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A Woman Intervenes

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George Wentworth closed his door when he was alone, drew the mass of
papers, which Kenyon had left, towards him on his desk, and proceeded
systematically to find a flaw in them if possible. He said to himself: 'I
must attack this thing without enthusiasm, and treat Kenyon as if he were
a thief. I must find an error in the reasoning or something shaky about
the facts.' He perused the papers earnestly, making pencil-marks on the
margin here and there. At first he said to himself: 'It is quite evident
that the mining of the mica will pay for the working of the mine. We can
look upon the demand for mica as being in a certain sense settled. It has
paid for the working of the mine so far, also a small dividend, and there
is no reason to think it should not go on doing so. Now, the uncertain
quantity is this other stuff, and the uncertain thing about this
uncertain quantity is the demand for it in the markets of the world, also
how much the carriage of it is going to cost.' Wentworth had a theory
that all things were possible if you only knew a man who knew _the_ man.
There is always _the_ man in everything--the man who is the authority on
iron; the man who is the authority on mines; the man who is the authority
on the currency, and the man who knows all about the printing trade. If
you want any information on any particular subject, it was not necessary
to know _the_ man, but it was very essential to know a man who can put
his finger on _the_ man. Get a note of introduction from a man who knows
_the_ man, and there you are!

Wentworth touched his bell, and a boy answered his summons.

'Ask Mr. Close to step in here for a moment, will you, please?'

The boy disappeared, and shortly after an oldish man with a very
deferential look, who was perpetually engaged in smoothing one hand
over the other, came in, and, in a timid manner, closed the door softly
behind him.

'Close,' said Wentworth, 'who is it that knows everything about the
china trade?'

'About the china trade, sir?'

'Yes, about the china trade.'

'Wholesale or retail, sir?'

'I want to get at somebody who knows all about the manufacture of china.'

'Ah, the manufacture, sir,' said Close, in a tone that indicated this was
another matter altogether; 'the manufacture, sir; yes, sir, I really do
not know who could tell everything about the manufacture of china, sir,
but I know of a man who could put you on the right track.'

'Very well; that is quite as good.'

'I would see Mr. Melville, if I were you, sir--Mr. Melville, of the great
Scranton China Company.'

'And what is his address?'

'His address is----' And here the old man stooped over and wrote it on a
card. 'That will find him, sir. If you can drop a note to Mr. Melville,
sir, and say you want to learn who knows all about the production of
china, he will be able to tell you just the man, sir. He is in the
wholesale china trade himself, sir.'

'Would he be in at this hour, do you think?'

'Oh yes, sir, he is sure to be in his office now.'

'Very well, then; I think I will just run over and see him.'

'Very good, sir; anything more, sir?'

'Nothing more, Close, thank you.'

When the valuable Close had departed as softly and apologetically as he
had entered, Wentworth picked up one of the specimens of spar which
Kenyon had taken from the mine, and put it into his pocket. In two
minutes more he was in a cab, dashing through the crowded streets towards
Melville's office. By the side of the door of the china company's
warehouse, inside the hall, were two parallel rows of names--one under
the general heading of 'Out,' the other under the heading of 'In.' It
appeared that Mr. Smith was out and Mr. Jones was in, but, what was more
to the purpose, the name of Richard Melville happened to be in the column
of those who were inside. After a few moments' delay, Wentworth was
ushered into the office of this gentleman.

'Mr. Melville,' he said, 'I have been recommended to come to you for
information regarding the china trade. The information I want, you will,
perhaps, not be able to give me, but I believe you can tell me to whom I
should apply for it.' Saying this, he took out of his pocket the specimen
of mineral which he had brought with him. 'What I want to know is, how
much of this material you use each year in the manufacture of china; what
price you pay for it; and I should like to get at an estimate, if
possible, of the quantity used in England every year.'

Melville picked up the specimen and turned it round and round, looking at
it attentively.

'Well,' he said at last, 'I could tell you anything you wished about the
wholesale china trade, but about the manufacture of it I am not so well
informed. Where did you get this?'

'That,' said Wentworth, 'is from a mine in which I am interested.'

'Ah, where is the mine situated, may I ask?'

'It is in America,' said Wentworth vaguely.

'I see. Have you considered the question of carriage in proposing to put
it on the English market? That, as you know, is an important question.
The cost of taking a heavy article a long distance is a great factor in
the question of its commercial value.'

