I
It was the sudden flash of the photographer's magnesium light, plainlyfelt by him through his closed lids, that somehow instantly inspiredEdward Henry to a definite and ruthless line of action. He opened hiseyes and beheld the triumphant group, and the photographer himself,victorious over even the triumphant, in a superb pose that suggestedthat all distinguished mankind in his presence was naught but food forthe conquering camera. The photographer smiled indulgently, and hissmile said: "Having been photographed by me, you have each of youreached the summit of your career. Be content. Retire! Die! Destiny isaccomplished."
"Mr. Machin," said Rose Euclid, "I do believe your eyes were shut!"
"So do I!" Edward Henry curtly agreed.
"But you'll spoil the group!"
"Not a bit of it!" said Edward Henry. "I always shut my eyes when I'mbeing photographed by flash-light. I open my mouth instead. So long assomething's open, what does it matter?"
The truth was that only in the nick of time had he, by a happy miracleof ingenuity, invented a way of ruining the photograph. The absolutenecessity for its ruin had presented itself to him rather late in theproceedings, when the photographer had already finished arrangingthe hands and shoulders of everybody in an artistic pattern. Thephotograph had to be spoilt for the imperative reason that hismother, though she never read a newspaper, did as a fact look at apicture-newspaper, _The Daily Film_, which from pride she insisted onpaying for out of her own purse, at the rate of one halfpenny a day.Now _The Daily Film_ specialized in theatrical photographs, on whichit said it spent large sums of money: and Edward Henry in a vision hadseen the historic group in a future issue of the _Film_. He had also,in the same vision, seen his mother conning the said issue, and thesardonic curve of her lips as she recognized her son therein, and hehad even heard her dry, cynical, contemptuous exclamation: "Bless us!"He could never have looked squarely in his mother's face again ifthat group had appeared in her chosen organ! Her silent and grim scornwould have crushed his self-conceit to a miserable, hopeless pulp.Hence his resolve to render the photograph impossible.
"Perhaps I'd better take another one?" the photographer suggested,"though I think Mr.--er--Machin was all right." At the supreme crisisthe man had been too busy with his fireworks to keep a watch on everyseparate eye and mouth of the assemblage.
"Of course I was all right!" said Edward Henry, almost with brutality."Please take that thing away, as quickly as you can. We have businessto attend to."
"Yes, sir," agreed the photographer, no longer victorious.
Edward Henry rang his bell, and two gentlemen-in-waiting arrived.
"Clear this table immediately!"
The tone of the command startled everybody except thegentlemen-in-waiting and Mr. Seven Sachs. Rose Euclid gave vent to hernervous giggle. The poet and Mr. Marrier tried to appear detached anddignified, and succeeded in appearing guiltily confused--for whichthey contemned themselves. Despite this volition, the glances of allthree of them too clearly signified "This capitalist must be humoured.He has an unlimited supply of actual cash, and therefore he has theright to be peculiar. Moreover, we know that he is a card." ... And,curiously, Edward Henry himself was deriving great force of characterfrom the simple reflection that he had indeed a lot of money, realavailable money, his to do utterly as he liked with it, hidden ina secret place in that very room. "I'll show 'em what's what!" heprivately mused. "Celebrities or not, I'll show 'em! If they thinkthey can come it over me--!"
It was, I regret to say, the state of mind of a bully. Such is thenoxious influence of excessive coin!
He reproached the greatest actress and the greatest dramatic poet fordeceiving him, and quite ignored the nevertheless fairly obvious factthat he had first deceived them.
"Now then," he began, with something of the pomposity of a chairmanat a directors' meeting, as soon as the table had been cleared and theroom emptied of gentlemen-in-waiting and photographer and photographicapparatus, "let us see exactly where we stand."
He glanced specially at Rose Euclid, who with an air of deep businessacumen returned the glance.
"Yes," she eagerly replied, as one seeking after righteousness. "_Do_let's see."
"The option must be taken up to-morrow. Good! That's clear. It camerather casual-like, but it's now clear. L4500 has to be paid down tobuy the existing building on the land and so on.... Eh?"
