At this point, Blackwell took a gloomy gulp of wine. "I went to ask the supervisor. He said you'd only just arrived, you're still young, you need to accumulate experience. Beckett got in through someone on the inside; putting his name on the list makes the process a bit smoother."
Here, Blackwell let out a short laugh. "Right! Put his name up there for the procedure, take your name down out of respect for rank. I'm not afraid of work. I can work through the night, I can help other departments dig out the original sources of forty‑year‑old treaties. I honestly used to believe that as long as you worked hard and had ability, even if you came from nothing, you could still get close to the circles of power. But what I can't stand is that this place doesn't give a damn what you actually do. The steps of White Hall are simply not built for people to move up. Sir, I'm not flattering you, but the fact that you've climbed to where you are today is nothing short of a miracle."
