Clockwork

Howard Breslin It was a small window with narrow pieces of paper pasted across it to prevent its breaking during the heavy air raids. In the small space at the center that remained, a little man with eyeglasses was carefully setting out his display of clocks and watches. He paid no attention to many Londoners hurrying by to begin another day. When he finished placing his merchandise, the little man came out of the shop and stared in the window. He had placed the clocks and watches with great care the clocks in a row at the back, and in front of them lying flat, a semicircle of watches. ll the clocks had their faces neatly divided in the middle by hands that pointed to si! o"clock# all the watches, thin or fat, had their hands pointing straight at three o"clock. $%es,& said the 'eweler with a satisfied look. $(ery nice.& bout an hour later a passenger got out of the bus at the corner. He was a tall man with a blonde mustache, and he wore a heavy overcoat and black hat. He was slightly lame and carried a cane. He smiled when the policeman at the corner said $)ood morning& to him. *he lame man"s name was )ebhardt, and the policeman"s superior officers would have been very glad to know that. )ebhardt walked slowly, leaning heavily on his cane. *he meeting with the policeman never failed to amuse him., and he smiled to himself at the stupidity of the +nglish. )ebhardt looked into the 'ewelry shop window. *here was no e!pression on his face as he looked from the clocks that said si! to the watches that said three. He had passed the shop faithfully every day for two weeks, but had never gone in. )ebhardt set his wristwatch and pushed open the door.
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Saati
Howard Breslin ,-r hava bombard-man-nda k-r-lmas-n- engellemek maksad-yla, dar ka,-t par.alar- yap-/t-r-lm-/, k0.0k.e bir vitrindi. (itrinin ortas-nda kalan k0.0k yerde, duvar ve kol saatlerini dikkatlice yerle/tiren ufak tefek, g12l0kl0 bir adam g1r0n0yordu. %eni bir g0ne ba/lama tela/- i.indeki pek .ok Londral-"ya fa2la dikkat etti,i s1yleneme2di. 3fak boylu adam saatleri yerle/tirmeyi bitirdikten sonra, d0kkan-n d-/-na .-kt- ve pencereden i.eriye do,ru bakt-. 4ol ve duvar saatlerini ger.ekten b0y0k bir 12en g1stererek s-ralam-/t-# arkada bir s-ra duvar saati ve onlar-n hemen 1n0nde bir s-ra boyunca yar-m daire halinde d0md02 u2anan kol saatleri5 B0t0n duvar saatlerinin akrep ve yelkovanlar- d02g0n bir /ekilde saat alt-y-# b0t0n ince ve daha kal-n kol saatlerinin akrep ve yelkovanlar- saat 0.0 g1sterecek /ekilde ayarlanm-/t-. $+vet& dedi saat.i, ho/una gitti,ini belli edecek bir bak-/la, $6ok g02el7& %akla/-k bir saat sonra, k1/ede, otob0sten bir yolcu indi. 8ar- b-y-kl-, kal-n bir palto ve siyah bir /apka giyen, u2unca bir adamd-. 2 da olsa topall-yordu ve bir bastonu vard-. 41/edeki polis kendisine $)0nayd-n& deyince, hafif.e g0l0msedi. *opal adam-n ad- )ebhardt idi ve polisin amirleri bunu 1,renmekten .ok mutlu olacaklard-. )ebhardt, bastonuna yaslanarak yava/.a ilerledi. 9olis ile kar/-la/mak hi. bir 2aman onu ne/elendirme2di. :ngili2"in aptall-,-na g0l0msedi. 8aat.i d0kkan-n-n vitrininden i.eriye do,ru bakt-. Bak-/lar-n-, saat alt-y- g1steren duvar saatlerinden, saat 0.0 g1steren kol saatlerine do,ru kayd-r-rken y020nde hi. bir ifade yoktu. :ki haftad-r her g0n saat d0kkan-n-n 1n0nden d02enli bir /ekilde ge.iyordu ama asla i.eri girmemi/ti. )ebhardt saatini kurdu ve kap-dan i.eri girdi.

