To Lose a Fiancé Once Seems Like Carelessness…..
…….. But To Lose a Fiancé twice Is Tragic
One can only guess at how Janet Portland must have been feeling after having lost her fiancé the first time, and then having found him , albeit in the guise of another man, but then only to lose him a second time must have been heartbreaking for her. Not that she quite understood what was actually going on, why this man the Colonel could kiss her like her fiancé would have done. All heart rending stuff from Janet's point of view.
We can only speculate what Janet did after losing her fiancé once more. No doubt she would have approached her father again, asking him where her fiancé is, and what happened to the man who attended her birthday party to bring her a message from her fiancé. Would Janet have gone on pining for her fiancé, and if so for how long? Because life does go on, and I'm sure for Janet there would be few further chances of love and marriage, well certainly not to a man of her fiancé’s calibre. Older men would find Janet attractive, but not so younger men, well Janet is not so young herself, being considered at the time, middle aged.
How much Janet asked around the people she and her fiancé knew, regarding her fiancés disappearance, apart from approaching her father, Sir Charles Portland that is, is err unknown. If by any chance Sir Charles was the only person Janet approached in connection with her fiancés disappearance, then Janet didn't look too far did she. Did Janet go so far as to report his disappearance to the police for example? If so, there is the possibility that Special Branch may have become involved, and would then have themselves approached Sir Charles Portland. What answers Sir Charles may have given, could have been those associated with his daughter.
Janet "Is he able to get in touch with me?"
Sir Charles "I honestly don't know."
"Do you mean you haven't sent him on a mission?"
"No." her father shrugs "And you realise I'm telling you more than I should. I shouldn't even tell you that."
"You mean that even you don't know where he is?"
"I have no idea."
Special Branch aren't going to get very far by interviewing Sir Charles Portland, are they?
If Janet could not have her fiancé back, which realistically doesn't look very likely. Then she would have to marry another man, perhaps not to her suiting, to save herself being left on the shelf and ending her days as an old maid. Not greatly attractive or exciting for that matter, one wonders what the Prisoner saw in her in the first place. Janet might have been a useful ally, as the bosses daughter, an aid in a step up the ladder of his career. After all the Prisoner could not have remained out in the cold for his entire career. If he was to have married Janet Portland, she would have wanted him to settle down, and to a quiet office job. Home at , out to dinner, possibly the theatre. Two children, holidays in France
The Manipulation Of Such A Community As This
No.6 has learned well by the time of Hammer Into Anvil, about the manipulation of such a community as this. He knows just what the weasle character is, now situated behind the counter of the General Store. No.6 knows that he is being watched by the Shopkeeper as he listens to the records of Bizet's L'arlesiene, and uses this to his advantage, along with the planted words Security which No.6 has circled on the front page of the Tally Ho. For No.6 knows that the Shopkeeper will instantly telephone No.2 the moment he leaves the General Store, and watches as the Shopkeeper goes running off towards the Green Dome with said LP records and copy of the Tally Ho under his arm.
No.2 is also manipulated by No.6, in the way he does not trust the people around him, and after reading a planted message written out by No.6 to XO4 and signed D6, arrives at the conclusion that No.6 is a plant! And so no harm must come to him, otherwise our masters will know!
No.6 also works on No.2's paranoia by placing a message in the personal column of the Tally Ho from Don Quixote "Hay mas mal en el aldea que se suene" which translates into "There is more harm in the village than is dreamt." No.14 can see No.6's game, and exactly what he's up to, to undermine No.2's authority. But No.2 fails to listen as no harm must come to No.6, believing him to be a plant.
The Supervisor-No.28 is not above No.6's manipulative powers, as he reads a birthday greeting to No.6 all over the village "May the sun shine on you today and everyday." If only he knew that it wasn't No.6's birthday. No.6 took a risk there, because if the Supervisor had known the game might have been up for No.6.
The only man in the village who might have stopped No.6, was No.14, but he was mistrusted by No.2, although that mistrust was misplaced. And physically No.14 wasn't up to the job, No.6 soon despatched him through the French door of his cottage!
The head of Psychiatrics was also called into the equation, as he was telephoned by No.6. No.6 isn't mad, but the psychiatrist isn't so sure about No.2 who becomes very irate when he thinks the psychiatrist is trying to tell No.2 his job "Do you want to sit in this chair?" And the right word in the leader of the Brass band's ear and he's soon called into No.2's office for interrogation. But the leader of the Brass Band doesn't know anything, he's simply a pawn in No.6's game. "Oh get out, get out!"
No.6's manipulation of certain members of the community was only made possible due to a weak link in the chain of command, and No.2's paranoia about a conspiracy within in the village. This was prevalent from the very beginning of Hammer into Anvil, in No.2's call for an increase in vigilance, that being the Tally Ho headline, and warning the citizens of the community that "We must constantly be on guard against enemies in our midst." The Security of the Community is at risk!
Part of No.6's manipulation of No.2 was to be able to use No.2's 'witch hunt' against him, and thus bring him to his knees. And forcing No.2 to report his own breakdown, well it was a nice touch, but then No.6 could hardly report No.2 himself....... Could he now?
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