‘What about Count Sormani?’
As he stopped walking, Bellegarde answered:
‘Sormani wants to become the new Chief Commissioner of Police. It won’t have seemed true on his part to renounce Konrad and to provide you an extension by demonstrating the imbecility of those to have made light of the case. You unwittingly gave him a pretext of a career at your immediate superior’s expense’.
‘Tell me no more; I prefer to do my duty and disregard everything else’.
‘Just as you’ve always done. However, should you wish for a change of scenery and come to Vienna with me, all you need do is tell me’.
‘You are tempting me, but I don’t think that the politicking up there is all that different’.
‘You could work with me for the Courtly Commission; I’ve always need of sound collaboration!’
‘I t
