He had arrived at Royale-les-Eaux in time for luncheon1 two days before. There had been no attempt to contact him and there had been no flicker2 of curiosity when he had signed the register 'James Bond, Port Maria, Jamaica'.
M had expressed no interest in his cover.
'Once you start to make a set at Le Chiffre at the tables, you'll have had it,' he said. 'But wear a cover that will stick with the general public.'
Bond knew Jamaica well, so he asked to be controlled from there and to pass as a Jamaican plantocrat whose father had made his pile in tobacco and sugar and whose son chose to play it away on the stock markets and in casinos. If inquiries3 were made, he would quote Charles DaSilva of Chaffery's, Kingston, as his attorney. Charles would make the story stick.
Bond had spent the last two afternoons and most of the nights at the Casino, playing complicated progression systems on the even chances at roulette. He made a high banco at chemin-de-fer whenever he heard one offered. If he lost, he would suivi once and not chase it further if he lost the second time.
In this way he had made some three million francs and had given his nerves and card-sense a thorough work-out. He had got the geography of the Casino clear in his mind. Above all, he had been able to observe Le Chiffre at the tables and to note ruefully that he was a faultless and lucky gambler.
Bond liked to make a good breakfast. After a cold shower, he sat at the writing-table in front of the window. He looked out at the beautiful day and consumed half a pint4 of iced orange juice, three scrambled5 eggs and bacon and a double portion of coffee without sugar. He lit his first cigarette, a Balkan and Turkish mixture made for him by Morlands of Grosvenor Street, and watched the small waves lick the long seashore and the fishing-fleet from Dieppe string out towards the June heat-haze followed by a paper-chase of herring-gulls.
He was lost in his thoughts when the telephone rang. It was the concierge6 announcing that a Director of Radio Stentor was waiting below with the wireless7 set he had ordered from Paris.
'Of course,' said Bond. 'Send him up.'
This was the cover fixed8 by the Deuxième Bureau for their liaison9 man with Bond. Bond watched the door, hoping that it would be Mathis.
When Mathis came in, a respectable business-man carrying a large square parcel by its leather handle, Bond smiled broadly and would have greeted him with warmth if Mathis had not frowned and held up his free hand after carefully closing the door.
'I have just arrived from Paris, monsieur, and here is the set you asked to have on approval - five valves, superhet, I think you call it in England, and you should be able to get most of the capitals of Europe from Royale. There are no mountains for forty miles in any direction.'
'It sounds all right,' said Bond, lifting his eyebrows10 at this mystery-making.
Mathis paid no attention. He placed the set, which he had unwrapped, on the floor beside the unlit panel electric fire below the mantelpiece.
'It is just past eleven,' he said, 'and I see that the Compagnons de la Chanson should now be on the medium wave from Rome. They are touring Europe. Let us see what the reception is like. It should be a fair test.'
He winked11. Bond noticed that he had turned the volume on to full and that the red light indicating the long waveband was illuminated13, though the set was still silent.
Mathis fiddled14 at the back of the set. Suddenly an appalling15 roar of static filled the small room. Mathis gazed at the set for a few seconds with benevolence16 and then turned it off and his voice was full of dismay.
'My dear monsieur - forgive me please - badly tuned,' and he again bent17 to the dials. After a few adjustments the close harmony of the French came over the air and Mathis walked up and clapped Bond very hard on the back and wrang his hand until Bond's fingers ached.
Bond smiled back at him. 'Now, what the hell?' he asked.
'My dear friend,' Mathis was delighted, 'you are blown, blown, blown. Up there,' he pointed18 at the ceiling, 'at this moment, either Monsieur Muntz or his alleged19 wife, allegedly bedridden with the grippe, is deafened20, absolutely deafened, and I hope in agony.' He grinned with pleasure at Bond's frown of disbelief.
Mathis sat down on the bed and ripped open a packet of Caporal with his thumbnail. Bond waited.
Mathis was satisfied with the sensation his words had caused. He became serious.
