Ill try, I said. I dont think Ill have to try very hard. Shes the tops, Ellie is.
So I will go on with what I was about to say. I shall put my cards on the table with the utmost frankness. You are not the kind of young man that I should have wished Ellie to marry. I should like her, as her family would have liked her, to marry someone of her own surroundings, of her own set
A toff in other words, I said.
No, not only that. А similar background is, I think, to be desired as a basis for matrimony. And I am not referring to the snob attitude. After all, Herman Guteman, her grandfather, started life as a dockhand. He ended up as one of the richest men in America.
For all you know I might do the same, I said. I may end up one of the richest men in England.
Everything is possible, said Mr Lippincott. Do you have ambitions that way?
Its not just the money, I said. Id like to Id like to get somewhere and do things and I hesitated, stopped.
You have ambitions, shall we say? Well, that is a very good thing, I am sure.
Im starting at long odds, I said, starting from scratch. Im nothing and nobody and I wont pretend otherwise.
He nodded approval.
Very frankly and handsomely said. I appreciate it. Now, Michael, I am no relation to Ellie, but I have acted as her guardian, I am a trustee, left so by her grandfather, of her affairs, I manage her fortune and her investments. And I assume therefore a certain responsibility for them. Therefore I want to know all that I can know about the husband she has chosen.
Well, I said, you can make inquiries about me, I suppose, and find out anything you like easily enough.
Quite so, said Mr Lippincott. That would be one way of doing it. А wise precaution to take. But actually, Michael, I should like to know all that I can about you from your own lips. I should like to hear your own story of what your life has been up to now.
Of course I didnt like it. I expect he knew I wouldnt. Nobody in my position would like that. Its second nature to make the best of yourself. Id made a point of that at school and onwards, boasted about things a bit, said a few things, stretching the truth a bit. I wasnt ashamed of it. I think its natural. I think its the sort of thing that youve got to do if you want to get on. Make out a good case for yourself. People take you at your own valuation and I didnt want to be like that chap in Dickens. They read it out on the television, and I must say its a good yarn on its own. Uriah something his name was, always going on about being humble and rubbing his hands, and actually planning and scheming behind that humility. I didnt want to be like that.
I was ready enough to boast a bit with the chaps I met or to put up a good case to a prospective employer. After all, youve got a best side and a worst side of yourself and its no good showing the worst side and harping on it. No, Id always done the best for myself describing my activities up to date. But I didnt fancy doing that sort of thing with Mr Lippincott. Hed rather pooh-poohed[45] the idea of making private inquiries about me but I wasnt at all sure that he wouldnt do so all the same. So I gave him the truth unvarnished, as you might say.
Squalid beginnings, the fact that my father had been a drunk, but that Id had a good mother, that shed slaved a good bit to help me get educated. I made no secret of the fact that Id been a rolling stone, that Id moved from one job to another. He was a good listener, encouraging, if you know what I mean. Every now and then, though, I realized how shrewd he was. Just little questions that he slipped in, or comments, some comments that I might have rushed in unguardedly either to admit or to deny.
Yes, I had a sort of feeling that Id better be wary and on my toes. And after ten minutes I was quite glad when he leaned back in his chair and the inquisition, if you could call it that, and it wasnt in the least like one, seemed to be over.
You have an adventurous attitude to life, Mr Rogers Michael. Not a bad thing. Tell me more about this house that you and Ellie are building.
Well, I said, its not far from a town called Market Chadwell.
Yes, he said, I know just where it is. As a matter of fact I ran down to see it. Yesterday, to be exact.
That startled me a little. It showed he was a devious kind of fellow who got round to more things than you might think he would.
Its a beautiful site, I said defensively, and the house were building is going to be a beautiful house. The architects a chap called Santonix. Rudolf Santonix. I dont know if youve ever heard of him but
Oh yes, said Mr Lippincott, hes quite a well-known name among architects.
Hes done work in the States I believe.
Yes, an architect of great promise and talent. Unfortunately I believe his health is not good.
He thinks hes a dying man, I said, but I dont believe it. I believe hell get cured, get well again. Doctors theyll say anything.
