Edgar Wallace

“ Did you hear what he said about the purchase price and who was getting the money?"
"He's very young," murmured Mr. Meggison.
"Young!" spluttered the rotund Mr. Glion. "He's got Joicey dissatisfied, and I'm depending upon Joicey to work the market."
At that moment Mr. Joicey, no longer enthusiastic, was walking with a gloomy Chick along the Thames Embankment. Chick's tall hat was on the back of his head, and his hands were thrust into his trousers pockets.
"You know a devil of a lot about oil!" said Joicey testily, for a man resents the disturbance of his placid optimism. ”

“ Joicey, looking unusually haggard and baggy about the eyes, for he had had no sleep for three nights, put down the newspaper cuttings he had been reading with a groan.
"Well, you were right, Mansar," he said. "The infernal scoundrels! They have left us to hold the baby."
"I'll come on the board," began Mansar.
"No, you won't," said Chick quietly. "We've got into this trouble through our own stupidity, and we've got to get out as best we can. It doesn't affect me, because——"
"It affects you more than anybody," said Mansar quietly. ”

“ There is a lot of oil in Roumania—though I've never heard that a gusher had gushed in the Doebnitz region—and as likely as not there is a fortune in the proposition."
"There are a dozen fortunes," said the enthusiastic Mr. Joicey, and Lord Mansar nodded.
"I'll take shares, I promise you that," he said, "but I will not join your board. The fact is, Joicey, I hate the crowd who are running the company, and that's flat—they couldn't go straight if they were fired out of a gun."
"Meggison isn't bad," suggested Joicey.
"Meggison isn't as bad as Glion, and that isn't saying much. ”

“ Meggison in his pedantic way.
"The things they say about that boy Pelborough——" Mr. Glion shook with internal laughter. "There is such a thing in this world, my dear fellow," he said, as he poured himself another libation, "as being too clever. It has been my experience that when you have dealings with a fellow who thinks he knows it all, you are on a good soft proposition." ”

“ The prospectus had been issued with what seemed to Lord Mansar to be indecent haste, and at the first board meeting which Chick attended Mr. Glion announced that subscriptions were "rolling in." Glion, who had seen the birth and death of innumerable companies, and had a very large experience of guinea-pig directors, drove to his handsome house in Hans Crescent after the meeting, and he was in a boiling rage.
"What is this fellow they've lumbered on to me?" he stormed to the meek Meggison. "The man is an infernal jackass. ”

“ He listened, shaking his head, whilst the sound of Chick's urgent voice reached Mr. Meggison at the other side of the table.
"I'm sorry. Good night."
He hung up the receiver.
"That is one of the most transparent tricks in the world," he said.
The 'phone rang again. He hesitated for a moment, then reached for the instrument.
"Oh, is that you, Pelborough? No, I'm sure Mr. Meggison wouldn't come back under any circumstances. He's not well at all. And by the way, Pelborough, where is Joicey now?. In Roumania, is he?" He grinned broadly. "Thank you, that is all I wanted to know." ”

“ Mr. Glion had not achieved success without a profound knowledge of human nature, and Chick listened fascinated whilst the white moustache wobbled up and down as Mr. Glion outlined his plan.
"I am getting a bit too old for this, Pelborough," he said. "Here, at the zenith of my career, I have the most wonderful proposition that any financier has ever handled, and Anno Domini has floored me! This company requires the direction of young men, full of the vigour of youth. You understand me?"
Chick nodded, wondering what was coming next.
"I have been talking it over with Meggison," Mr. ”

“ He passed his hand wearily across his forehead. "Others will reap the reward of our labours," he said virtuously. "We may not get oil for a month, or two months, or two years, but sooner or later our enterprise will be justified. We will now pass to the next item on the agenda."
"Wait a minute," said Chick. "In the prospectus you said——"
"Any discussion of the prospectus is out of order," said Mr. Glion in his capacity as chairman. "We will now pass to the next business."
The following afternoon Chick received a wire asking him to call at Hans Crescent. Mr. Glion was ill. He was very ill. ”

“ The longest-living author of this work died in 1932, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 91 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works. ”