'How it has happened I don't know. They must have been on to you for several days before you arrived. The opposition21 is here in real strength. Above you is the Muntz family. He is German. She is from somewhere in Central Europe, perhaps a Czech. This is an old-fashioned hotel. There are disused chimneys behind these electric fires. Just here,' he pointed a few inches above the panel fire, 'is suspended a very powerful radio pick-up. The wires run up the chimney to behind the Muntzes' electric fire where there is an amplifier. In their room is a wire-recorder and a pair of earphones on which the Muntzes listen in turn. That is why Madame Muntz has the grippe and takes all her meals in bed and why Monsieur Muntz has to be constantly at her side instead of enjoying the sunshine and the gambling22 of this delightful23 resort.
'Some of this we knew because in France we are very clever. The rest we confirmed by unscrewing your electric fire a few hours before you got here.'
Suspiciously Bond walked over and examined the screws which secured the panel to the wall. Their grooves24 showed minute scratches.
'Now it is time for a little more play-acting,' said Mathis. He walked over to the radio, which was still transmitting close harmony to its audience of three, and switched it off.
'Are you satisfied, monsieur?' he asked. 'You notice how clearly they came over. Are they not a wonderful team?' He made a winding25 motion with his right hand and raised his eyebrows.
'They are so good,' said Bond, 'that I would like to hear the rest of the programme.' He grinned at the thought of the angry glances which the Muntzes must be exchanging overhead. 'The machine itself seems splendid. Just what I was looking for to take back to Jamaica.'
Mathis made a sarcastic26 grimace27 and switched back to the Rome programme.
'You and your Jamaica,' he said, and sat down again on the bed.
Bond frowned at him. 'Well, it's no good crying over spilt milk,' he said. 'We didn't expect the cover to stick for long, but it's worrying that they bowled it out so soon.' He searched his mind in vain for a clue. Could the Russians have broken one of our ciphers28? If so, he might just as well pack up and go home. He and his job would have been stripped naked.
Mathis seemed to read his mind. 'It can't have been a cipher,' he said. 'Anyway, we told London at once and they will have changed them. A pretty flap we caused, I can tell you.' He smiled with the satisfaction of a friendly rival. 'And now to business, before our good "Compagnons" run out of breath.
'First of all,' and he inhaled29 a thick lungful of Caporal, 'you will be pleased with your Number Two. She is very beautiful' - Bond frowned - 'very beautiful indeed.' Satisfied with Bond's reaction, Mathis continued: 'She has black hair, blue eyes, and splendid . . . er . . . protuberances. Back and front,' he added. 'And she is a wireless expert which, though sexually less interesting, makes her a perfect employee of Radio Stentor and assistant to myself in my capacity as wireless salesman for this rich summer season down here.' He grinned. 'We are both staying in the hotel and my assistant will thus be on hand in case your new radio breaks down. All new machines, even French ones, are apt to have teething troubles in the first day or two. And occasionally at night,' he added with an exaggerated wink12.
Bond was not amused. 'What the hell do they want to send me a woman for?' he said bitterly. 'Do they think this is a bloody30 picnic?'
Mathis interrupted. 'Calm yourself, my dear James. She is as serious as you could wish and as cold as an icicle. She speaks French like a native and knows her job backwards31. Her cover's perfect and I have arranged for her to team up with you quite smoothly32. What is more natural than that you should pick up a pretty girl here? As a Jamaican millionaire,' he coughed respectfully, 'what with your hot blood and all, you would look naked without one.'
Bond grunted33 dubiously34.
'Any other surprises?' he asked suspiciously.
'Nothing very much,' answered Mathis. 'Le Chiffre is installed in his villa35. It's about ten miles down the coast road. He has his two guards with him. They look pretty capable fellows. One of them has been seen visiting a little "pension" in the town where three mysterious and rather subhuman characters checked in two days ago. They may be part of the team. Their papers are in order - stateless Czechs apparently36 - but one of our men says the language they talk in their room is Bulgarian. We don't see many of those around. They're mostly used against the Turks and the Yugoslavs. They're stupid, but obedient. The Russians use them for simple killings37 or as fall-guys for more complicated ones.'
