IN WHICH MR. PASQUETT QUITE SEES THE POINT
John Pasquett, under pressure, agreed to dine with Lord Ealing
in Berkeley Square on the night of his arrival, putting off his
self-imposed mission till the following day. From Scotland Yard, Lord
Ealing had driven him to Mr. Franklin's office, where he had left him,
after speaking a few private words in the lawyer's ear, before Pasquett
came into the room. When Lord Ealing had gone, Franklin gave his
visitor a full account of the terms of Hugh Radlett's will. Pasquett
seemed greatly moved. "I knew," he said, "Hugh had left me something,
and I knew about that power of attorney. But, of course, I always
thought most of the money would go to his relatives in America. Poor
Hugh! He was a real friend. It makes one feel a bit rotten, though,
cutting his daughter out of the money. And I shall only lose it. Money
and I never did stay long together.... I suppose you've communicated
with his lawyer in New York," he added, after a pause.
"I cabled on the day of the crime," said Mr. Franklin. "And I had a
cable back telling me to take all necessary steps. Since then, a letter
has come--in fact, to-day--telling me how matters stand. You are a
fortunate man, Mr. Pasquett. Mr. Radlett's fortune amounts to about----"
"Never mind that just yet. What about the daughter? How is she off?"
"Very well indeed, I think. She got what was left of her mother's ten
million dollars when Mrs. Treves--Mrs. Radlett that was--died. And she
gets fifty thousand more under the will. Though Mr. Radlett meant to
cut that out, if he had lived."
"Still, I feel I'm doing her out of a lot she ought to have. I ought to
do something for her."
"In fact, Mr. Pasquett, you are not doing her out of a penny. Under Mr.
Radlett's old will, she would have got nothing at all. I understand
that the whole estate would have gone to charity."
"I suppose I ought to feel as bad about it that way. But I don't,
somehow. Doing down a charity never seems as bad as doing down some one
real, does it?"
"Most men would jump at your luck and ask no questions."
Pasquett sighed. "Well, at least it means I can do something big at
last. I've been just pottering round with small things all my life so
far. And it means I need spare nothing to bring Hugh's murderer to
justice."
He then told Franklin of the scheme he had devised for tracking
Rosenbaum. The lawyer did his best to dissuade him, but Pasquett was
set upon it. "I start off to-morrow," he said. "I only hope the luck's
with me."
Lord Ealing's dinner was a very quiet little affair. Only the three
chief directors of the Anglo-Asiatic were present to meet Pasquett.
Lord Ealing would not have asked even them, but he had feared the
effect on their minds of seeming to keep Pasquett to himself. Business
was a forbidden subject. Lord Ealing had positively forbidden Sir James
Vanzetti so much as to mention it, though the financier, who became
more gloomy every day as the shares of the Corporation dropped lower
and lower, had given only a most reluctant promise. "The man must be an
absolute fool," he said. "Why can't he talk business? A lot of damned
sentimental nonsense, I call it. Radlett's dead, ain't he? What good'll
it do him to go mooning round after his body? What I say is business is
business, and if a chap can't attend to business when he's wanted, then
I've no use for him."
Lord Ealing had stemmed the torrent by remarking that he rather thought
they had a very distinct use for Mr. Pasquett, whatever sort of man he
was.
"Oh, damn it all, Ealing. Have it your own way," Vanzetti had answered.
"I'll talk about the blasted weather."
It was not, Lord Ealing felt, altogether a successful little party.
He laid himself out to be charming to John Pasquett, and he flattered
himself he could be very charming when he chose. And Pasquett showed
himself a delightful companion, with a fund of good stories about his
Russian experiences, and yet without the raconteur's frequent vice of
monopolising the conversation. Pasquett knew how to listen as well as
to talk. He was properly deferential to Lord Ealing when he spoke of
politics and of the great names of British political life. And Lord
Ealing actually enjoyed Pasquett's stories, told with that pleasant
accent--French, yet not French--which added to the attraction of
everything he said. He and John Pasquett, he was sure, would have no
difficulty in coming to an excellent understanding.
Mr. Benjamin, too, was on his best behaviour, saying comparatively
little, and keeping his unfortunate tendency to relapse into guttural
German exclamations well in check. The trouble was with Vanzetti. The
fellow had obviously been drinking when he arrived, and he drank more
during dinner. Vanzetti was loud-voiced and truculent at all times;
when he had dined too well he became quarrelsome and roared at the top
of his voice. Despite his promise, he tried several times to introduce
the subject of the concession, and Lord Ealing had to check him firmly.
But at length he put Pasquett a direct question. "Are you coming in
with us, Pasquett?" he said. "That's what I want to know. I'm sick of
all this beating about the bush."
Pasquett was not put out. He simply smiled at Vanzetti, and said
there would be plenty of chances of talking about that later on. "But
a fellow wants to know where he is, you know," Vanzetti insisted.
