a crisis.

Ann said you wasn't back yet

and that was it.

Go on.

All hell brok e loose.

Military yelling about

Hungarian tank s on the border.

Lacon and the minister

baying at the door.

Thank Christ

Bill Haydon turned up when he did.

- Mr Haydon.

- Not now.

Mr Haydon!

Out!

- Tell me.

- I tried to get hold of you.

I got half a story

on the tick er tape at my club. Tell me.

Jim Prideaux's been shot.

Get me the H ungarian embassy.

You tell your masters what will happen

if one hair on J im Prideaux's head

is damaged.

Get Esterhase on the phone.

Tell him to call in the Hungarian agents.

Yes, sir.

Any more news on him? Sir?

Oh, God.

We need to get down to his flat,

clear out anything link ed.

Haydon heard the news at his club?

At 1:
30? The tick er-tape

wouldn't have been running.

So how did he know?

- Jesus, George.

- Peter!

- How could he have known?

- It's not what you think.

- Then how did he know?

- He was at my house that night.

Good flight?

Yes.

Pleasant enough.

I was just passing.

I thought I'd call in.

Ann was in bed.

She insisted on getting up.

She said she'd be down in a minute.

That's what I'm dropping off.

It's an awful daub really.

But Ann expressed a liking.

What's k eeping her?

Keep going.

Come on, lads. Keep up.

Come on, Bill!

- Got your specs on, J umbo?

- Yes, sir.

Come here.

Who's that fellow down there?

I don't know, sir.

Who is he?

Beggar man?

Thief?

Why doesn't he look this way, hm?

Wouldn't you if you saw a bunch

of boys flogging a car round a field?

What's the matter with him?

Doesn't he lik e us?

I don't hold with odd-bods

hanging around.

He might steal the Alvis.

- Which is?

- The best car in England, sir.

Good lad.

How were you briefed

for the Budapest mission?

Control ask ed me

to come to a flat in Kensington.

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