Summary: Edward, Alphonse and Noah spend their last day working in Eisenstein aiding a local soup kitchen. In Prague members of the Freemason lodge are invited to a private lunch and Harrer find out he is very much doomed, since Glauer has taken his failure so badly he is sending 'someone' to get him in line.


FFNET Notes: I am uploading the last three chapters in bulk. I had delay issue due to working on Azrael's stories, which caused a clunky upload schedule both here and on AO3. The fact that there was a F***ING MASS SHOOTING at the Faculty of Arts, the building right next to the Rudolfinum, aka the place every meeting of Švehla's cabinet takes place at, has now added an unwanted implied layer of tragedy to this story.

Notes: I was not kidding about those Freemasons joining the narrative. Also, please note what new name have been added. Out of all first names, it had to be that one! As if there wasn't going to be enough headache with Beneš, now we also the artist Mucha. Some scenes in the next work will be headache inducing.


As far as Hotel Belveder was concerned, 6 January was the day that Christmas ended for them. From that day they were back to normal winter season operations and not subject to greater strain than usual. Edward and Noah noticed that ever since New Year's Day, their work had been slowly winding down. Admittedly, a part of this was that the hotel stopped requesting that they cook up fancy holiday foods, but Alphonse could assess that the amount of guests had not dropped as much as they would have expected.

"I have some good news for you," Acker told them at a moment, when all three were in the kitchen. "Mr. Gradl has decided not to go along with the Altmann family after all. He is concerned that the brewery would lack experienced leadership, or at least that is his excuse for not attending. I suspect it might be because he would have to interact with more Slavs than he is comfortable. That being more than none," he explained with a slight smile that the trio returned.

"Good, that alleviates the potential issue of me eventually punching him," Edward pointed out with so little concern in his tone, that their boss burst out laughing. "An understandable reaction to that man's inability to keep his mouth shut and speaking his opinions, when nobody asked," he admitted. "If it was just the boys with him that would not be as likely an outcome" Noah noted and gestured towards herself. "Understandable," Acker said with a nod.

"Talking crap about someone's friends is a good way to piss off that someone." "Especially, when said someone happens to be Edward Elric," Alphonse replied, and his brother gave the most non-apologetic shrug he could. "I have standards for people I associate with, and wilful shit-talkers do not meet those. Extra points against them if they never met the individual they talk badly of." "That is one of the reasons we had to leave Germany," Noah told Acker with a head wiggle in the boy's direction.

"Pardon me, Noah, but a part of me wants to see what it would look like for Edward to challenge the country to a fight," he suggested, and Alphonse began laughing so much he almost dropped the plates he picked up. "If he got serious, then there would be a smoking crater west of us. It is family tradition, that if somebody hurts a person you love, you will move heaven and earth to restore that person and whoever hurt them will suffer greatly," he informed him and walked out into the restaurant.

If Edward and Noah slightly blushed at the use of the word 'love,' then Acker did not notice. They had agreed that it was not currently on the cards anyway. "Did you figure out what you will do, when you get to Prague," he asked instead. Ed gave him a gesture that was part shrug and part a so-so gesture. "If we found space for three people in one of the student's dorms that allow non-students to rent out rooms, we would only need to spend about a hundred crowns a mouth for all of us."

The head chef gave him an interested and impressed face with a slight lip pout. "That is remarkably cheap. Are you sure it is not that little, because the rooms are of low quality," he inquired. "Do we look like we care for quality," Noah pointed out. "Fair enough, but it still seems weird from my experience." "You work at an expensive and high-class hotel," she argued. "I guess that may have made my measure of what is a reasonable place a bit inaccurate." "A bit," Ed sassed as he took out a sieve for pasta.

"Belveder is not that bad!" "You gave us a monthly income of 100 crowns per person without any housing as the sole employment benefit. Meanwhile, I've seen some of your rooms going for 150 per day per person." "But those are the expensive suites with actual room service," Acker corrected as he walked off to return to his work of kitchen oversight. "Having seen the cleaners working on an unoccupied one, I really don't see what those are about anyway," Noah whispered.

Ed shrugged at her. "I heard it called 'Geltungskonsum,' since it is meant mainly to show off." "Are we interpreting 'Geltung' as 'valid,' 'value' or 'prestige' there?" "The original version coined by Thorstein Veblen used the English word 'conspicuous,' so it implies visibility, prestige and inflated value," he explained. "Am I hearing some jealousy," his brother teased as he came back. "What you are hearing is contempt. If you go around showing off your wealth, I will automatically consider you a prick."

