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farangi.
Once I have made my first visits, the invitations will come
pouring in; diplomats are courteous, welcoming and cultivated people, they
speak the languages I know and they play the same games. I could live happily
here, Mr Lesage, between games of bridge, tea, tennis, horse-riding and masked
balls and when I go home in three years’ time I would be rich, happy, tanned and
in the best of health. However, that is not why I came, Mr Lesage.’
He was almost shouting. An unseen hand, perhaps his wife’s, discretely shut
the door to the sitting-room. He seemed not to have noticed and carried on:
‘I came with a very precise mission: to modernise Persia’s finances. These
men have called upon us because they have faith in our institutions and the way
we handle affairs. I have no intention of disappointing them. Nor of misleading
them. I come from a Christian nation, Mr Lesage, and that means something for
me. What image do the Persians have of the Christian nations today? Ultra-
Christian England which appropriates their petrol and ultra-Christian Russia
which imposes its will on them according to the cynical law of the survival of
the fittest? Who are these Christians who have frequented here? Swindlers,
arrogant, godless men and Cossacks. What idea do you want them to have of us?
In what world are we going to live together? Do we have no choice to offer other
than to be our slaves or our enemies? Could they not be our partners and equals?
Some of them fortunately continue to believe in us and our values, but how
much longer will they be able to muzzle the thousands who liken Europeans to
demons?
‘What will the Persia of tomorrow be like? That depends on how we behave
and on the example which we offer. Baskerville’s sacrifice has made people
forget the greed of many other Europeans. I have the greatest esteem for him, but
I assure you I have no intention of dying; quite simply, I wish to be honest. I
shall serve Persia as I would serve an American company. I shall not despoil
Persia but I will make every effort to clean it up and make it prosper, and shall
respect its government but without bowing and scraping.’
Stupidly, tears had started to pour down my face. Shuster fell silent and
watched me warily and a little confused.
‘Would you please excuse me if I have hurt you, without meaning to, by my
tone of voice or my words.’
I stood up and held out my hand.
‘You have not hurt me, Mr Shuster, I am simply shattered. I am going to
report your words to my Persian friends and their reaction will not be any
different from mine.’

---

When I left I ran to the Baharistan; I knew that I would find Fazel there. The
moment I saw him in the distance I shouted out:
‘Fazel. There has been another miracle!’
On 13 June, the Persian Parliament decided, by an unprecedented vote, to
confer full powers on Morgan Shuster to reorganize the country’s finances.
Henceforth he would be invited regularly to be present at Cabinet meetings.
In the meantime, another incident had become the topic of conversation in
bazaar and chancellery alike. A rumour, whose origin was unknown but which
could be easily guessed, accused Morgan Shuster of belonging to a Persian sect.
The whole thing may seem absurd but the people spreading the rumour had
distilled their venom well enough to be able to give the gossip an air of
plausibility. Overnight the Americans became suspect in the eyes of the crowd.
Once again I was charged to speak about it to the Treasurer General. Our
relations had become closer since our first meeting. I called him Morgan and he
called me Ben. I explained to him the subject of the offence.
‘They are saying that amongst your servants there are 
babis
or acknowledged
bahais
, which fact Fazel has confirmed to me. They are also saying that the
bahais
have just founded a very active branch in the United States. They have
deduced that all Americans in the legation are in fact 
bahais
who, under the
pretext of cleaning up the country’s finances, have come to win converts.’
Morgan deliberated for a moment:
‘I shall respond to the only important question: no, I have not come to preach
or convert, but in order to reform Persian finances which are in dire need of it. I
shall add, for your information, that I am of course not a 
bahai
and that I only
learnt of the existence of these sects from Professor Browne’s book just before I
arrived, and that I am still unable to differentiate between a 
babi
and a 
bahai.
On
the matter of my servants, of whom there are a good fifteen in this huge house,
everyone knows that they were here before I arrived. Their work gives me
satisfaction and that is the only thing that matters. I am not accustomed to judge
fellow-workmen by their faith or the colour of their tie!’
‘I can understand your attitude perfectly well. It corresponds to my own
convictions. However, we are in Persia and sensibilities are sometimes different.
I have just seen the new Minister of Finance. He thinks that in order to silence
the slanderers, the servants concerned, or at least some of them, will have to be
fired.’
‘Is the Minister of Finance worrying about this business?’

---

‘More than you think. He fears that it might jeopardize everything he has
undertaken in his sector. He has asked me to brief him this evening on how I
have got on.’
‘Don’t let me delay you. You can tell him on my behalf that no servant will
be dismissed and that as far as I am concerned the matter ends there!’
He stood up. I felt compelled to keep trying.
‘I am not certain that that response will be sufficient, Morgan!’
‘No? In that case, you can add to it: “Minister of Finance, if you have nothing
better to do than examine my gardener’s religion, I can supply you with more
important files to pad out your time.”’
I gave the minister only the gist of his words, but I am quite certain that
Morgan himself repeated them to him verbatim at the first opportunity, moreover
without causing the slightest drama. In fact everyone was happy that common
sense had been spoken with no beating about the bush.
‘Since Shuster has been here,’ Shireen confided in me one day, ‘the
atmosphere is somewhat healthier and cleaner. When faced with a chaotic and
convoluted situation, one always thinks that it will take centuries to sort it out.
Suddenly a man appears and as if by magic, the tree we thought was doomed
takes on new life and starts bearing leaves and fruit and giving shade. This
foreigner has given me back my faith in my countrymen. He does not speak to
them as natives, he does not have any respect for peoples’ sensitivities or their
pettiness, but speaks to them like men and the Persians are rediscovering that
they are men. Do you know that in my family the old women pray for him?’

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