Darkness at Noon - Arthur Koestler [16]
kind of lies as the communiqué in the Great War. Whoever we showed it to would just spit. You must know all that yourself." Rubashov looked at the boy, who now sat leaning forward, elbows on his knees, his chin on his red fists. He answered drily: "For the second time you ascribe to me an opinion which I do not hold. I must ask you to stop doing so." Richard looked at him unbelievingly out of his inflamed eyes. Rubashov went on. "The Party is going through a severe trial. Other revolutionary parties have been through even more difficult ones. The decisive factor is our unbroken will. Whoever now goes soft and weak does not belong in our ranks. Whoever spreads an atmosphere of panic plays into our enemy'shands. What his motives are in doing so does not make any difference. By his attitude he becomes a danger to our movement, and will be treated accordingly." Richard still sat with his chin in his hands, his face turned to Rubashov. "So I am a danger to the movement," he said. "I play into the enemy's hands. Probably I am paid for doing so.And Anny, too. ..." "In your pamphlets," continued Rubashov in the same dry tone of voice, "of which you admit to be the author, there frequently appear phrases such as this: that we have suffered a defeat, that a catastrophe has befallen the Party, and that we must start afresh and change our policy fundamentally. That is defeatism. It is demoralizing and it lames the Party's fighting spirit." "I only know," said Richard, "that one must tell people the truth, as they know it already, in any case. It is ridiculous to pretend to them." "The last congress of the Party," Rubashov went on, "stated in a resolution that the Party has not suffered a defeat and has merely carried out a strategic retreat; and that there is no reason whatever for changing its previous policy." "But that's rubbish," said Richard. "If you go on in this style," said Rubashov, "I am afraid we will have to break off the conversation." Richard was silent for a while. The room began to darken, the contours of the angels and women on the walls became still softer and more nebulous. "I am sorry," said Richard. "I mean: the Party leadership is mistaken. You talk of a ‘strategic retreat' while half of our people are killed, and those which are left are so pleased to be still alive that they go over to the other side in shoals. These hair-splitting resolutions which you people outside fabricate are not understood here. ..." Richard's features began to become hazy in the growing dusk. He paused,then added: "I suppose Anny also made a ‘strategic retreat' last night. Please, you must understand. Here we are all living in the jungle. ..." Rubashov waited to see whether he still had anything to say, but Richard said nothing. Dusk was falling rapidly now. Rubashov took his pince-nez off- and rubbed it on his sleeve. "The Party can never be mistaken," said Rubashov. "You and I can make a mistake. Not the Party. The Party, comrade, is more than you and I and a thousand others like you and I. The Party is the embodiment of the revolutionary idea in history. History knows no scruples and no hesitation. Inert and unerring, she flows towards her goal. At every bend in her course she leaves the mud which she carries and the corpses of the drowned. History knows her way. She makes no mistakes. He who has not absolute faith in History does not belong in the Party's ranks." Richard said nothing; head on his fists, he kept his immovable face turned to Rubashov. As he remained silent, Rubashov went on: "You have prevented the distribution of our material; you have suppressed the Party's voice. You have distributed pamphlets in which every word was harmful and false. You wrote: The remains of the revolutionary movement must be gathered together and all powers hostile to tyranny must unite; we must stop our old internal struggles and start the common fight afresh.' That is wrong. The Party must not join the Moderates. It is they who in all good faith have countless times betrayed the movement, and they will do it again next time, and the time after