'I recognise that,' said Wentworth; 'and it is to enable me to form some
estimate of the value of this material that I ask for particulars of its
price here.'

'I understand, but I am not able to answer your questions. If you have
time to wait and see Mr. Brand, our manager of the works, who is also one
of the owners, he could easily tell you everything about this
mineral--whether used at all or not. He comes up to London once every
fortnight, and to-day is his day. I am expecting him here at any time.
You might wait, if you liked, and see him.'

'I do not think that will be necessary. I will write, if you will allow
me, just what I want to know, and in two or three minutes he could jot
down the information I require. Then I will call again to-morrow, if you
don't mind.'

'Not in the least. I will submit the matter to him. You can leave me this
piece of mineral, I suppose?'

'Certainly,' said Wentworth, writing on a sheet of paper the questions:
'First, What quantity of this mineral is used in your works in a year?
second, What price per ton do you pay for it? third, Will you give me, if
possible, an estimate of how much of this is used in England?'

'There,' he said, 'if you will give him this slip of paper, and show him
the specimen of mineral, I shall be very much obliged.'

'By the way,' said Melville, 'is this mine in operation?'

'Yes, it is.'

'Is there anyone else beside yourself interested in it in this country?'

'Yes,' said Wentworth, with some hesitation; 'John Kenyon, a mining
expert, is interested in it, and Mr. Longworth--young Mr. Longworth of
the City.'

'Any relation to John Longworth?'

'His nephew.'

'Ah, well, anything that Longworth has an interest in is reasonably sure
of being successful.'

'I am perhaps going too far in saying he has an interest in the mine, but
in coming from America he seemed desirous of going in with us. My
partner. John Kenyon, of whom I spoke just now, is with him at the
present moment, I believe.'

'Very well. I will submit this specimen to Mr. Brand as you desire, and
will let you know to-morrow what he says.'

With that Wentworth took his leave, and in going out through the hall he
met the manager of the china works, although he didn't know at the time
who he was. He was a very shrewd-faced individual, who walked with a
brisk business step which showed he believed that time was money.

'Well, Melville,' he said when he entered, 'I am a little late to-day,
am I not?'

'You are a little behind the usual time, but not much.'

'By the way----' began the manager, and then his eye wandered to the
specimen on the desk before Melville. 'Hello!' he cried, 'where did you
get this?'

'That was left here a moment ago by a gentleman whom I wanted to wait
until you came, but he seemed to be in a hurry. He is going to call again
to-morrow.'

'What is his name?'

'Wentworth. Here's his card.'

'Ah, of a firm of accountants, eh? How did he come to have this?'

'He wanted to get some information about it, and I told him I would show
it to you. Here is the note he left.'

The manager turned the crystal over and over in his hand, put on his
eyeglasses and peered into it, then picked up the piece of paper and
looked at what Kenyon had written.

'Did he say where he had got this?'

'Yes; he says there is a mine of it in America.'

'In America, eh? Did he say how much of this stuff there was?

'No; he didn't tell me that. The mine is working, however.'

'It is very curious! I never heard of it.'

'I gathered from him,' said Mr. Melville, 'that he wishes to do something
with the mine over here. He did not say much, but he told me his
partner--I forget his name--was talking at the present moment with young
Longworth about it.'

'Longworth--who's he?'

'He's a man who goes in for mines or other investments; that is, his
uncle does--a very shrewd old fellow, too. He is always on the right side
of the market, no matter how it turns.'

'Then, he would be a man certain to know the value of the property if he
had it, wouldn't he?'

'I don't know anybody who knows the value of what he has better than
Longworth.'

'Ah, that's a pity,' mused the manager.

'Why? Is it a mineral of any worth?'

'Worth! A quarry of this would be better for us than a gold-mine!'

'Well, it struck me, in talking with Mr. Wentworth, that he had no
particular idea of its utility. He seemed to know nothing about it, and
that's why he came here for information.'

Again the manager looked at the paper before him.

'I'm not so sure about that,' he said. 'He wants to know the quantity
used in a year, how much of it is consumed in England, and the price we
pay for it per ton. I should judge, from that, he has an inkling of its
value, and wants merely to corroborate it. Yes, I feel certain that is
his move. I fear nothing very much can be done with Mr. Wentworth.'

