“Nothing,” he said, avoiding their eyes, “nothing.”
“It always amazes me,” said Mr. Bellamy, “how people are able to have leisure time — that is, if they have more leisure time than they need. Now I mean to say that our business has been running for thirty-two years. There hasn’t been a day gone by that I haven’t had at least thirteen or fourteen things to attend to. That might seem a little exaggerated to you or maybe even very much exaggerated, but it isn’t exaggerated, it’s true. In the first place I attend personally to every house on our list. I check the plumbing and the drainage and the whatnot. I see whether or not the house is being kept up properly and I also visit it in all kinds of weather to see how it fares during a storm or a blizzard. I know exactly how much coal it takes to heat every house on our list. I talk personally to our clients and I try to influence them on the price they are asking for their house, whether or not they are trying to rent or to sell. For instance, if they are asking a price that I know is too high because I am able to compare it with every price on the market, I try to persuade them to lower their price a little bit so that it will be nearer the norm. If, on the other hand, they are cheating themselves and I know…”
The other two men were getting a little bored. One could easily see that Mr. Bellamy was the least important of the three, although he might easily have been the one that accomplished all the tedious work. Mr. Schlaegel interrupted him.
“Well, my man,” he said to Andy, “tell us what this is all about. In your letter you stated that you had some suggestions whereby you thought we could profit, as well as yourself, of course.”
Andy got up from his chair. It was evident to the men now that he was under a terrific tension, so they were doubly on their guard.
“Why don’t you come back some other time?” said Andy very quickly. “Then I will have thought it out more clearly.”
“Take your time, take your time, now, fellow,” said Mr. Dockerty. “We are all here together and there’s no reason why we shouldn’t talk it over right away. We don’t really live in town, you know. We live twenty minutes out in Fairview. We developed Fairview ourselves, as a matter of fact.”
“Well,” said Andy, coming back and sitting on the edge of his chair, “I have a little property myself.”
“Where’s that?” said Mr. Dockerty.
“It’s a building, in the city, way down, near the docks.” He gave Mr. Dockerty the name of the street and then sat biting his lips. Mr. Dockerty didn’t say anything.
“You see,” continued Andy, “I thought I might hand my rights to this building over to the corporation in return for an interest in your business — at least a right to work for the firm and get my share out of the selling I do. I wouldn’t need to have equal rights with you immediately, naturally, but I thought I’d discuss these details with you later if you were interested.”
Mr. Dockerty shut his eyes and then after a little while he addressed himself to Mr. Schlaegel.
“I know the street he is talking about,” he said. Mr. Schlaegel shook his head and made a face. Andy looked at his shoes.
“For a long time,” said Mr. Dockerty, still addressing Mr. Schlaegel, “for a long time the buildings in that district have been a drag on the market. Even as slums they’re pretty bad and the profit from any one of them is just enough to keep body and soul together. That’s because, as you remember, Schlaegel, there is no means of transportation at any convenient distance and it’s surrounded by fish markets.
“Besides that,” went on Mr. Dockerty, turning to Andy, “we have in our charter a clause that prohibits our taking on any more men except on a strict salary basis, and, my friend, there’s a list as long as my arm waiting for a job in our offices, if there should be a vacancy. Their tongues are hanging out for any job we can offer them. Fine young men too, the majority of them just out of college, roaring to work, and to put into use every modern trick of selling that they have learned about. I know some of their families personally and I’m sorry I can’t help these lads out more than I am able to.”
Just then Miss Goering came rushing through the room. “I’m an hour or two late for Arnold’s father,” she screamed over her shoulder as she went out the door. “I will see you later.”
Andy had got up and was facing the window with his back to the three men. His shoulder blades were twitching.
“Was that your wife?” Mr. Dockerty called to him.
Andy did not answer, but in a few seconds Mr. Dockerty repeated his question, mainly because he had a suspicion it had not been Andy’s wife and he was anxious to know whether or not he had guessed correctly. He kicked Mr. Schlaegel’s foot with his own and they winked at each other.
“No,” said Andy, turning around and revealing his flame-red face. “No, she is not my wife. She’s my girl friend. She’s been living here with me for a week nearly. Is there anything else you men want to know?”
“Now look here, fellow,” said Mr. Dockerty, “there’s nothing for you to get excited about. She’s a very pretty woman, very pretty, and if you’re upset about the little business talk we had together, there’s no reason for that either. We explained everything to you clearly, like three pals.” Andy looked out of the window.
“You know,” said Mr. Dockerty, “there are other jobs you can get that will be far more suited to you and your background and that’ll make you lots happier in the end. You ask your girl friend if that isn’t so.” Still Andy did not answer them.
“There are other jobs,” Mr. Dockerty ventured to say again, but since there was still no answer from Andy, he shrugged his shoulders, rose with difficulty from the couch, and straightened his vest and his coat. The others did likewise. Then all three of them politely bade good-by to Andy’s back and left the room.
* * *
Arnold’s father had been sitting in the ice-cream parlor one hour and a half when Miss Goering finally came running in. He looked completely forlorn. It had never occurred to him to buy a magazine to read and there had been no one to look at in the ice-cream parlor because it was still morning and people seldom dropped in before afternoon.
“Oh, I can’t tell you, my dear, how sorry I am,” said Miss Goering, taking both his hands in hers and pressing them to her lips. He was wearing woolen gloves. “I can’t tell you how these gloves remind me of my childhood,” Miss Goering continued.
“I’ve been cold these last few days,” said Arnold’s father, “so Miss Gamelon went into town and bought me these.”
“Well, and how is everything going?”
“I will tell you all about that in a little while,” said Arnold’s father, “but I would like to know if you are all right, my dear woman, and whether or not you intend to return to the island.”
“I–I don’t think so,” said Miss Goering, “not for a long time.”
“Well, I must tell you of the many changes that have taken place in our lives, and I hope that you will not think of them as too drastic or sudden or revolutionary, or whatever you may call it.”