if.goldfinger-第14章

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f　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　was　perfectly　above…board。　The　Gold　Squad　retired　disfited；　our　legal　department　decided　the　brown　dust　in　the　trawler's　timbers　was　not　enough　to　prosecute　on　without　supporting　evidence；　and　that　was　more　or　less　that；　except'　…　Colonel　Smithers　slowly　wagged　the　stem　of　his　pipe　…'that　I　kept　the　file　open　and　started　sniffing　around　the　banks　of　the　world。'
　Colonel　Smithers　paused。　The　rumble　of　the　City　came　through　the　half…open　window　high　up　in　the　wall　behind　his　chair。　Bond　glanced　surreptitiously　at　his　watch。　Five　o'clock。　Colonel　Smithers　got　up　from　his　chair。　He　placed　both　hands　palm　downwards　on　the　desk　and　leant　forward。　'It　took　me　five　years；　Mr　Bond；　to　find　out　that　Mr　Goldfinger；　in　ready　money；　is　the　richest　man　in　England。　In　Zurich；　in　Nassau；　in　Panama；　in　New　York；　he　has　twenty　million　pounds'　worth　of　gold　bars　on　safe　deposit。　And　those　bars；　Mr　Bond；　are　not　Mint　bars。　They　don't　carry　any　official　marks　of　origin　whatsoever。　They're　bars　that　Mr　Goldfinger　has　melted　himself。　I　flew　to　Nassau　and　had　a　look　at　the　five　million　pounds'　worth　or　so　he　holds　there　in　the　vaults　of　the　Royal　Bank　of　Canada。　Oddly　enough；　like　all　artists；　he　couldn't　refrain　from　signing　his　handiwork。　It　needs　a　microscope　to　see　it；　but　somewhere；　on　each　Goldfinger　bar；　a　minute　letter　Z　has　been　scratched　in　the　metal。　And　that　gold；　or　most　of　it；　belongs　to　England。　The　Bank　can　do　nothing　about　it；　so　we　are　asking　you　to　bring　Mr　Gold…finger　to　book；　Mr　Bond；　and　get　that　gold　back。　You　know　about　the　currency　crisis　and　the　high　bank　rate？　Of　course。　Well；　England　needs　that　gold；　badly　…　and　the　quicker　the　better。'
　
　CHAPTER　SEVEN
　
　THOUGHTS　IN　A　DB　III
　
　BOND　FOLLOWED　Colonel　Smithers　to　the　lift。　While　they　waited　for　it；　Bond　glanced　out　of　the　tall　window　at　the　end　of　the　passage。　He　was　looking　down　into　the　deep　well　of　the　back　courtyard　of　the　Bank。　A　trim　chocolate…brown　lorry　with　no　owner's　name　had　e　into　the　courtyard　through　the　triple　steel　gates。　Square　ca