'Thanks very much. Which is mine to be?' asked Bond. 'Anything else?'
'No. Come to the bar of the Hermitage before lunch. I'll fix the introduction. Ask her to dinner this evening. Then it will be natural for her to come into the Casino with you. I'll be there too, but in the background. I've got one or two good chaps and we'll keep an eye on you. Oh, and there's an American called Leiter here, staying in the hotel. Felix Leiter. He's the CIA chap from Fontainebleau. London told me to tell you. He looks okay. May come in useful.'
A torrent38 of Italian burst from the wireless set on the floor. Mathis switched it off and they exchanged some phrases about the set and about how Bond should pay for it. Then with effusive39 farewells and a final wink Mathis bowed himself out.
Bond sat at the window and gathered his thoughts. Nothing that Mathis had told him was reassuring40. He was completely blown and under really professional surveillance. An attempt might be made to put him away before he had a chance to pit himself against Le Chiffre at the tables. The Russians had no stupid prejudices about murder. And then there was this pest of a girl. He sighed. Women were for recreation. On a job, they got in the way and fogged things up with sex and hurt feelings and all the emotional baggage they carried around. One had to look out for them and take care of them.
'Bitch,' said Bond' and then remembering the Muntzes, he said 'bitch' again more loudly and walked out of the room.
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1
luncheon
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| n.午宴，午餐，便宴 | |
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2
flicker
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| vi./n.闪烁，摇曳，闪现 | |
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inquiries
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| n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听 | |
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pint
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| n.品脱 | |
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scrambled
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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concierge
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| n.管理员；门房 | |
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7
wireless
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| adj.无线的；n.无线电 | |
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8
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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9
liaison
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| n.联系，（未婚男女间的）暖昧关系，私通 | |
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10
eyebrows
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| 眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 ) | |
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winked
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| v.使眼色( wink的过去式和过去分词 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮 | |
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12
wink
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| n.眨眼，使眼色，瞬间；v.眨眼，使眼色，闪烁 | |
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13
illuminated
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| adj.被照明的；受启迪的 | |
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14
fiddled
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| v.伪造( fiddle的过去式和过去分词 )；篡改；骗取；修理或稍作改动 | |
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15
appalling
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| adj.骇人听闻的，令人震惊的，可怕的 | |
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benevolence
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| n.慈悲，捐助 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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19
alleged
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| a.被指控的，嫌疑的 | |
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20
deafened
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| 使聋( deafen的过去式和过去分词 )； 使隔音 | |
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opposition
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| n.反对，敌对 | |
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gambling
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| n.赌博；投机 | |
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delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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24
grooves
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| n.沟( groove的名词复数 )；槽；老一套；（某种）音乐节奏v.沟( groove的第三人称单数 )；槽；老一套；（某种）音乐节奏 | |
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25
winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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sarcastic
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| adj.讥讽的，讽刺的，嘲弄的 | |
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grimace
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| v.做鬼脸，面部歪扭 | |
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28
ciphers
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| n.密码( cipher的名词复数 )；零；不重要的人；无价值的东西 | |
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29
inhaled
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| v.吸入( inhale的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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30
bloody
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| adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染 | |
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31
backwards
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| adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地 | |
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smoothly
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| adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地 | |
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33
grunted
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| （猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说 | |
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dubiously
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| adv.可疑地，怀疑地 | |
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35
villa
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| n.别墅，城郊小屋 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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37
killings
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| 谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发 | |
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38
torrent
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| n.激流，洪流；爆发，(话语等的)连发 | |
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39
effusive
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| adj.热情洋溢的；感情(过多)流露的 | |
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40
reassuring
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| a.使人消除恐惧和疑虑的，使人放心的 | |
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