"Yes. Of course Mr. Bryany told you all that, didn't he?" said Rose,brightly.
"Mr. Bryany did tell me," Edward Henry admitted sternly. "But ifMr. Bryany can make a mistake in the day of the week he might make amistake in a few noughts at the end of a sum of money."
Suddenly Mr. Seven Sachs startled them all by emerging from hissilence with the words:
"The figure is O.K."
Instinctively Edward Henry waited for more; but no more came. Mr.Seven Sachs was one of those rare and disconcerting persons who do notkeep on talking after they have finished. He resumed his tranquillity,he re-entered into his silence, with no symptom of self-consciousness,entirely cheerful and at ease. And Edward Henry was aware of hisobservant and steady gaze. Edward Henry said to himself: "This man isexpecting me to behave in a remarkable way. Bryany has been tellinghim all about me, and he is waiting to see if I really am as good asmy reputation. I have just got to be as good as my reputation!" Helooked up at the electric chandelier, almost with regret that it wasnot gas. One cannot light one's cigarette by twisting a hundred-poundbank-note and sticking it into an electric chandelier. Moreover, therewere some thousands of matches on the table. Still further, he haddone the cigarette-lighting trick once for all. A first-class cardmust not repeat himself.
"This money," Edward Henry proceeded, "has to be paid to Slossons,Lord Woldo's solicitors, to-morrow, Wednesday, rain or shine?" Hefinished the phrase on a note of interrogation, and as nobody offeredany reply, he rapped on the table, and repeated, half-menacingly:"Rain or shine!"
"Yes," said Rose Euclid, leaning timidly forward and taking acigarette from a gold case that lay on the table. All her movementsindicated an earnest desire to be thoroughly business-like.
"So that, Miss Euclid," Edward Henry continued impressively, but witha wilful touch of incredulity, "you are in a position to pay yourshare of this money to-morrow?"
"Certainly!" said Miss Euclid. And it was as if she had said,aggrieved: "Can you doubt my honour?"
"To-morrow morning?"
"Ye-es."
"That is to say, to-morrow morning you will have L2250 in actualcash--coin, notes--actually in your possession?"
Miss Euclid's disengaged hand was feeling out behind her again forsome surface upon which to express its emotion and hers.
"Well--" she stopped, flushing.
("These people are astounding," Edward Henry reflected, like a god."She's not got the money. I knew it!")
"It's like this, Mr. Machin," Marrier began.
"Excuse me, Mr. Marrier," Edward Henry turned on him, determined if hecould to eliminate the optimism from that beaming face. "Any friendof Miss Euclid's is welcome here, but you've already talked about thistheatre as 'ours,' and I just want to know where you come in."
"Where I come in?" Marrier smiled, absolutely unperturbed. "MissEuclid has appointed me general manajah."
"At what salary, if it isn't a rude question?"
"Oh! We haven't settled details yet. You see the theatre isn't builtyet."
"True!" said Edward Henry. "I was forgetting! I was thinking for themoment that the theatre was all ready and going to be opened to-morrownight with 'The Orient Pearl.' Have you had much experience ofmanaging theatres, Mr. Marrier? I suppose you have."
"Eho yes!" exclaimed Mr. Marrier. "I began life as a lawyah's clerk,but--"
"So did I," Edward Henry interjected.
"How interesting!" Rose Euclid murmured with fervency, after puffingforth a long shaft of smoke.
"However, I threw it up," Marrier went on.
"I didn't," said Edward Henry. "I got thrown ou
t!"
Strange that in that moment he was positively proud of having beendismissed from his first situation! Strange that all the company,too, thought the better of him for having been dismissed! Strange thatMarrier regretted that he also had not been dismissed! But so it was.The possession of much ready money emits a peculiar effluence in bothdirections--back to the past, forward into the future.
"I threw it up," said Marrier, "because the stage had an irresistibleattraction for me. I'd been stage-manajah for an amateur company, youknaoo. I found a shop as stage-manajah of a company touring 'UncleTom's Cabin.' I stuck to that for six years, and then I threw thatup too. Then I've managed one of Miss Euclid's provincial tours. Andsince I met our friend Trent I've had the chance to show what my ideasabout play-producing really are. I fancy my production of Trent'sone-act play won't be forgotten in a hurry.... You know--'The Nymph'?You read about it, didn't you?"