"Does this have something to do with that fact that Friedrich's father is like that," Al asked with a slight wince at the name. "No. That just makes him an even bigger bastard in my books, in addition to his issue with what his son really is. From all I heard about that man up to now, I fully understand your desire to pull off a rescue romance." "We are serious about providing you support, whenever you go for it," Noah added.

"Please stop," Alphonse interrupted them. "I appreciate your sentiments, but if you keep telling me that, I will jump the gun and actually try for it. I am still not over it, and I've been trying to get over him even in my dreams." "I thought you had, when we had that odd train station dream," Noah pointed out. "So did I. Then I wake up one morning and think about how much warmer it would feel to wake up next to Friedrich," he whispered with a pink tint to his cheeks. "Ooh, naughty," Ed teased.

He promptly got slapped on his back by his brother. "Edward, you really should not tease him about this. For one, he will eventually have the opportunity to get you back. And further, I am pretty sure you would not mind waking up next to a girlfriend," Noah immediately jumped to Al's defence. "I am well aware of this," Ed defended himself, "but as a single child you cannot fully appreciate the fact, that this is my sacrosanct duty as his brother."


Grand Master Josef Svatopluk Machar of the National Czechoslovak Lodge invited the members of his lodge to a lunch on the first Sunday of 1924. The inherent irony of one of the largest critiques of Christianity inviting his fellow Brothers to a meeting of a quasi-religious society on the second most important day in Christmas time – the Feast of the Epiphany – was obvious to most of them. Given Machar had continuously positioned himself opposite to the Government and President Masaryk, those aligned with those groups rarely showed up.

The President's son Jan Masaryk declined politely out of respect for the ideals of human brotherhood, despite privately having some intense opinions of Machar and a sincere wish he would be replaced as Grand Master as soon as possible. The lone saving grace for the cohesion of this fraternity, was their ban on discussing politics. Eduard Beneš nearly declined the invite, but his fellow member Prime Minister Švehla convinced him to reconsider.

Both sat as far from the front as possible. At least this was actually just a lunch and not an actual society meeting. "Good afternoon, gentlemen," an older male voice suddenly greeted them. They turned and it came from a man in his sixties with a curly moustache and round glasses. "Oh, Mr. Mucha... Good afternoon to you as well. We were not expecting you to attend as well with your current work load."

"I am merely taking a brief break, gentlemen. In the evening I will leave the city and return to Zbiroh once again," explained the artist Alfons Mucha, who was one of the cofounder of the Czechoslovak Freemasonry and possessed the 33rd degree within the Scottish rite. "Did you like my last three works?" "They were excellent as always," Beneš promptly praised. "Indeed I feel like your painting of King George of Poděbrady is almost a companion piece to Václav Brožík's painting of his election, which hangs at the Old Town Hall. You certain share the ability to bring liveliness to historical scenes with ease."

"I am pleased to hear that. You are not the first person to compare me with Mr. Brožík, but I seek somewhat different results from him. Brožík was a painter of realism and tried to make his scenes look accordingly. His desire was to pull one into a scene. I seek to impress my audience. Art Nouveau seeks to be decorative and playful, while Brožík was sparing. A lot of his characters are in mild colours, so that the important characters catch the eye.

"Is that why your painting of King George shows a large stained window and most characters are wearing large pieces of colourful cloth," Švehla asked. "Indeed," Mucha said with a nod. "Which one did you like the most, Mr. Švehla," he added and the man thought for a moment. "The image of Tsar Simeon of Bulgaria appealed to me greatly. You managed to catch an image of a wise statesman and his effect on his people wonderfully."

"Interesting... Mr. Machar found the greatest appeal in the Aftermath of the Battle of Vítkov," Mucha informed them. "Of course he did," Beneš argued. "He loves to go up against authorities regardless of their nature. Your painting shows an underdog group defeating a national authority wielding both secular and religious swords." Švehla nodded and added his own opinion that "It is also associated with Czechoslovak nationalism and shows a defeated group of Roman Catholics."

Mucha gave a thinking look upward and then gave his own nod. "Yeah, that seems to make sense," he said before looking around the room to make sure that Machar was not close by and continued, "Our Grand Master does seem to have an emotional problem or two. When I arrived on Friday he greeted me with a story of a conflict he had with a German man seeking to enter the lodge uninvited."

