英文读物HeKnowsTooMuch.docx

英文读物HeKnowsTooMuch.docx

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英文读物HeKnowsTooMuch

Maincharactersinthisbook:

DickSterling:

generalmanagerinMadras,IndiaofTrakton,amultinationalcompany.

SallySterling:

Dick’swife.

KeithLennox:

Dick’sbossatTrakton.WorksinDelhi.

BarbaraLennox:

Keith’swife.

Vish:

officemanageratTrakton.

Molly:

Vish’swife.ShealsoworksatTrakton.

Ramu:

Dick’spersonalassistantatTrakton.

Nag:

inAccountsatTrakton.

Lakshmi:

Nag’sdaughter.

Ned:

aformeremployeeatTrakton.

SirPercyHancock:

formerchiefexecutiveofTrakton,onceheadoftheDelhioffice.

SirJeremyJackson（Jacko）:

retiredprofessorofcomparativephilologyatCambridge.

Chapter1Madras1986

‘Heknowstoomuch.Imustaskyoutodonothing.’

‘ButthistimeIcaughthimintheact.Ihaveproof,witnesses,everything.Thereisnopossibledoubt.Surely…’

‘Isaidheknowstoomuch!

Thecompanycan’taffordtohaveanyproblems.Ourpositionisverysensitiveinthiscountry.Wecan’taffordtotakerisks.Iamtellingyouonceagain--youwilldonothing.Andifthereisanytrouble,I’mafraidIshallhavetoholdyoupersonallyresponsible.Sobesensibleforonceinyourlife.’

‘Isee.Soyouaretellingmetoclosemyeyestocorruptionandbehaveasifnothinghashappened.Isthatright?

’

‘Ididn’tputitquitelikethat.But,ifyouinsist,yes.WhatVishdoesordoesn’tdoisaminormattercomparedwiththecompany’sglobalstrategy.Justtrytogetthingsinperspective.Afterall,youwon’tbestruckinMadrasforever--I’llmakesurethatyou’renot.Sojustgowiththeflowforabitlonger.Whenyou’reinyournextpostthiswillallseemaverylongwayaway,Icanassureyou.Butmeantime,notrouble.IhopeI’vemademyselfclear.Oh,and,bytheway,Iadviseyoutoforgetthatwehavehadthisconversation.Goodbye.’

DickSterlingputthephonedown.Hishandsweretrembling.HewasfuriouswithhimselfforfailingtopersuadehisbossinDelhi,KeithLennox,tosupporthim,andwasdisgustedatthemixtureofveiledthreatsandvaguepromisesLennoxhadmade.‘Heknowstoomuch’--thewordsstillranginhisears.Hewondered,notforthelasttime,justwhatitwasthatVish,theofficemanagerofthefactory,knew.Howcoulditbesoimportantthatthecompany’spositioninIndiacouldbethreatenedbyit?

Itsimplydidn’tmakesense.

Dickglancedathiswatch.Fouro’clock.Hecalledforhisdriver,Gopal,andaskedtobedrivenhome.He’dhadenoughfortheday.OnhiswayouthepassedVishinthecorridor.Vishwasasmall,fatmanwhowaddledslightlywhenhewalked.HisuglysmilerevealedtwolargeteethandhissmalleyesremindedDickofasnake.Wasithisimagination,orwasthemansmilingtohimself?

Hissnakeeyesglintedwithselfsatisfaction,almostasifheknewhewassafe,protected.

Dick’scarlefttheTraktonofficeandmadeitswayslowlyalongthedusty,bumpyroadleadingsouthintothecenterofMadras,towardshishome.EventhoughDickpassedthesebuildingseveryday,theyneverlosttheirfascinationforhim.Noonestyledominatedthiscityofcontrastswheremajesticbutneglectedcolonialbuildingsstoodnexttomodernglassandconcretebanks,slumhutsbuiltfrommudandroofedwithcoconutpalms,ramshacklegroupsofshopssellingeverythingfromusedcartyrestoIndia-madeforeignliquor…Andwherethetrafficwasachaosofcompetinganarchicallyforthefewovercrowdedspaceontheroads.Thejourneyhomewouldtakealongtime.vehicles

Dicksatgloomilyinthebackofthecar,goingoverinhismindtheeventswhichhadleduptothepresentcrisis.Howhadhegothimselfintothisimpossiblesituation?

Itshouldneverhavehappened,yetsomehow,lookingback,itseemedinevitable.Perhapshewasbeginningtobelieveinfate?

HehadarrivedthreeyearsearliertotakeoverasgeneralmanagerofTrakton'sfactoryinMadras.TraktonhadbeeninIndiasincebeforeIndependence.Ithadstartedoutmanufacturingmilitaryvehiclesduringthewarandswitchedtocommercialvehiclesandearth-movingequipmentwhenthewarended.Becauseofitskeyimportanceinhelpingtobuildthecountry'sindustrialbase,ithadnotbeencompletelytakenoverfollowingIndependence.

ThoughtheIndianoperationwastechnicallyindependent,Trakton'scorporateheadquartersinLondonstillhadoverallcontrol.Indiawas,ofcourse,onlyoneofthemanycountriesinwhichTraktonoperated.DickhadbeentransferredtoMadrasfromNigeriainfact,afteraseriesofotheroverseasappointments.Eachoftheoverseasfactorieshadageneralmanagerappointedfromheadquarterstooverseethemanagementofthelocalworkforce.InIndiathishadworkedparticularlywell.TheIndianstaffwashighly-trainedandefficient.Theywerealsogenerallyeasytoworkwith;thecompany'senlightenedindustrialrelationspolicyhadmadesureofthat.Salarieswerehigherthantheaverage;ther