"I did not," said Edward Henry. "How long did it run?"
"Oh! It didn't run. It wasn't put on for a run. It was part of oneof the Sunday night shows of the Play-Producing Society, at theCourt Theatre. Most intellectual people in London, you know. No suchaudience anywhere else in the wahld!" His rather chubby face glistenedand shimmered with enthusiasm. "You bet!" he added. "But that wasonly by the way. My real game is management--general management. And Ithink I may say I know what it is?"
"Evidently!" Edward Henry concurred. "But shall you have to give upany other engagement in order to take charge of The Muses' Theatre?Because if so--"
Mr. Marrier replied:
"No."
Edward Henry observed:
"Oh!"
"But," said Marrier, reassuringly, "if necessary I would throw upany engagement--you understand me, any--in favour of The IntellectualTheatah--as I prefer to call it. You see, as I own part of theoption--"
By these last words Edward Henry was confounded, even to muteness.
"I forgot to mention, Mr. Machin," said Rose Euclid, very quickly."I've disposed of a quarter of my half of the option to Mr. Marrier.He fully agreed with me it was better that he should have a properinterest in the theatre."
"Why of course!" cried Mr. Harrier, uplifted.
"Let me see," said Edward Henry, after a long breath, "a quarter. Thatmakes it that you have to find L562, 10s. to-morrow, Mr. Marrier."
"Yes."
"To-morrow morning--you'll be all right?"
"Well, I won't swear for the morning, but I shall turn up with thestuff in the afternoon, anyhow. I've two men in tow, and one of them'sa certainty."
"Which?"
"I don't know which," said Mr. Marrier. "How-evah, you may count onyours sincerely, Mr. Machin."
There was a pause.
"Perhaps I ought to tell you," Rose Euclid smiled, "perhaps I oughtto tell you that Mr. Trent is also one of our partners. He has takenanother quarter of my half."
Edward Henry controlled himself.
"Excellent!" said he, with glee. "Mr. Trent's money all ready, too?"
"I am providing most of it--temporarily," said Rose Euclid.
"I see. Then I understand you have your three quarters of L2250 allready in hand."
She glanced at Mr. Seven Sachs.
"Have I, Mr. Sachs?"
And Mr. Sachs, after an instant's hesitation, bowed in assent.
"Mr. Sachs is not exactly going into the speculation, but he islending us money on the security of our interests. That's the way toput it, isn't it, Mr. Sachs?"
Mr. Sachs once more bowed.
And Edward Henry exclaimed:
"Now I really do see!"
He gave one glance across the table at Mr. Seven Sachs, as who shouldsay: "And have you too allowed yourself to be dragged into thisaffair? I really thought you were cleverer. Don't you agree with methat we're both fools of the most arrant description?" And underthat brief glance Mr. Seven Sachs's calm deserted him as it had neverdeserted him on the stage, where for over fifteen hundred nights hehad withstood the menace of revolvers, poison, and female treacherythrough three hours and four acts without a single moment ofagitation.
Apparently Miss Rose Euclid could exercise a siren's charm upon nearlyall sorts of men. But Edward Henry knew one sort of men upon whom shecould not exercise it--namely, the sort of men who are born and bredin the Five Towns. His instinctive belief in the Five Towns as thesole cradle of hard practical common sense was never stronger thanjust now. You might by wiles get the better of London and America, butnot of the Five Towns. If Rose Euclid were to go around and aboutthe Five Towns trying to do the siren business, she would pretty soondiscover that she was up against something rather special in the wayof human nature!
Why, the probability was that these three--Rose Euclid (only a fewhours since a glorious name and legend to him), Carlo Trent, and Mr.Marrier--could not at that moment produce even ten pounds betweenthem!... And Marrier offering to lay fivers!... He scornfully pitiedthem. And he was not altogether without pity for Seven Sachs, who haddoubtless succeeded in life by sheer accident and knew no more than aninfant what to do with his too-easily-earned money.