salesman was talking to the 'eweler at the far end of the counter, but they turned as the door shut. *he 'eweler walked toward )ebhardt and stared at him. $%es;& asked the little man. $<y watch,& said )ebhardt. $It seems to have stopped. n hour or so ago.& He took off his watch and laid it on the counter. *he watch"s hands indicated nine o"clock. $I see,& said the 'eweler, $8topped.& )ebhardt looked toward the salesman but salesman was busy e!amining a catalogue. *he 'eweler picked up the watch. )ebhardt said= $ nd you might change the strap. *hat one is about worn up. He leaned against the counter and waited. >nce he looked into the back room where the 'eweler had taken his watch. He could see the old man, bent over a desk, e!amining his watch. )ebhardt lit a cigarette and waited. It was less then five minutes when the little man came back. He held out the watch with its new strap and )ebhardt put it on. $%ou should be careful,& said the 'eweler. $*hat is a fine watch.& $%es, I know,& said )ebhardt casually. $ nd I"m sure it will work perfectly now.& He paid the 'eweler and left the shop. ll the way back to his room )ebhardt was conscious of the strap on his wrist, but he did not look at the watch even once. fter all, in his business you couldn"t be too careful. >nce inside the small room where he had lived since he first came to London, )ebhardt put aside all appearance of lameness and moved about the room with ?uick sureness, locking the door, pulling down the curtains. @inally, he lit the light over his desk and took of his wristwatch. Working rapidly, he removed the straps from both ends of the watch. *hen with a knife he opened the end of the straps and, finally, from one hand took out of a small piece of very thin paper. He spread the paper out on his desk and with a glass began to study the message, which was written in code.
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*e2gah-n en sonunda saat.i ile bir sat-/ elemankonu/maktayd-. 4ap-n-n kapanma sesi ile birlikte o tarafa do,ru d1nd0ler. 8aat.i )ebhardt"a do,ru y0r0d0 ve y020ne bakt-. 3fak adam $Buyrun7& dedi. )ebhardt, $8aatim& dedi. $Bir saat ya da daha 1ncesinde durmu/ gibi g1r0n0yor.& 8aatini .-kararak te2gah-n 0st0ne koydu. )ebhardt"-n saati doku2u g1steriyordu. $ nl-yorum, durmu/& dedi saat.i. )ebhardt sat-/ eleman-na do,ru bakt- ama adam bir katalo,u incelemekle me/guld0. 8aat.i saati ald-. )ebhardt= $4ay-/- da de,i/tirebilirsini2. Bu art-k iyice y-prand-& dedi. *e2gaha yasland- ve beklemeye ba/lad-. 8aat.inin saatini g1t0rd0,0 arka odaya do,ru bakt-. %a/l- adam bir masan-n 0st0ne do,ru e,ilmi/, saatini incelerken g1rebiliyordu. Bir sigara yakt- ve beklemeye devam etti. 3fak adam be/ dakikadan daha k-sa bir s0rede geri d1nd0. %eni kay-/-yla birlikte onar-lan saati geri verdi. )ebhardt saati koluna takt-. 8aat.i= $Aikkatli olmal-s-n. Bu ger.ekten g02el bir saat& dedi. )ebhardt rahat.a= $+vet, biliyorum. +minim art-k t-k-r t-k-r .al-/acak& dedi. 8aat.iye 0cretini 1dedi ve d0kkandan ayr-ld-. >das-na gidinceye kadar, kolundaki yeni kay-/-n fark-nda olmas-na ra,men bir kere bile saatine bakmad-. 8onu.ta, onun mesle,inde gere,inden fa2la dikkatli olama2d-n-2. Londra"ya ilk geldi,inden bu yana kald-,- k0.0k odas-na girer girme2, topallamay- b-rakt-. 4ap-y- kilitleyerek emin ve .abuk ad-mlarla pencereye do,ru y0r0d0 ve perdeleri kapatt-. 6al-/ma masas-ndaki lambay- yakt- ve kol saatini .-kard-. 80ratli .al-/arak, saatin kay-/-n- iki taraftan birden .-kard-. 8onra bir b-.akla kay-/lar-n dibini kesti. 4esti,i yerlerin birinden, k0.0k ve olduk.a ince bir ka,-t par.as- .-kt-. 4odlu bir dille ya2-lm-/ olan k0.0k ka,-d-, masan-n 0st0ne yayd- ve mercekle mesa'- okumaya ba/lad-.

