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45°
178 RUSSIA IN DECLINE [chap, xxiii.
Berlin; I want very much to talk to you. Could you
receive me, and when?" I took a few minutes to
recover from my surprise and to think out my answer;
then I said that I could not tell him before mid-day;
that at twelve o’clock he might ring me up again to
know my decision.
I at once summoned my English, French and Italian
colleagues and submitted the case to them : should I
receive Rizov or not? M. Tommasini was the only
one of my three colleagues who knew Rizov; but he
knew him through and through. Between us we
arrived at the following conclusions : Rizov’s presence in
Stockholm and the step he was taking must be perfectly
well known in Berlin; it was even possible that Rizov
had telephoned to me from Baron von Lucius’ house.
Nevertheless it would be as well for me to receive
Rizov, if only to see what he was after. Consequently,
when Rizov rang me up at noon, I said that I would
receive him at two o’clock.
Punctually at two o’clock Rizov was shown into my
study. I did not put out my hand to him, but I begged
him to be seated and offered him a cigarette. " What
is the object of your visit, M. Rizov?" I asked after a
minute of mutual silence. Somewhat abashed by my
frigid reception, my visitor began to speak with obvious
embarrassment. He said that the step he was taking was
entirely of a private nature, that he was coming to me
to tell me of political opinions and combinations which
were within the sphere of his personal convictions;
and that he was in a position to know—having recently
visited Sofia—that the opinions of the Bulgarian
Government concurred on all points with his. Here I
interrupted him : " Tell me, M. Rizov, is this proceeding
of yours known to Berlin ? It seems to me impossible
that it should not be, and that Baron von Lucius should
not know exactly why you have come to Stockholm."
" No," was the reply, " I have not confided this matter
to the German Government. The avowed object of
of my journey has been to form closer commercial and
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