If I must cheat, whose fame is fair,
And fret my fame away,
I'll do worse than the devil dare
That men may rue the day!
CHAPTER XIII
Beyond question Yasmini is a craftsman of amazing skill, and her
genius--as does all true genius--extends to the almost infinite
consideration of small details. The medium in which she works--human
weakness--affords her unlimited opportunity; and she owns the trick,
that most great artists win, of not letting her general plan be known
before the climax. Neither friend nor enemy is ever quite sure which
is which until she solves the problem to the enemy's confusion.
But Yasmini could have failed in this case through overmuch finesse.
She was not used to Germans, and could not realize until too late
that her compliance with this man's every demand only served to make
him more peremptory and more one-sided in his point of view. From a
mere agent, offering the almost unimaginable in return for mere
promises, he had grown already into a dictator, demanding action as a
prelude to reward. He had even threatened to cause her, Yasmini, to
be reported to the police unless she served his purpose better!
If she had obeyed the general and had picked a trooper for the
business in hand, it is likely that Yasmini would have had to write a
failure to her account.
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