*he message was short and to the point. It read= $*rucks from 4ing Bharles 8?uare will transport Cegiment DD tomorrow .<. ct at once.& $8o,& said )ebhardt softly. He burned the paper in the ashtray. @or a moment he sat thinking. He previously knew that a large number of trucks in 4ing Bharles 8?uare would be used to carry soldiers from London to the coast. nd somewhere along the route trucks and soldiers would be blown to pieces with e!plosives. )ebhardt drew his suitcase from under the bed and opened it on the desk. @rom its nest of cotton he picked up one of the bombs. It was wide and flat, ?uite different in form from the usual, oldEfashioned type of bomb. ttached with wire to the bottom of an automobile engine the bomb was deadly when the motor heated. He decided to take with him in a small package about fourteen of the bombs. *hat was about all he could take care of in two hours. He had detailed information on 4ing Bharles 8?uare. By midnight all the soldiers and mechanics were gone# at two o"clock a policeman looked in to check up. )ebhardt was very much pleased with himself. *hanks to British"s inefficiency, he would have the place to himself between twelve o"clock and two o"clock. *hinking of the importance of time suddenly reminded him, and he put a new strap on his watch and then put the watch on his wrist then he sat very still, looking into space, mentally checking every detail of the plan. )ebhardt smiled. >f course7 >utside the 'eweler shop he had set his watch back si!tyEfour minutes for the signal to the 'eweler. He smiled again as he now moved the minute hand of his watch e!actly si!tyEfor minutes ahead. Fever forgetting these small details made him a good secret agent, and he knew it. When the time came, )ebhardt moved carefully through the darkness of the blackedEout streets.
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<esa' k-sa ve 12l0yd0= $4amyonlar DD nci lay- 4ral Bharles <eydan-"ndan yar-n 1,leden 1nce nakledecektir. Hemen harekete ge.in.& )ebhardt, $Gyleyse5& dedi hafi.e. 4a,-d- k0l tablas-nda yakt-. Bir s0re 1ylece oturarak d0/0nd0. Aaha 1nceden, bir .ok kamyonun Londra"da, 4ral Bharles <eydan-"ndan sahile asker ta/-yaca,-n- biliyordu. %ollar- 02erinde bir yerde kamyonlar ve askerler patlay-c-larla havaya u.urulacaklard-. %ata,-n alt-ndan .antas-n- .-kard- ve masan-n 0st0ne a.t-. 6antan-n pamuk yuvalar-ndan birinden, bir bomba ald-. )eni/ ve p0r02s02, /ekil olarak eski tiplerden tamamen farkl-yd-. *el ile bir araban-n motorunun alt-na ba,lan-yor ve motorun -s-nmas- ile patl-yordu. Bombalardan on d1rt tanesini, k0.0k bir pakette yan-na almaya karar verdi. Bu miktar iki saat i.inde ba/ edebilece,i en fa2la bomba say-s-yd-. )ece yar-s-na do,ru b0t0n askerler ve tamirciler gitmi/, saat ikide de bir polis kontrole gelmi/ti. :ngili2lerin verdi,i bu bo/lu,a /0krediyordu. )ece on iki ile iki aras-ndaki s0re ona kal-yordu. Haman-n 1nemini d0/0n0rken birden saati akl-na geldi. 8aate yeni bir kay-/ takarak, saati koluna takt-. 8onra, sakince oturdu ve g1ky020n0 seyrederken, 2ihninde yapt-,- plan-n son detaylar-n- kontrol ediyordu. +lbette7 8aat d0kkan-na girmeden 1nce saat.iye parola vermek i.in bir saat d1rt dakika geriye alm-/t-. *ekrar g0ld0 ve saatin yelkovan-n- atm-/ d1rt dakika ileriye ald-. Bu t0r k0.0k ayr-nt-lar- asla unutmay-/- onu iyi bir gi2li a'an yapm-/t- ve bunu gayet iyi biliyordu. )ebhardt, 2aman- gelince, dikkatli bir /ekilde karart-lm-/ sokaklar-n lo/lu,unda ilerlemeye ba/lad-.

In the alley behind 4ing Bharles 8?uare he stopped and looked at his watch. *welve o"clock e!actly. )ebhardt smiled. *he whole thing was going like clockwork. He waited another ten minutes 'ust to be on the safe side. )ebhardt climbed a fence, moved carefully along a narrow space between two buildings, and came out in 4ing Bharles 8?uare. He stood a moment, counting the black forms of the trucks. )ebhardt moved over to the nearest truck. He set down his package, took some wire and a wire cutter from a pocket. He slid under the truck and felt along the bottom of the engine. Lying flat on his back, working in the dark, he began to wire the bomb to the e!act place he wanted it. 8omebody stepped on his ankle. 9ain shot up )ebhardt"s leg, and he bit his lip, not breathing. Fo, he thought, there can"t be anyone here. *here is never anyone at this hour. I have checked it many times. But that weight kept pressing into his ankle. $ ll right, mister,& said a voice. $Bome out of there.& *he wire cutter fell down from his fingers. Hands grabbed at )ebhardt"s legs, pulled. In a panic, he kicked himself loose, got up, and run wildly. man shouted. 8omeone blew a whistle. form 'umped from nowhere and knocked him to the ground. )ebhardt drove his fist into a face, twice, pulled away free, ran on. He ran into a wall, turned the wrong way. flashlight focused on him. He turned back but too late. $*here7 )et him7& )ebhardt drew his revolver. s he ran, he heard them shout as they came closer to him. *here was the noise of rapid gunfire behind him, and something struck him in the back. Fo, thought )ebhardt, the plan was perfect. *here was a sharp pain. He said weakly= $Fo.& He was dead when the soldiers reached him. He lay with his one arm stretched out in front of him, his wristwatch showing the hour.
