Noble House

"New?" she had flared this morning. "You claim this miserable secondhand coat is new?"
"Of course!" he had shouted. "Do you think I am a monkey? Of course it's new. It cost 50,000 cash oh ko!" The 50,000 was an exaggeration but the cash wasn't and they both were well aware that it would be uncivilized not to exaggerate. The coat had cost him 14,000, through an intermediary, after much bargaining from a quai loh who had fallen on hard times and another 2,000 to the furrier who had overnight shortened and altered it enough to fit and not to be recognized, with a guarantee that the furrier would swear by all the gods that he had sold it under price at 42 even though it was actually worth 63,500.
"Paul," Richard Kwang said importantly. "The Ho-Pak's in better shape th—"
"Kindly shut up and listen," Havergill said overriding him. "The time has come to make a serious decision—for you, not us. You can go under on Monday with nothing. … I understand trading's opening on your stock first thing."
"But Sir Luis assured me th—"
"I heard it was open for trading, so by Monday night you'll have no bank, no stock, no horses, no dollymoney to pay for mink coats for Venus P—"
"Eh?" Richard Kwang blanched, aware his wife was standing not twenty paces away, lugubriously watching them. "What mink coat?"
Havergill sighed. "All right, if you're not interested." He turned away but the banker caught him by the arm.
"5 cents is ridiculous. 80 is nearer what I can get on the open mar—"
"Perhaps I can go to 7."
"7?" The banker began cursing, more to give himself time to think than anything. "I'll agree to a merger. A seat on the bank's board for ten years at a salary of f—"
"For five years, provided you give me your notarized resignation, undated, in advance, that you always vote exactly as / wish and at a salary equal to other directors."
"No resignation in adv—"
"Then so sorry no deal."
"I agree to that clause," Richard Kwang said grandly. "Now as to money. I th—"
"No. As to money, so sorry, Richard, I don't want to enter into a protracted negotiation. The governor, the tai-pan and I agree we should rescue the Ho-Pak. It is decided. I will see you retain face. We guarantee to keep the takeover price secret and are quite prepared to call it a merger—oh by the way, I want to make the announcement at 5:00 P.M., just after the seventh race. Or not at all." HavergilPs face was grim, but inside he was filled with glee. If it hadn't been for Dunross's announcement and the way it was being received he would have never considered doing the same. That bugger's quite right! It is time to be innovative and who better than us? It'll stop Southerby in his tracks and make us equal to Blacs at long last. With Struan's in our pocket next week, by next year
"57 cents and that's a steal," Kwang said.
"I'll go to 10 cents."
Richard Kwang wheedled and twisted and almost wept and inside he was ecstatic with the chance of the bail-out. Dew neh loh moh, he wanted to shout, a few minutes ago I wouldn't be able to pay for Butterscotch Lass's feed next week let alone the diamond ring and now I'm worth at least $3Vi million U.S. and with judicious manipulation much more. "30 by all the gods!"
"11."
"I'll have to commit suicide," he wailed. "My wife will commit suicide, my children will . . ."
"Your pardon, Lord," his Chinese trainer said in Cantonese, coming up to him. "The race's put back ten minutes. Are there any instructions you wa—"
"Can't you see I'm busy, toad-belly! Go away!" Richard Kwang hissed in Cantonese with more obscenities, then said to Havergill, a final abject plea, "30, Mr. Havergill, and you'll have saved a poor man and his fam—"
"18 and that's final!"
"25 and it's a deal."
"My dear fellow, so sorry but I must place a bet. 18. Yes or no?"
Richard Kwang kept up a pathetic patter but he was estimating his chances. He had seen the flash of irritation on his opponent's face. Dirty lump of dogmeat! Is now the time to close? Between now and five o'clock this leper dung could change his mind. If the tai-pan's got all this new financing perhaps I could . . . No, no chance. 18's three times as good as the opening bid! It's clear you are a clever fellow and a good negotiator, he chortled to himself. Has the time come to close?
He thought of Venus Poon, how she had abused his expensive gift and deliberately brushed her exquisite breasts against Four Fin-gers's arm, and tears of rage welled from his eyes.
"Oh oh oh," he said in an abject whisper, delighted that his strategem to produce real tears had worked so well. "20, by all the gods, and I'm your slave forever."
"Good," Havergill said, very contentedly. "Come to my box at quarter to five. I'll have a provisional letter of agreement ready for signature—and your undated resignation. At five we'll announce the merger, and Richard, until that time not a whisper! If the news leaks, the deal is off."
"Of course."
Havergill nodded and left and Richard Kwang walked back to his wife.
"What's going on?"
"Quiet!" he hissed. "I've agreed to a merger with the Victoria."
"At what price for our holdings?"
He lowered his voice even more. "20 cents on the, er, official book value."
Glee lit her eyes. "Ayeeyah!" she said and quickly dropped her gaze for safety. "You did very well."
"Of course. And a directorship for five years an—"
"Eeee, our face will be huge!"
"Yes. Now listen, we've got until five today to make some private deals on Ho-Pak stock. We must buy in today—at fire-sale prices before every dogmeat gambler steals our rightful profits from us. We can't do it ourselves or others'll instantly suspect. Who can we use?"
She thought for a moment. Again her eyes gleamed. "Profitable Choy. Give him 7 percent of anything he makes for us."
"I'll offer 5 to begin with, perhaps I can settle for 6!/4 percent! Excellent! And I'll also use Smiler Ching, he's a pauper now. He lost everything. Between the two of them . . . I'll meet you back at the box." Importantly he turned away and went to his trainer and carefully kicked him in the shin. "Oh so sorry," he said for the . benefit of those nearby who might have seen him, then hissed, "Don't interrupt me when I'm busy, you cheating lump of dogmeat turd! And if you cheat me like you cheated Big Belly Tok I'll—"
"But I told you about that, Lord," the man said sourly. "He knew about it too! Wasn't it his idea? Didn't you both make a fortune?"
"Oh ko, if my horse doesn't win this race I'll ask my Uncle Four
Fingers to send his street fighters and mash your Heavenly Orbs!"
A sprinkle of rain swept the paddock and they all looked anxiously at the sky. In the stands and on the balconies above, everyone was equally anxious. The shower turned into a slight drizzle and on the members' balcony Orlanda quivered, tense with excitement.
"Oh Line, I'm going to bet now."
"You're sure?" he asked with a laugh for she had been agonizing over her decision all afternoon, first Pilot Fish then Noble Star, then a hot tip, the outsider Winning Billy, and back to Butterscotch Lass again. The odds were even on Butterscotch Lass, 3 to 1 on both Pilot Fish and Noble Star—the moment Travkin was announced the money started pouring on—6 to 1 on Golden Lady, the rest hardly in the running. The total amount so far at risk was a staggering 4,700,000 HK. "How much are you going to bet?"