'What were you thinking of doing?'

'My dear Melville, if we could get hold of such a mine, supposing it has
an unlimited quantity of this mineral in it, we could control the china
markets of the world.'

'You don't mean it!'

'It's a fact, because of the purity of the mineral. The stuff that we use
is heavily impregnated with iron; we have to get the iron out of it, and
that costs money. Not that the stuff itself is uncommon at all, it is one
of the most common substances in Nature; but anything so pure as this I
have never seen. I wonder if it is a fair specimen of what they can get
out of the mine? If it is, I would rather own that property than any
gold-mine I know of.'

'Well, I will see Mr. Wentworth, if you like. He is going to call here
about this time to-morrow, and I will find out if some arrangement cannot
be made with him.'

'No, I wouldn't do that,' replied the manager, who preferred never to do
things in a direct way. 'I think your best plan is to see Longworth. The
chances are that a City man like him does not know the value of the
property; and, if you don't mind, I will write a letter to Mr. Wentworth
and give him my opinion on this mineral.'

'What shall I say to Longworth?'

'Say anything you like; you understand that kind of business better than
I. Here are the facts of the case. If we can get a controlling interest
in this mine, always supposing that it turns out mineral up to sample--I
suspect that this is a picked specimen; of course we should have to send
a man to America and see--if we could get hold of this property, it would
be the greatest feat in business we have ever done, provided, of course,
we get it at a cheap enough price.'

'What do you call a cheap enough price?'

'You find out what Longworth will sell the mine for.'

'But supposing Wentworth owns the mine, or as much of it as
Longworth does?'

'I think, somehow, that if you know Longworth you can perhaps make better
terms with him. Meanwhile I will send a letter to Wentworth. You have his
address there?'

'Yes.'

'Very well.'

Taking his pen, he dashed off the following letter:

'DEAR SIR,

'I regret to say that the mineral you left at our office yesterday is of
no value to us. We do not use mineral of this nature, and, so far as I
know, it is not used anywhere in England.

'Yours truly,

'ADAM BRAND.'




CHAPTER XIX.


The chances are that, no matter under what circumstances young Longworth
and Kenyon had first met, the former would have disliked the latter.
Although strong friendships are formed between men who are dissimilar,
it must not be forgotten that equally strong hatreds have arisen between
people merely because they were of opposite natures. No two young men
could have been more unlike each other; and as Longworth recalled the
different meetings he had had with Kenyon, he admitted to himself that he
had an extreme antipathy to the engineer. The evident friendship which
his cousin felt for Kenyon added a bitterness to this dislike which was
rapidly turning it into hate. However, he calmed down sufficiently, on
going home in the carriage, to become convinced that it was better to say
nothing about her meeting with Kenyon unless she introduced the subject.
After all, the carriage was hers, not his, and he recognised that fact.
He wondered how much Kenyon had told her of the interview at his uncle's
office. He flattered himself, however, that he knew enough of women to be
sure that she would very speedily refer to the subject, and then he hoped
to learn just how much had been said. To his surprise, his cousin said
nothing at all about the matter, neither that evening nor the next
morning, and, consequently, he went to his office in a somewhat
bewildered state of mind.

On arriving at his room in the City, he found Melville waiting for him.

Melville shook hands with young Longworth, and, taking a mineral specimen
from his pocket, placed it on the young man's desk, saying;

'I suppose you know where that comes from?'

Longworth looked at it with an air of indecision which made Melville
suspect he knew very little about it.

'I haven't the slightest idea, really.'

'No? I was told you were interested in the mine from which this was
taken. Mr. Wentworth called on me yesterday, and gave your name as one of
those who were concerned with the mine.'

'Ah, yes, I see; yes, yes, I have--some interest in the mine.'

'Well, it is about that I came to talk with you. Where is the mine
situated?'

'It is near the Ottawa River, I believe, some distance above Montreal. I
am not certain about its exact position, but it is somewhere in that
neighbourhood.'

'I thought by the way Wentworth talked it was in the United States. He
mentioned another person as being his partner in the affair; I forget
his name.'

'John Kenyon, probably.'

'Kenyon! Yes, I think that was the name. Yes, I am sure it was. Now, may
I ask what is your connection with that mine? Are you a partner of
Wentworth's and Kenyon's? Are you the chief owner of the mine, or is the
mine owned by them?'

