The explosion threw Bond down onto the pavement. Then pieces of
clothes began to fall around him. The clothes were covered in blood. Black
smoke filled the sky. There was nothing left of the two men in dark suits.
When Mathis got to Bond, he was leaning against the tree that had
saved his life.
Ambulances and fire engines began to arrive. Mathis helped Bond back
to the Hotel Splendide.
In Bond's room, Mathis asked questions while Bond took off his bloodspotted
clothes. When Bond told him about the two men, Mathis picked up the
telephone.
'...tell the police that Bond's not hurt,' Mathis said quickly to the person
on the other end of the telephone line. 'I'll explain everything to them. Tell the
newspapers that it was a fight between two Bulgarians. One killed the other
with a bomb. There was probably a third Bulgarian watching. Say nothing
about him. He'll try to get away. The police must catch him.'
Mathis put down the phone and turned to Bond. 'You were lucky,' he
said. 'They wanted that bomb to kill you. But something went wrong.' He
smiled at Bond. 'Get a drink and some lunch, then have a rest.'
Several hours later, Bond was drinking a whisky when the telephone
rang.
'This is Mademoiselle Lynd,' said the voice, quietly. 'Are you all right?'
'Yes, thank you,' replied Bond.
'Good,' she said. 'Please take care of yourself.'