Casebook 3: War with Russia - 3.3[index]

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I crossed over to the even side of Pompiconche Road and examined the number painted by the entrance of the building in front of me. As I had feared, the street was lined with embassies, and my heart grew cold as I traced the line of numbers down towards the rotated Tricolour of the Russian embassy. I stood in front of the embassy steps, drawing a deep breath and drafting a plan of approach. What was I to say to them? It was 5.35pm.

As I stood there composing myself, I was surprised to notice that inscribed next to the brass plaque reading L'ambassade Russe was the number 12. I turned to look at its next-door neighbour – the Gallerie du Pompiconche, 10 Rue du Pompiconche, Paris.

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It was five minutes before six. I sat on a bench opposite the painting 'War with Russia' and waited. Nothing happened. The painting, 'War with Russia', was no bigger than a metre square. It was painted in 1870 by Cremboutine de Rotelet and, I discovered from the morsel of pasteboard to its left, depicted the naked humanity flashing at the tip of bitter steel, and not a war with Russia as I had first suspected. I am no art lover and would have merrily passed without interest the bitter steel, had it not been for the fact that the naked humanity flashing upon it was my own.