'In the first place, Mr. Melville, I should like to know why you ask me
these questions?'

Melville laughed.

'Well, I will tell you. We should like to know what chance there is of
our getting a controlling interest in the mine. That is very frankly put,
isn't it?'

'Yes, it is. But whom do you mean by "we"? Who else besides yourself?'

'By "we" I mean the china company to which I belong. This mineral is
useful in making china. That I suppose you know.'

'Yes, I was aware of that,' answered Longworth, although he heard it now
for the first time.

'Very well, then; I should like to know who is the owner of the mine.'

'The owner of the mine at present is some foreigner whose name and
address I do not know. The two young men you speak of have an option on
that mine for a certain length of time--how long I don't know. They have
been urging me to go in with them to form a company for the floating of
that mine for two hundred thousand pounds on the London market.'

'Two hundred thousand pounds!' said Melville. 'That seems to me rather a
large amount.'

'Do you think so? Well, the objection I had to it was that it was too
small.'

'Those two men must have an exaggerated idea of the value of this mineral
if they think it will pay dividends on two hundred thousand pounds.'

'This mineral is not all there is in the mine. In fact, it is already
paying a dividend on fifty thousand pounds or thereabouts, because of the
mica in it. It is being mined for mica alone. To tell the truth, I did
not know much about the other mineral.'

'And do you think the mine is worth two hundred thousand pounds?'

'Frankly, I do not.'

'Then why are you connected with it?'

'I am not connected with it--at least, not definitely connected with it.
I have the matter under consideration. Of course, if there is anything
approaching a swindle in it, I shall have nothing to do with it. It will
depend largely on the figures that the two men show me whether I have
anything to do with it or not.'

'I see; I understand your position.' Then, lowering his voice, Melville
leaned over towards Longworth, and said: 'You are a man of business. Now,
I want to ask you what would be the chance of our getting the mine at
something like the original option priced which is, of course, very much
less than two hundred thousand pounds? We do not want to have too many in
it. In fact, if you could get it for us at a reasonable rate, and did not
care to be troubled with the property yourself, we would take the whole
ourselves.'

Young Longworth pondered a moment, and then said to Melville:

'Do you mean to freeze out the other two fellows, as they say in
America?'

'I do not know about freezing out; but, of course, with the other two
there is so much less profit to be divided. We should like to deal with
just as few as if possible.'

'Exactly. I see what you mean. I think it can be done. Are you in any
great hurry to secure the mine?'

'Not particularly. Why?'

'Well, if things are worked rightly, I don't know but what we could get
it for the original option. That would mean, of course, to wait until
this first option had run out.'

'Wouldn't there be a little danger in that? They may form their company
in the meantime, and then we should lose everything. Our interest in the
matter is as much to prevent anyone else getting hold of the mine as to
get it ourselves.'

'I see. I will think it over. I believe it can be done without great
risk; but, of course, we shall have to be reasonably quiet about the
matter.'

'I see the necessity of that.'

'Very good. I will see you again after I have thought over the affair,
and we can come to some arrangement.'

'I may say that our manager has written a note to Wentworth, saying that
this mineral is of no particular use to us.'

'Exactly,' said young Longworth, with a look of intelligence.

'So, of course, in speaking with Wentworth about the mine, it is just as
well not to mention us in any way.'

'I shall not.'

'Very well. I will leave the matter in your hands for the present.'

'Yes, do so. I will think over it this afternoon, and probably see
Wentworth and Kenyon to-morrow. There is no immediate hurry, for I happen
to know they have not done anything yet.'

With that Mr. Melville took his leave, and young Longworth paced up and
down the room, evolving a plan that would at once bring him money and
give him the satisfaction of making it lively for John Kenyon.

When he reached home, Longworth waited for his cousin to say something
about Kenyon; but he soon saw that she did not intend to speak of him at
all. So he said to her:

'Edith, do you remember Kenyon and Wentworth--who were on board our
steamer?'

'I remember them very well.'

'Did you know they had a mining property for sale?'

'Yes.'

'I have been thinking about it--in fact, Kenyon called at my office a day
or two ago, and at that time, not having given the subject much thought,
I could not give him any encouragement; but I have been pondering over it
since, and have almost decided to help them. What do you think about it?'