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4ral Bharles <eydan-"n-n arkas-ndaki dar sokakta durdu ve saatine bakt-. 8aat tam olarak gece on ikiyi g1steriyordu. )0l0msedi. Her /ey saat gibi i/liyordu. *am olarak g0vende olabilmek i.in on dakika daha bekledi. Bir .itin 02erinden atlad-. :ki binan-n aras-ndaki dar yoldan dikkatlice ilerleyerek, 4ral Bharles <eydan-"na .-kt-. 4amyonlar-n siyah sil0etlerini sayarak, bir s0re ayakta bekledi. +n yak-n kamyona do,ru ilerledi. 9aketi yere koydu ve bir par.a tel ve bir tel makas- .-kard-. 4amyonun alt-na u2and- ve motorun alt taraf-na dokundu. 8-rt 0st0 d02g0nce yatarak, karanl-kta, bombay- uygun /ekilde tel ile irtibatlamak istedi,i yeri ayarlamaya .al-/t-. Birisi ayak bile,inin 02erine bast-. )ebhardt, aya,-nda b0y0k bir ac- hissetti. Fefes bile almadan, dudaklar-n- -s-rarak bekledi. Hay-r# hay-r# burada hi. kimse olama2 diye d0/0nd0. Bu saatlerde buralarda hi. kimsecikler olma2d-. Bir .ok defa kontrol etmi/ti ama ayn- a,-rl-k bile,inin 02erinde durmaya devam ediyordu. $9ekala bay-m& dedi bir ses# $6-k oradan d-/ar-.& *el makas- elinden yere yuvarland-. yaklar-ndan tutan eller onu d-/ar- .ekti. 9anik halinde, adam- tekmeleyip kurtuldu, aya,a kalkt- ve h-2la ko/maya ba/lad-. Bir adam ba,-rd-. Ba/ka birisi -sl-k .ald-. Bir yerlerden bir /ey atlad- ve onu yere d0/0recek /iddette vurdu. )ebhardt bir y02e bir, iki yumruk sallad-. 4urtulur kurtulma2, ko/maya devam etti. 4ar/-s-na bir duvar .-kt-. %anl-/ yolmu/. Bir fener 02erine odakland-. )eriye d1nd0 ama art-k .ok ge.ti. $:/te, orada. %akalay-n7& )ebhardt, tabancas-n- .-kard-. 4o/arken ba,-d-klar-n- ve .ok yak-n-na geldiklerini farkediyordu. rkas-nda mermi sesleri vard-. 8-rt-ndan bir /ey ona vurdu. $>lama2& diye ge.irdi i.inden. 9lan- m0kemmeldi. 4eskin bir ac- duyuyordu. Hay-f bir ses tonuyla $Hay-r& dedi. skerler geldi,inde .oktan 1lm0/t0. Bir kolu 1nde, yerde u2anm-/ yat-yordu. 4olundaki saat 2aman- g1steriyordu.

$Imagine the nerve of the guy7& said a young soldier. $He walked in here as though we didn"t even e!ist. *hat"s a nice watch he has on. But it broke when he fell.& $It"s an hour fast,& said a second soldier. $How did that happen;& the little 'eweler was even more surprised when he read the newspaper report the ne!t day about )ebhardt. $I can"t understand it,& he thought. $*he man must have been careless. Fothing went wrong on my part. Why, I even set his watch correctly before I gave it back to him.&

)en. bir asker= $ dam-n cesaretini tahmin etsene. Bi2im burada olmayaca,-m-2- d0/0nerek i.eri girdi herhalde. 4olundaki saat .ok g02el ama d0/t0,0 2aman k-r-lm-/& dedi. Ba/ka bir asker= $Bu saat, bir saat kadar ileri. Bu nas-l olabilir ki;& dedi. 40.0k saat.i, ertesi g0n ga2eteden, )ebhardt ile ilgili haberleri okudu,u 2aman .ok /a/-rd-= $ nlayam-yorum& diye d0/0nd0. $ dam .ok dikkatsi2 davranm-/ olmal-. Ben hi. bir hata yapmad-m. +vet, evet# hatta, geri vermeden 1nce saatini tam olarak ayarlam-/t-m bile5&