I hope your optimism is justified. You are an optimist.
I am about Santonix.
I hope all you wish will come true. I may say that I think you and Ellie have made an extremely good purchase in the piece of property that you have bought.
I thought it was nice of the old boy to use the pronoun you. It wasnt rubbing it in that Ellie had done the buying on her own.
I have had a consultation with Mr Crawford
Crawford? I frowned slightly.
Mr Crawford of Reece & Crawford, a firm of English solicitors. Mr Crawford was the member of the firm who put the purchase in hand. It is a good firm of solicitors and I gather that this property was acquired at a cheap figure. I may say that I wondered slightly at that. I am familiar with the present prices of land in this country and I really felt rather at a loss to account for it. I think Mr Crawford himself was surprised to get it at so low a figure. I wondered if you knew at all why this property happened to go so cheaply. Mr Crawford did not advance any opinion on that. In fact he seemed slightly embarrassed when I put the question to him.
Oh well, I said, its got a curse on it.
I beg your pardon, Michael, what did you say?
A curse, sir, I explained. The gipsys warning, that sort of thing. It is known locally as Gipsys Acre.
Ah. А story?
Yes. It seems rather confused and I dont know how much people have made up and how much is true. There was a murder or something long ago. А man and his wife and another man. Some story that the husband shot the other two and then shot himself. At least thats the verdict that was brought in. But all sorts of other stories go flying about. I dont think anyone really knows what happened. It was a good long time ago. Its changed hands about four or five times since, but nobody stays there long.
Ah, said Mr Lippincott appreciatively, yes, quite a piece of English folklore. He looked at me curiously. And you and Ellie are not afraid of the curse? He said it lightly, with a slight smile.
Of course not, I said. Neither Ellie nor I would believe in any rubbish of that kind. Actually its a lucky thing since because of it we got it cheap. When I said that a sudden thought struck me. It was lucky in one sense, but I thought that with all Ellies money and her property and all the rest of it, it couldnt matter to her very much whether she bought a piece of land cheap or at the top price. Then I thought, no, I was wrong. After all, shed had a grandfather who came up from being a dock labourer to a millionaire. Anyone of that kind would always wish to buy cheap and sell dear.
Well, I am not superstitious, said Mr Lippincott, and the view from your property is quite magnificent. He hesitated. I only hope that when you come to move into your house to live there, that Ellie will not hear too many of these stories that are going about.
Ill keep everything from her that I can, I said. I dont suppose anybody will say anything to her.
People in country villages are very fond of repeating stories of that kind, said Mr Lippincott. And Ellie, remember, is not as tough as you are, Michael. She can be influenced easily. Only in some ways. Which brings me he stopped without going on to say what he had been going to. He tapped on the table with one finger. Im going to speak to you now on a matter of some difficulty. You said just now that you had not met this Greta Andersen.
No, as I said, I havent met her yet.
Odd. Very curious.
Well? I looked at him inquiringly.
I should have thought youd have been almost sure to have met her, he said slowly. How much do you know about her?
I know that shes been with Ellie some time.
She has been with Ellie since Ellie was seventeen. She has occupied a post of some responsibility and trust. She came first to the States in the capacity of secretary and companion. A kind of chaperone to Ellie when Mrs van Stuyvesant, her stepmother, was away from home, which I may say was a quite frequent occurrence. He spoke particularly dryly when he said this. She is, I gather, a well-born girl with excellent references, half-Swedish half-German. Ellie became, quite naturally, very much attached to her.
So I gather, I said.
In some way Ellie was, I suppose, almost too much attached to her. You dont mind my saying that?
No. Why should I mind? As a matter of fact Ive well, Ive thought so myself once or twice. Greta this and Greta that. I got well, I know Ive no business to, but I used to get fed up sometimes.
And yet she expressed no wish for you to meet Greta?
Well, I said, its rather difficult to explain. But I think, yes, I think she probably did suggest it in a mild way once or twice but, well, we were too taken up with having met each other. Besides, oh well, I suppose I didnt really want to meet Greta. I didnt want to share Ellie with anyone.