Since the artist looked to the side, when he said that, he did not notice the immediate reaction from both of the other men. "Do you know what the man's name was," Beneš asked. Mucha put a hand to his chin and thought for a minute. "Something like Hartl, Hardt of Harter," he muttered. "Was it possibly 'Harrer,' Švehla suggested and recognition quickly flashed across Mucha's face and he clicked his fingers. "That was his name! Apparently he tried to ask for information despite not being associated with Freemasonry in any way, except, in his own words, being friends with a member of Turkish freemasons."

Mucha raised an eyebrow at the peculiar looks both Ministers had at that, which could most easily be translated as 'God damn it, we'll have to talk with Machar, won't we?!' They were given brief respite, since at that point their Grand Master decided to start lunch and they all had to come to the table. "Unfortunately, we know this man, and he seeks to travel East for the sake of another's money," Švehla whispered to the artist, who sadly nodded. "And then drag the secrets he finds back to the West?" He received a nod in turn from the Prime Minister.

All sat between their chairs and the table as Machar took out a book and placed their fraternity's symbol of a square and compass atop it. Unlike the usual choice of a religious text, the book was a Czech copy of Nicomachean Ethics, because the man insisted that this was his 'Volume of Sacred Law' in Freemason terms. "Brethren, in the name of the Great Architect of the Universe, whose we invoke in all our undertakings to bless us and them with order, peace and harmony, I welcome you to this meeting," he declared dressed in his apron with all its symbols.

I bet you also ask him to curse your enemies, both Beneš and Švehla thought as they heard that. Machar had become an infamous figure among Czechoslovaks. He already made himself known for very publicly deriding Christianity and supporting Platonism instead. When he began a nine book long work of poems regarding the historical development of human conscience, he had referred to Christianity as the 'Poison of Judea' and four years ago he got into a public dispute with the theologian František Reyl over whether the Church destroyed antiquity or perfected it.


After Alphonse returned from his brake, he found more than half of the kitchen, his brother and their friend included, preparing ingredients for soup. "Do we have that many requests for starters and appetizer," he quietly asked his brother and got a laugh and a head wag from both of them. "Nah, the Hotel is donating food to the local soup kitchen today," Edward explained. "It's 'Three King's Day' today," Noah pointed out. "I know that," Al defended himself, "but I thought they gifted stuff to the carollers."

"Usually that is the case," Acker noted as he joined their conversation. "However, our owner made an agreement with the Roman Catholic parish priest in Eisenstein and instead of receiving the usual blessing for charity, we get our blessing on the doors and then accompany the carollers back downhill with our soup to serve the poor and the invalids assembled at the church. "Speaking of which, do you three think you could join us for your last day," he asked them. After a brief exchange of looks, they gave him shrugs.

"We would not mind it," Noah told him. "But when are we supposed to leave," Ed asked. "That depends on if we finish preparing before the carollers actually arrive." "Meaning," Alphonse inquired nonetheless. "Before one in the afternoon, usually," Acker said, but slowly blinked with one eye and made a grimace as if he was considering correcting himself. "Very roughly," he eventually amended. "Sometimes they get stuck walking around the city for a while... We'll have to see."

The head chef was actually not that far off. "Good afternoon, guys," the head chef greeted as he let three young men in by the back door. They looked like people from a fancy dress party, with somewhat respectable fake crowns on their head and suede dresses meant to look like royal cloaks in some almost garish colours. "Thank you, Mr. Acker," the one dressed as Caspar and bearing a little gold-plated cup with actual frankincense in it, smouldering slowly and filling the room.

"The owners said you can go around the hotel, if you want to," the other trio's boss offered, and so they went out singing carols in both languages. Meanwhile, a part of the kitchen started to put their ingredients into various bowls with covers to carry with them. The group planned to walk to the nearby Chapel of Saint Anne and then walk down the Eisenstein Way of the Cross into the township itself. They would actually cook the soup at the church, since nobody wanted to risk slipping with boiling soup in their hands.

Štěstí, zdraví, pokoj svatý vinšujeme vám, nejprv panu hospodáři pak našim dítkám. Zdaleka se béřeme, novinu vám neseme, co jest se nám přihodilo v městě Betlémě! Narodil se tam synáček posílá mě k vám, by jste mu koledu dali - však já mu ji dám. Chlebíčka nechce bráti, nakrmila ho máti, rač tolárek, neb dukátek máte poslati! Pěkně Prosím, odbuďte mě, nemám tu kdy stát. Ještě musím do Betléma dítko kolíbat. Dítko to je bohatý, v nebi vám to zaplatí, že se budete po smrti s ním radovati!