'Oh, I think it would be an excellent plan. I am sure the property is a
good one, or Mr. Kenyon would have nothing to do with it. I shall write a
note to them, if you think it advisable, inviting them here to talk with
you about it.'

'That will not be necessary at all. I do not want people to come here to
talk business. My office is the proper place.'

'Still, we met them in a friendly way on board the steamer, and I think
it would be nice if they came here some evening and talked over the
matter with you.'

'I don't believe in introducing business into a man's home. This would be
a purely business conversation, and it may as well take place at my
office, or at Wentworth's, if he has one, as I suppose he has.'

'Oh, certainly; his address is----'

'Oh, you know it, do you?'

Edith blushed as she realized what she had said; then she remarked:

'Is there any harm in my knowing the business address of Mr. Wentworth?'

'Oh, not at all--not at all. I merely wondered how you happened to know
his address, when I didn't.'

'Well, it doesn't matter how I know it. I am glad you are going to join
him, and I am sure you will be successful. Will you see them to-morrow?'

'I think so. I shall call on Wentworth and have a talk with him about it.
Of course we may not be able to come to a workable arrangement. If not,
it really does not matter very much. But if I can make satisfactory terms
with them, I will help them to form their company.'

When Edith went to her own room she wrote a note. It was addressed to
George Wentworth in the City, but above that address was the name John
Kenyon. She said:

'DEAR MR. KENYON,

'I was certain at the time you spoke that my cousin was not so much at
fault in forgetting his conversation as you thought. We had a talk to
night about the mine, and when he calls upon you tomorrow, as he intends
to do, I want you to know that I said nothing whatever to him of what you
told me. He mentioned the subject first. I wanted you to know this
because you might feel embarrassed when you met him by thinking I had
sent him to you. That is not at all the case. He goes to you of his own
accord, and I am sure you will find his assistance in forming a company
very valuable. I am glad to think you will be partners.

'Yours very truly,

'EDITH LONGWORTH.'

She gave this letter to her maid to post, and young Longworth met the
maid in the hall with the letter in her hand. He somehow suspected, after
the foregoing conversation, to whom the letter was addressed.

'Where are you going with that?'

'To the post, sir.'

'I am going out; to save you the trouble I will take it.'

After passing the corner, he looked at the address on the envelope; then
he swore to himself a little. If he had been a villain in a play he would
have opened the letter; but he did not. He merely dropped it into the
first pillar-box he came to, and in due time it reached John Kenyon.




CHAPTER XX.


Although Jennie Brewster arrived in London angry with the world in
general, and with several of its inhabitants in particular, she soon
began to revel in the delights of the great city. It was so old that it
was new to her, and she visited Westminster Abbey and other of its
ancient landmarks in rapid succession. The cheapness of the hansoms
delighted her, and she spent most of her time dashing about in cabs. She
put up at one of the big hotels, and ordered many new dresses at a place
in Regent Street. She bought most of the newspapers, morning and evening,
and declared she could not find an interesting article in any of them.
From her point of view they were stupid and unenterprising, and she
resolved to run down the editor of one of the big dailies when she got
time, interview him, and discover how he reconciled it with his
conscience to publish so dull a sheet every day.

She wrote to her editor in New York that London, though a slow town, was
full of good material, and that nobody had touched it in the writing line
since Dickens' time; therefore she proposed to write a series of
articles on the Metropolis that would wake them up a bit. The editor
cabled to her to go ahead, and she went.

Jennie engaged a chaperon, and took great satisfaction in this unwonted
luxury. It had been intimated to her that Lady Willow was a sort of
society St. Peter, who held keys that would open the gates of the social
heaven, if she were sufficiently recompensed. Of all the ancient
landmarks of England, none attracted Jennie so much as the aristocracy,
and although she had written to New York for letters of introduction that
would be useful in London, she was too impatient to await their arrival.
Thus she came to secure the services of Lady Willow, the widow of Sir
Debenham Willow, who had died abroad, insolvent, some years before,
mourned by the creditors he left behind him.

Jennie was suspicious about the title, and demanded convincing proofs of
its genuineness before she engaged Lady Willow. She was amazed that any
real lady would, as it were, sell her social influence at so much a week;
but, as Lady Willow was equally astonished that an American girl earned
her livelihood by writing for the papers, the surprise of the one found
its counterpart in the wonder of the other.

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