"At present, enjoying this very excellent dinner of Lord Ealing's,"
Pasquett answered, and rapidly changed the subject. Lord Ealing felt
that, though Pasquett had successfully put Vanzetti off, one of his
fellow-directors, at least, was making no favourable impression. And,
after his setback, Vanzetti simply sulked the rest of the evening,
though Pasquett was obviously doing his best to be friendly.
The following morning Pasquett was to set out on his self-imposed
task of hunting down the murderer of his friend. Once he had gone,
heaven alone knew how long it would be before he came back, or there
was another chance of talking business with him. And, by the time he
came back, it might be, from the standpoint of the Anglo-Asiatic,
too late to be of any use. The shares of the Corporation were still
dropping, and creditors became more and more pressing as each day
brought fresh rumours of impending collapse. Under certain conditions,
that might suit Lord Ealing excellently, but he must somehow make
sure that Pasquett meant to come in. By hook or by crook, Pasquett
must be persuaded to talk business. Lord Ealing determined to throw
himself frankly on the mercy of his guest. He contrived, therefore, to
get Vanzetti and Benjamin out of the house fairly early, and to make
Pasquett stay behind for a further talk before returning to his hotel.
"I am going to be quite frank with you, Mr. Pasquett," he said. "You
can do me a great favour without in any way prejudicing your search
for poor Radlett's murderer. It is of vital importance that we should
know where we stand about this concession.... No, please let me
finish ... please. Rumours have got about that the affair is off, and
these rumours are prejudicially affecting our position in the City.
Now, I take it you mean to go on with the thing, as soon as the more
pressing affair is cleared up. If I'm right, I want to ask you to
recognise our position. Will you let me talk business to you for a few
minutes? I won't mention the matter again after this till you tell me
I may. Now, I ask you very specially. It can't interfere with what you
want to do." Lord Ealing smiled his most winning smile.
"If you put it like that, of course I will. Go ahead. It only seemed
wrong, somehow, to be talking business with poor Hugh----"
"I know. Now, Mr. Pasquett, I want you just to assure me privately that
you do mean to come in. Subject, of course, to reasonable terms. Just
tell me in confidence, and I will promise not to say a word about it to
a single soul until you give me leave. It is just in order to relieve
my mind, you know. Surely Mr. Radlett would have wished you to go in
with us?"
"You want me to give you a sort of pledge, in confidence?"
"If you will do that, it will ease my mind a great deal. And there is
no need for you to mention the matter again until this dreadful affair
is cleared up."
"Right. I'll do that. Here's my hand on it. Anything else?"
"Well, of course, we shall have to send some one out to Russia to make
sure it's all right, both at Moscow and on the Yenisei. Will you be
going out yourself to get things started, or sending some one?"
"Oh, I reckon I shall see the thing through myself. You see, I know
mining, and I know the Russians."
"You will not object if I report to my Board that I am sending out
experts with you to go into the whole position on the spot. I thought
of Mr. Alison, who is our best mining engineer, and my nephew, Arthur
Wharton. You must meet him, by the way. He's abroad at present."
"Of course, I shan't go till this business is settled--about Hugh, I
mean."
"Of course not. I only want to get the thing clear in our own minds.
Then you'll come in, on the terms mentioned in our correspondence with
Radlett?"
"Certainly I will."
"Thank you, Mr. Pasquett. I would not have asked you unless it had been
really urgent. I suppose you are in touch with Mr. Radlett's lawyer in
New York."
"Oh, I just told Franklin to do what was necessary, and not bother me
at present."
"These operations will need a lot of money. We must see about raising
our share. What do you say to a couple of million--a million from us
and the same from you?"
"Really, Lord Ealing, I don't feel like talking in terms of the money
just now. I haven't quite given up hope that Hugh may be alive, and it
would be his money, you see."
"Very well. I dare say that can wait a week or two. But I mentioned
that amount as approximately what will be wanted."
"Yes, that'll be all right. Hugh said it would mean at least a
couple of million--probably more. You may take that as agreed. If he
doesn't--turn up, I'll go into the whole thing with you as soon as I
can."
"It is really very good of you, Mr. Pasquett, to relieve my anxiety. It
is understood, is it not, that neither of us says a word of the matter
to anybody till this trouble is over?"
"How about reassuring the City? Didn't you say you wanted to stop
certain rumours?"
"Oh, we can face these for a week or so, now that my own mind is clear.
If the shares do drop a bit, they'll come up again when we can say
publicly that the thing is going on."
"If that suits you, it suits me," said Pasquett.
"Then it's agreed, between you and me," said Lord Ealing gravely. "So
that's all right."
Pasquett promised further to keep Lord Ealing informed of his address,
as far as he could, if he had to leave London, and to take the earliest
opportunity of meeting Arthur Wharton at his uncle's house.
"You will like him," said Lord Ealing. "He's a nice boy--not quite
broken in yet, but shaping very well. Alison's rather a queer customer,
but I expect you will get along with him all right."