I see. Yes, I see. And Ellie did not suggest Greta being present at your wedding?
She did suggest it, I said.
But but you didnt want her to come. Why?
I dont know. I really dont know. I just felt that this Greta, this girl or woman Id never met, she was always horning in on everything. You know, arranging Ellies life for her. Sending post-cards and letters and filling in for Ellie, arranging a whole itinerary and passing it on to the family. I felt that Ellie was dependent on Greta in a way, that she let Greta run her, that she wanted to do everything that Greta wanted. I oh, Im sorry, Mr Lippincott, I oughtnt to be saying all these things perhaps. Say I was just plain jealous. Anyway I blew up and I said I didnt want Greta at the wedding, that the wedding was ours, that it was just our business and nobody elses. And so we went along to the Registrars office and his clerk and the typist from his office were the two witnesses. I dare say it was mean of me to refuse to have Greta there, but I wanted to have Ellie to myself.
I see. Yes, I see, and I think, if I may say so, that you were wise, Michael.
You dont like Greta either, I said shrewdly.
You can hardly use the word either, Michael, if you have not even met her.
No, I know but, well, I mean if you hear a lot about a person you can form some sort of idea of them, some judgment of them. Oh well, call it plain jealousy. Why dont you like Greta?
This is without prejudice, said Mr Lippincott, but you are Ellies husband, Michael, and I have Ellies happiness very much at heart. I dont think that the influence that Greta has over Ellie is a very desirable one. She takes too much upon herself.
Do you think shell try and make trouble between us? I asked.
I think, said Mr Lippincott, that I have no right to say anything of that kind.
He sat looking cautiously at me, and blinking like a wrinkled old tortoise.
I didnt know quite what to say next. He spoke first, choosing his words with some care.
There has been, then, no suggestion that Greta Andersen might take up her residence with you?
Not if I can help it, I said.
Ah. So that is what you feel? The idea has been mooted.
Ellie did say something of the kind. But were newly married, Mr Lippincott. We want our house our new home to ourselves. Of course shell come and stay sometimes, I suppose. Thatll only be natural.
As you say, that would be only natural. But you realize, perhaps, that Greta is going to be in a somewhat difficult position as regards further employment. I mean, it is not a question of what Ellie thinks of her, but of what the people who engaged her and reposed trust in her feel.
You mean that you or Mrs van Whats-her-name wont recommend her for another post of the same kind?
They are hardly likely to do so except so far as to satisfy purely legal requirements.
And you think that shell want to come to England and live on Ellie.
I dont want to prejudice you too much against her. After all, this is mostly in my mind. I dislike some of the things she has done and the way she has done them. I think that Ellie who has a very generous heart will be upset at having, shall we say, blighted Gretas prospects in many ways. She might impulsively insist on her coming to live with you.
I dont think Ellie will insist, I said slowly. I sounded a little worried all the same, and I thought Lippincott noticed it. But couldnt we Ellie, I mean couldnt Ellie pension her off?
We should not put it precisely like that, said Mr Lippincott. There is a suggestion of age about pensioning anyone off and Greta is a young woman, and I may say a very handsome young woman. Beautiful, in fact, he added in a deprecating, disapproving voice. Shes very attractive to men, too.
Well, perhaps shell marry, I said. If shes all that, why hasnt she got married before this?
There have been people attracted, I believe, but she has not considered them. I think, however, that your suggestion is a very sound one. I think it might be carried out in a way that would not hurt anyones susceptibilities. It might seem quite a natural thing to do on Ellies having attained her majority and having had her marriage helped on by Gretas good offices settle a sum of money upon her in a fit of gratitude. Mr Lippincott made the last two words sound as sour as lemon juice.
Well, then, thats all right, I said cheerfully.
Again I see that you are an optimist. Let us hope that Greta will accept what is offered to her.
Why shouldnt she? Shed be mad if she didnt.
I dont know, said Mr Lippincott. I should say it would be extraordinary if she did not accept, and they will remain on terms of friendship, of course.
You think what do you think?
I would like to see her influence over Ellie broken, said Mr Lippincott. He got up. You will, I hope, assist me and do everything you can to further that end?