Some Czech guests did give them various monetary gifts into their little wooden box. One even slipped a 500 crown note, which got a deep bow from all three of them. The one playing Melchior and in fact going so far as to have a small basket filled with bits of pyrite, i.e. fools gold, pulled out a piece of chalk and handed it to the one playing Caspar as they went to the front door. The three took turns writing down the standard blessing formula given to households.

C + M + B

AD 1924

The pluses were meant to be closer to crosses, and the three letters had a double meaning. They were both the names assigned to the Three Magi by tradition and the initial letters of the Latin phrase 'Christus Mansionem Benedicat,' which meant 'May Christ bless this house'. After they were done chalking the door, they turned around and started a German carol associated with the Feast of the Epiphany instead.

Drei Könige wandern aus Morgenland; Ein Sternlein führt sie zum Jordanstrand. In Juda fragen und forschen die drei, Wo der neugeborene König sei? Sie wollen Weihrauch, Myrrhen und Gold Dem Kinde spenden zum Opfersold! Und hell erglänzet des Sternes Schein: Zum Stalle gehen die Kön'ge ein; Das Knäblein schaun sie wonniglich, Anbetend neigen die Könige sich; Sie bringen Weihrauch, Myrrhen und Gold Zum Opfer dar dem Knäblein hold! O Menschenkind! halte treulich Schritt! Die Kön'ge wandern, o wandre mit! Der Stern der Liebe, der Gnade Stern Erhelle dein Ziel, so du suchst den Herrn, Und fehlen Weihrauch, Myrrhen und Gold, Schenke dein Herz dem Knäblein hold!

This time they were given money from the German guests. Acker looked at it with a slight frown, and the other trio had to agree. However, the 'Three Kings' took the donations with bilingual thanks and started on their departure. "When we get back, you can take the rest of the day off and prepare for leaving tomorrow," the head chef informed them just before they assembled at the back door. "Thank you," they echoed each other. Once they were all ready, the carollers made a gesture for them to follow.

New snow had fallen since New Year's Day, but the weather was relatively mild. The descent down the Way of the Cross on the other hand was not. The whole thing was a wide footpath with tree roots growing willy-nilly through the whole thing. The procession had to descend like they were slalom skiing in slow motion, lest they accidentally end up slipping and sliding down into Eisenstein on their rears or worse.

As the parish church came into view, the triplet of carollers burst out into song again. Alphonse thought it sounded familiar from the repertoire of the singers the hotel had paid for during Christmas itself, but could not quite place it. My tři králové jdeme k vám, štěstí, zdraví vinšujem vám! Štěstí, zdraví, dlouhá léta, my jsme k vám přišli z daleka! Z daleka je cesta naše, do Betléma mysl naše! Nám třem se hvězda zjevila, která jak živa nebyla! Jak jsme tu hvězdu viděli, hned jsme si koně osedlali!

By the time they started singing that last sentence, the entire procession came into view of a group of people assembled before the church. Instead of finish the Czech carol, they swapped to a different German one. Die heil'gen drei Kön'ge aus Morgenland, Sie frugen in jedem Städtchen: „Wo geht der Weg nach Bethlehem, ihr lieben Buben und Mädchen?" Die Jungen und Alten, sie wußten's nicht, Die Könige zogen weiter; Sie folgten einem goldenen Stern, Der leuchtete lieblich und heiter!

They bowed down before the group of poor with their torn clothes and the various people with missing limbs, whether from the Great War or not. Then the young men walked to the parish priest and gave him a donation box, while some helpers started taking out tables and cooking ware to make the soup itself. The priest stood and declared in first German and then Czech: But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, and the blind; And thou shalt be blessed, because they have not wherewith to make thee recompense!


Eduard Beneš had slightly drifted off to sleep as Sunday had been rather slow, only to be suddenly woken up by a ringing phone. "Ah," he yelped as his chair almost flipped backwards. He finally managed to grab the receiver. "This is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Beneš speaking." "Good afternoon, Mr. Beneš, I hope I am not interrupting," the voice of Minister Udržal greeted him with a slightly fast delivery.

