Barry Pain

“ Alfred Peach was a dried-up man of fifty-five, taking little or no pleasure in the things that money can bring, and immense pleasure in making more money. He was fond of chess, but chess is cheap. He was no sportsman, and had never owned a yacht or a racehorse. He was very abstemious, more from temperance than conviction; he smoked one cigarette per diem after dinner and drank a very little claret-and-water. ”

“ You'd better buy a few pounds' worth of really good works on electricity—they must be recent books—and put them about; for, though Peach knows nothing, his expert will know a lot."
"Won't he bowl you out?"
"Not a bit. I decline to talk shop till after dinner. It is not until we are smoking our cigars after dinner that they are to find out that there is anything wrong. Your wife's a clever woman, luckily, and will cook to perfection, and she will see that the table looks right. Think out each detail, practise, rehearse. I want the thing to go smoothly—artistically, in fact." ”

“ Berthe's rather a mad little devil, and I'm not sure she won't make a fool of herself when she's waiting at dinner. You and the Frenchy must coach her well when you get back. Remember that the house must look as if it were inhabited by a wealthy bachelor of position, of refinement, of scientific tastes. ”

“ My fear is that we shan't get him—he's a very shy bird, and if he gets any suspicion he'll be off, and we shall have lost our trouble and a good deal of money besides. To start with, you meet us at the station with the carriage. For Heaven's sake don't forget that you're my coachman! Your livery's all right, and as you've got nothing to say, you can't go wrong there; but there are some little points. For instance, when we first come up to the carriage you will want to look round to see what sort of a man Peach is. ”

“ Bulstrode, also rising.
Mr. Peach smiled. "To tell you the truth, we are not very much afraid of them. We haven't underwritten a single share. The public have always followed me, and they've always had something. Leslie's was a bad business, and I wish it hadn't happened. Of course, we knew in the City that they were weak a year before. But this is quite a different thing, and I don't fancy Leslie's will hurt us. In fact, though I don't often give tips, you might do worse than to apply for a few Greasewell's, and resist the temptation to sell them at a profit on the day they're allotted. ”

“ Where's it running?"
"At my place—Somnerley Park, Weybridge."
"When could I send a man down?"
"Whenever you like, if you come as well. Not at all, if you don't, You see what I mean? It is, as you say, a big thing. For that reason—and I don't say you're wrong—you suspect it already. If your own engineer comes down without you, you will be but little more convinced than you are now, and the thing will drag on. Come down yourself; don't leave me alone with your man for a moment ”

“ You may take it for a certainty that we shall only have the two to deal with. Peach and his tame expert. Peach thinks he's going to make another fortune, and he is not a man that cares to share things more than he can help. ”

“ There were one or two inventors who walked about the City, raging against Mr. Peach; but in the City they allow a special extra broad margin for inventors. They go on their knees to be financed; terms are fixed and the financier adheres to them; and then the inventors think they have a right to go about grumbling. The inventors did Mr. Alfred Peach no harm, and the public confidence in him did him a lot of good. In spite of the nervous tension, Mr. Peach had no doubt that the public would come into his "Greasewell's House Paints, Limited," as soon as it had a chance, seeing that Mr. ”

“ And don't think that I am fool enough to spoil a big coup by any silly little minor swindle; every penny is paid. Then there are four of us—apart from the two women—three here and one in London; and the one in London is forced to spend a lot to cover his tracks, as you will discover later when you try to track him. ”

“ John Bulstrode. (And if that was not his real name, neither was it Jeffrey, neither was he a captain.) "Frenchy is not used to doing things on the large scale yet. He thinks that the bigger the coup, the greater the risk must be. But it is not so. In fact, the total risk is less. The little sneak-thief has to be always at it in order to make a living, and we know what happens to the pitcher that goes often to the well. The man who conducts an operation, as we are doing, with a view to influence the price of a stock in his favour, can afford a long rest. ”