Поющие в терновнике

           "He’swrong!Hisjudgment’sbiased.AllofhisenergiesaredirectedtowardfightingCommunism.HeseesGermanyasitsgreatestenemy,theonlyrealfactorpreventingthewestwardspreadofCommunism.HewantsHitlertoremainfirmlyintheGermansaddle,justashewascontenttoseeMussoliniruleItaly."

           "Believeme,Ralph,therearethingsyoudonotknow.HeisthePope,heisinfallible!Ifyoudenythat,youdenyyourveryfaith."

           Thedooropeneddiscreetly,buthastily.

           "YourEminence,HerrGeneralKesselring."

           Bothprelatesrose,theirlatedifferencessmoothedfromtheirfaces,smiling.

           "Thisisagreatpleasure,YourExcellency.Won’tyousitdown?Wouldyouliketea?"

           TheconversationwasconductedinGerman,sincemanyoftheseniormembersoftheVaticanspokeit.TheHolyFatherwasfondofspeakingandlisteningtoGerman.

           "Thankyou,YourEminence,Iwould.NowhereelseinRomedoesonegetsuchsuperblyEnglishtea."

           CardinalVittoriosmiledguilelessly."ItisahabitIacquiredwhileIwasthePapalLegateinAustralia,andwhich,forallmyinnateItalianness,Ihavenotbeenabletobreak."

           "Andyou,YourGrace?"

           "I’manIrishman,HerrGeneral.TheIrish,too,arebroughtupontea."

           GeneralAlbertKesselringalwaysrespondedtoArchbishopdeBricassartasonemantoanother;aftertheseslight,oilyItalianprelateshewassorefreshing,amanwithoutsubtletyorcunning,straightforward.

           "Asalways,YourGrace,IamamazedatthepurityofyourGermanaccent,"hecomplimented.