Mrs. Fenwick stirred, lifted the handkerchief from her brow, and wondered where she was. At the window, the pages of Phineas Finn slipping under his fingers, Mr. Fenwick closed his eyes and slept.

PEOPLE IN GLASS HOUSES

NOTHING IN EXCESS

“The aim of the Organization,” Mr. Bekkus dictated, leaning back in his chair and casting up his eyes to the perforations of the sound-proof ceiling; “The aim of the Organization,” he repeated with emphasis, as though he were directing a firing-squad—and then, “the long-range aim,” narrowing his eyes to this more distant target, “is to fully utilize the resources of the staff and hopefully by the end of the fiscal year to have laid stress—”

Mr. Bekkus frequently misused the word “hopefully.” He also made a point of saying “locate” instead of “find,” “utilize” instead of “use,” and never lost an opportunity to indicate or communicate; and would slip in a “basically” when he felt unsure of his ground.

“—to have laid greater stress upon the capacities of certain members of the staff at present in junior positions. Since this bears heavily”—Mr. Bekkus now leaned forward and rested his elbows firmly on his frayed blue blotter—“on the nature of our future work force, attention is drawn to the Director-General’s directive set out in (give the document symbol here, Germaine), asking that Personnel Officers communicate the names of staff members having—what was the wording there?” He reached for a mimeographed paper in his tray.

“Imagination,” Germaine supplied.

“—imagination and abilities which could be utilized in more responsible posts.” Mr. Bekkus stopped again. “Where’s Swoboda?”

“He went to deposit your paycheck, Mr. Bekkus.”

“Well, when he comes in tell him I need the figures he’s been preparing. Better leave a space at the end, then, for numbers of vacant posts. New paragraph. Candidates should be recommended solely on the basis of outstanding personal attributes, bearing in mind the basic qualifications of an international civil servant as set forth in Part II (that’s roman, Germaine) of the Staff Regulations with due regard to education, years of service, age, and administrative ability. Read that back.… All right. We’ll set up the breakdown when Swoboda comes across with the figures. Just bang that out, then—copies all round.” Mr. Bekkus was always saying “Bang this out” or “Dash that off” in a way that somehow minimized Germaine’s role and suggested that her job was not only unexacting but even jolly.

“Yes, Mr. Bekkus.” Germaine had closed her book and was searching for her extra pencil among the papers on the desk.