"Don't worry, Mr. Udržal. Today has been a remarkably boring day. Almost no messages have arrived from any of the diplomatic channels," his colleague informed him. "Good, because I asked some of our security personnel to screen visa requests from Turkey, since Mr. Glauer has their citizenship. It turns out this was a very good idea." That perked sleepy Eduard right up. "Oh... Is he trying to request a visa?" "Using a false document no less," Udržal confirmed. "How do you know it is false?"

"It is registered to a Turkish citizen named Adam Haji Veli, born 9 November 1875 in Hoyerswerda in Saxony. If that doesn't scream suspicious I don't know what will," Udržal explained. "Isn't that the actual birth date and birth place of Glauer?" "Your memory has not failed you there and for those that looked into his the choice of pseudonym is much more obvious than that 'Erwin Torre' thing he confused us with."

"How is it more obvious," inquired Beneš. "You see, Haji Bektashi Veli was a Persian Islamic mystic resident in Turkey that founded an Islamic mystical group that Glauer has close ties to and appears to writing a book about." "It seems like he has got tired of Harrer not producing any results. Then again given things I learned yesterday, the man truly is a prideful idiot. He walked up to a secret fraternity and tried to force his way inside."

Some sounds he heard indicated the Udržal tore off a piece of paper. "Would you happen to have learned this at that 'private lunch' you attend earlier today?" The almost sarcastic tone he had used to describe the meeting made it clear the Minister of National Defence either knew or suspected it was a Freemason thing. "Indeed I did. I was informed by our 'pleasant' Grand Master, that the man failed the first test he threw at him."

"He then tried to force his way inside, when told only members of those invited are allowed to enter." "I assume that plan did not work out," Udržal asked with a slight smile. "Of course it did not. They called the gendarmerie on him and he fled muttering curses in German. Now that we turned to the subject of that lunch, I would like you to take a look at something. Does that document have proper Turkish stamps?" He heard more sound of rustling paper.

"It does. This is either a well done fake or he managed to convince someone in the new administration to make it 'authentic'," Udržal read from a report he had beside him. "I am absolutely betting on convincing someone. I know for a fact that Atatürk's government would favour a fellow brother, if you know what I mean." "Are you referring to Glauer's association with your Turkish brethren?" "We do communicate to an extent with the 'Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Turkey.'

"Although it would be against the rules of our organisation to discuss specific details of other members, I can tell you that the Ottoman Sultans were not favoured by Turkish lodges. Though, admittedly, the two were absolutely guaranteed to get along like a house on fire, given our opinions heavily clashing with Ottoman conservatism. Whether Atatürk is himself among their membership is not known to me regardless, but some of his policies seem to be very much in line with our views."

"So, we should suspect he invoked aid from 'fellow brothers' to get here?" "He almost certainly presented them with some sob story about 'being unable to travel east' and asking them for fraternal aid," Beneš added. "Why would he ask to travel east," Udržal asked with a confused tone. Beneš clicked his tongue with a mild annoyance. "It's a Freemason metaphor for 'seeking knowledge.' It's because you travel from the illuminating Sunrise.

To teach people is called 'travelling west' instead," he explained. "Ah, I see." "This does pose a potential annoyance, however. There is a possibility that Glauer will try to ask Machar," he started saying before trying to loudly cough to cover his slip up. Udržal however heard that. "Oh. So that's why you referred to you Grand Master as 'pleasant,' isn't it? It would also explain why Jan Masaryk refused to attend." Beneš grumbled too quietly for the phone to pick it up.

"Yes and please do not discuss this with anybody else. This kind of slip up will absolutely be an excuse for him to rip into me at the next meeting. I have enough of that in public, thank you very much!" "Anyway... You think Glauer will try to seek aid from your Grand Master?" "It would be a natural first thing to do after his arrival. As an inducted member of another lodge, he would know all the passwords and easily worm his way into our midst."

"And then he would ask for 'eastern knowledge' in your words, wouldn't he?" "That would be the rational next step. The lodge does sometimes discuss stuff about Prague and its association with magic and the occult, but that is something other brothers would know about. I already attend rarely enough due to my own work and ever since that pain in the rear became Grand Master I have tried to avoid it more. I will try to ask a brother more informed on the topics then me, however."

"That would probably be for the best," Udržal concluded. "However if he attends your meetings, your membership among the Freemasons would be useful to us," he told him with a suggestive tone. "Only because he is a potential threat to national security," Beneš loudly pointed out. "We are only allowed to reveal our own personal secrets according to our creeds. At least Glauer has the justifiable excuse of acting in defiance of its articles on seeking to uplift mankind, since apparently his only driving desire is to seek his own power instead."

