be entirely his choice," said von Altenburg. "Ifthere should be a turn in the war, who knows what he might have to concede."
"I would not wager on that," said Saint-Germain. "Piotyr Alexeievich isn't like other Czars, and it would be unwise to judge him by his forefathers. He has willed this place to be a city, and unless he dies soon, it will be one." He thought back again to Ivan Grosny, once more reminding himself that Ivan Vasillyevich had been a man of energy as well, but whose attention was turned eastward, not west; Ivan had been so absolute in his power that he had been the next to the last of his dynasty.
"What you say is true," said von Altenburg, nodding judiciously. "But Karl of Sweden isn't one to give up what has been his." He took another sip of wine. "I am not as confident as the Czar is that Russia will emerge from this war as a Baltic power. I realize that is what Piotyr wants, but Russia hasn't yet made the formidable army that Sweden commands."
"When you consider how far the army has come in a dozen years, I'm not at all convinced that Karl will be able to sustain his advances against Piotyr Alexeievich." He weighed his next remarks carefully. "I would like to think that the war will not be a long one, but I fear it shows every sign of lasting several more years."
"That is a very real concern to all of us," said von Altenburg, his frown portentous. "You have struck the heart of the matter." Again he paused to drink, swallowing nervously. "You see, I've come not only to ascertain for myself that you are improving, I am hoping that you and I might find some way to pool our missions to our mutual advantage, in two applications."
"What do you mean?" Saint-Germain asked, feeling wary.
"It seems to me that as foreigners in this place, we share many common ... issues." Von Altenburg cleared his throat. "I can think of a number of situations when it would be advantageous for us to share any information we may possess. In addition, it seems to me that if we form a kind of committee of residents of the Foreign Quarter, to greet newcomers and acquaint them with the conditions prevailing here. Whoknows, had some of us warned you of the dangers beyond the second levee, you might have been spared your injuries. Your situation informs the rest of us to be more willing to look after all our foreign neighbors."
Ragoczy made a show of pondering these possibilities, and finally said, "I cannot do anything against the mandate of Augustus, no matter how helpful it may be."
"No, no. Of course not. But consider the advantages if we pool our information, and help those coming here to avoid the pitfalls they may encounter." He waved his hand to emphasize that he had no intention to undermine Ragoczy's mission. "But insofar as we must deal with this place, and the whims of the Czar, don't you think that whenever it is practicable, that we agree to provide each other whatever information we may have for the purpose of protecting ourselves and our delegacies from any untoward development."
Saint-Germain responded carefully. "You must have instances in mind."
"Actually, the attack you sustained was the incident that made me aware of the advantage of sharing intelligence as I have mentioned already. Had you been told that there were gangs out in the marshes, you might have been better prepared for such an eventuality as your ambush. And it struck me that there were other aspects of intelligence that could be shared, as well."
"Oh. Were we ambushed?" Saint-Germain asked.
"Don't you know?" Von Altenburg was shocked to learn this.
"No. I recall leaving the house with Vladimir Pavlovich, and I have a few incoherent impressions of being struck with a club, but once we reached the second levee, I have no clear recollection of anything else until the Finnish Watch found me. They were the ones who brought me to the care-house." He saw something flicker in von Altenburg's eyes. "Why: have you
"I would not wager on that," said Saint-Germain. "Piotyr Alexeievich isn't like other Czars, and it would be unwise to judge him by his forefathers. He has willed this place to be a city, and unless he dies soon, it will be one." He thought back again to Ivan Grosny, once more reminding himself that Ivan Vasillyevich had been a man of energy as well, but whose attention was turned eastward, not west; Ivan had been so absolute in his power that he had been the next to the last of his dynasty.
"What you say is true," said von Altenburg, nodding judiciously. "But Karl of Sweden isn't one to give up what has been his." He took another sip of wine. "I am not as confident as the Czar is that Russia will emerge from this war as a Baltic power. I realize that is what Piotyr wants, but Russia hasn't yet made the formidable army that Sweden commands."
"When you consider how far the army has come in a dozen years, I'm not at all convinced that Karl will be able to sustain his advances against Piotyr Alexeievich." He weighed his next remarks carefully. "I would like to think that the war will not be a long one, but I fear it shows every sign of lasting several more years."
"That is a very real concern to all of us," said von Altenburg, his frown portentous. "You have struck the heart of the matter." Again he paused to drink, swallowing nervously. "You see, I've come not only to ascertain for myself that you are improving, I am hoping that you and I might find some way to pool our missions to our mutual advantage, in two applications."
"What do you mean?" Saint-Germain asked, feeling wary.
"It seems to me that as foreigners in this place, we share many common ... issues." Von Altenburg cleared his throat. "I can think of a number of situations when it would be advantageous for us to share any information we may possess. In addition, it seems to me that if we form a kind of committee of residents of the Foreign Quarter, to greet newcomers and acquaint them with the conditions prevailing here. Whoknows, had some of us warned you of the dangers beyond the second levee, you might have been spared your injuries. Your situation informs the rest of us to be more willing to look after all our foreign neighbors."
Ragoczy made a show of pondering these possibilities, and finally said, "I cannot do anything against the mandate of Augustus, no matter how helpful it may be."
"No, no. Of course not. But consider the advantages if we pool our information, and help those coming here to avoid the pitfalls they may encounter." He waved his hand to emphasize that he had no intention to undermine Ragoczy's mission. "But insofar as we must deal with this place, and the whims of the Czar, don't you think that whenever it is practicable, that we agree to provide each other whatever information we may have for the purpose of protecting ourselves and our delegacies from any untoward development."
Saint-Germain responded carefully. "You must have instances in mind."
"Actually, the attack you sustained was the incident that made me aware of the advantage of sharing intelligence as I have mentioned already. Had you been told that there were gangs out in the marshes, you might have been better prepared for such an eventuality as your ambush. And it struck me that there were other aspects of intelligence that could be shared, as well."
"Oh. Were we ambushed?" Saint-Germain asked.
"Don't you know?" Von Altenburg was shocked to learn this.
"No. I recall leaving the house with Vladimir Pavlovich, and I have a few incoherent impressions of being struck with a club, but once we reached the second levee, I have no clear recollection of anything else until the Finnish Watch found me. They were the ones who brought me to the care-house." He saw something flicker in von Altenburg's eyes. "Why: have you
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