Morley Roberts

“ So, at last, he thought of arbitration.
"If he sues me he's certain not to get a full verdict, but he'll be nasty," said Fredericks, "and, besides, the advertisement would be worth the money to him. If I get Harden, or Siblock, or Grayson to arbitrate, they'll see how absurd the price is. They wouldn't get more themselves than what I sent him."
So he wrote and suggested that as the matter in dispute was so small, arbitration would be a good way to settle it. Gurdon pondered over the letter, and took Rivers' advice again.
"Take him on," said Rivers; "you're sure to land something." ”

“ Gurdon grunted.
"What's the odds? Now I've to badger Fredericks. It's a new form of hard labour."
"Let me hear how you get on," said Rivers. "I'm curious to know if he pays up."
"He'll pay," said Gurdon. "I shall write every other day till he does."
But he wrote every other day for a week, and then every day for another week before a cheque came.
That night Rivers met Gurdon coming west down the Strand like a fire-ship in a tideway. He loomed gigantic, and his ragged red beard looked like flame ”

“ You're no gentleman, that's what you ain't."
And Fredericks went up the stairs in a towering rage. He put it all down to Grayson, and cursed him in the common language understanded of the people. He found the arbitrator's oak unsported, and he knocked loudly and knocked again. ”

“ So Gurdon grunted and they shook hands, and Grayson went to inspect the seven articles on the Seven Asses.
He reported to Fredericks that he considered a fair price would be another twenty-five pounds—making in all seventy-live. He sent a note to this effect to Gurdon as well, and washed his hands of the matter with a resolution never to act as arbitrator again. ”

“ But Gurdon was torrential, blind, blundering, and would not listen. He wrote and asked who was to act as arbitrator.
Fredericks suggested Grayson, a very popular man of letters, who, having come into considerable money, rarely did any work.
"He's the very man," said Rivers when he heard of it. ”

“ The longest-living author of this work died in 1957, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 66 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. ”