"I mean, he probably justifies it as an 'end justify the means' thing for the sake of eventually uplifting mankind," Udržal argued. "After all, I would think you would understand since you are close to eugenicist intellectuals," he added. "I am a supporter of positive eugenics," Beneš defended himself. "That means to favour procreation of individuals with good traits. Meanwhile, Harrer, Glauer and their ilk are in favour of intense negative eugenics. They go beyond merely preventing people with hereditary disease from having children.

They support sterilisation and demand outright culling, so as not to waste resource keeping the ill alive. I can smell a slippery slope from afar." "Fine, fine... I get it, Mr. Beneš," Udržal interrupted him. "I don't have anything else to report. Do you wish to speak about anything else?" There was a momentary pause. "Not really. I believe we have discussed all the important parts." "So be it, then. Goodbye for now." "Likewise to you. I will now go and call that more informed individual." After he ended that call, he instead dialled the number for the Zbiroh chateau.


This time Harrer came to the front desk with less enthusiasm. In the late morning he had to tell Glauer about his interaction with the Czechoslovak Freemasons, and even now he would occasionally suffer a brief attack of tinnitus from the yelling that he had received after revealing how much he bungled the testing that the man had subjected him too. The hotel clerk also heard a part of it, because he ended up holding the received half a metre from his ear and still heard his benefactor clearly.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Torre," he greeted with a slightly sheepish tone. "Afternoon," replied 'Torre' with a tone of exasperation and quiet fury so thick, that Harrer instinctively swallowed. "I and Neuhaus have been talking. We finally decided that we will no longer permit you to act as a free agent. In the coming week, we will send a knowledgeable man to oversee you. He will insure you cease committing errors of ignorance," he was told. "I understand," he meekly replied.

"We will inform you of his arrival in another call on Friday. Also, because Neuhaus has questioned the amount of you have spent that far," Glauer continued. Oh, I am so dead, Harrer thought. "He will also ensure that only necessary expenses are paid, and you do not use MY FUNDS to, say, pay for expensive foods." Harrer started heavily sweating and fall to paranoia that somebody at the hotel was reporting on him. While that was indeed the case, they were reporting to Udržal and not Glauer.

"If we find a reason to suspect you have been mooching from me, we will leave you utterly dry and to suffer the consequences. If you continue making critical error of judgement, we will act likewise. Are we understood?!" "Yes, sir," Harrer almost stuttered. "Good. Now get back to your research work and get us some results. We have already spent an artisan's yearly income on you, and you have returned with nothing by drivel and ash."

"Of course, sir," Harrer said, and the reply came in the form of a disconnected phone beep. With shaking hands, he handed it back to the clerk with very quietly muttered thanks, and then headed back up into his room to have a slight nervous breakdown. Barely half an hour later, the transcript of their conversation alongside a translation had arrived at Udržal's desk. "Well, well, well... What do have here," the Minister said to his otherwise empty office as he skimmed through.

"Finally found out that he has been using your money for person enjoyment, have you, Mr. Glauer?" He opened the other report on the suspicious Turkish visa. "It is indeed true that sometimes the only good oversight is yourself. This is certainly going in an interesting direction," he added out loud before his phone interrupted him. "The Ministry of National Defence, Udržal speaking." "Mr. Udržal, the expert I am acquainted with, has asked to meet us on a Sunday in Zbiroh. Do you have the time," Beneš jumped straight to the point.

"Give me a moment to find my itinerary, Mr. Beneš," he replied and started to pull it out, "I have also just received transcripts of two calls made to the Golden Goose Hotel, which indicate Glauer is coming due to Harrer's disastrous interaction with your fraternity and a suspicion that the man is using his money on food and drink." "Wonder where he could get that idea," Beneš asked with a sarcastic undertone, and Udržal snickered.

"I am as surprised as you are," he added as he searched his little diary. "Indeed, I have nothing on that day, but something may come up." "We both understand that," Beneš explained. "I will tell him to keep his own itinerary open, and we shall see how things progress. Have you decided on when will grant Glauer's visa, if ever? Or do you wish to consult with President Masaryk before we make any such moves?" "I believe we should talk to both him and Prime Minister Švehla." "Very well, I will ask them to meet us."