登陆注册
15489700000056

第56章 CHAPTER THE FIRST THE HARDINGHAM HOTEL, AND HOW WE

At times they became a sort of fairy-story with us, an imaginative exercise. And there came Capern's discovery of what he called the ideal filament and with it an altogether less problematical quality about the business side of quap. For the ideal filament needed five per cent. of canadium, and canadium was known to the world only as a newly separated constituent of a variety of the rare mineral rutile. But to Thorold it was better known as an element in a mysterious sample brought to him by me, and to me it was known as one of the elements in quap. I told my uncle, and we jumped on to the process at once. We found that Gordon-Nasmyth, still unaware of the altered value of the stuff, and still thinking of the experimental prices of radium and the rarity value of cerium, had got hold of a cousin named Pollack, made some extraordinary transaction about his life insurance policy, and was buying a brig. We put in, put down three thousand pounds, and forthwith the life insurance transaction and the Pollack side of this finance vanished into thin air, leaving Pollack, I regret to say, in the brig and in the secret--except so far as canadium and the filament went--as residuum. We discussed earnestly whether we should charter a steamer or go on with the brig, but we decided on the brig as a less conspicuous instrument for an enterprise that was after all, to put it plainly, stealing.

But that was one of our last enterprises before our great crisis, and I will tell of it in its place.

So it was quap came into our affairs, came in as a fairy-tale and became real. More and more real it grew until at last it was real, until at last I saw with my eyes the heaps my imagination had seen for so long, and felt between my fingers again that half-gritty, half soft texture of quap, like sanded moist-sugar mixed with clay in which there stirs something--One must feel it to understand.

V

All sorts of things came to the Hardingham and offered themselves to my uncle. Gordon-Nasmyth stands but only because he played a part at last in the crisis of our fortunes. So much came to us that it seemed to me at times as though the whole world of human affairs was ready to prostitute itself to our real and imaginary millions. As I look back, I am still dazzled and incredulous to think of the quality of our opportunities.

We did the most extraordinary things; things that it seems absurd to me to leave to any casual man of wealth and enterprise who cares to do them. I had some amazing perceptions of just how modern thought and the supply of fact to the general mind may be controlled by money. Among other things that my uncle offered for, he tried very hard to buy the British Medical Journal and the Lancet, and run them on what he called modern lines, and when they resisted him he talked very vigorously for a time of organising a rival enterprise. That was a very magnificent idea indeed in its way; it would have given a tremendous advantage in the handling of innumerable specialties and indeed I scarcely know how far it would not have put the medical profession in our grip. It still amazes me--I shall die amazed--that such a thing can be possible in the modern state. If my uncle failed to bring the thing off, some one else may succeed. But I doubt, even if he had got both these weeklies, whether his peculiar style would have suited them. The change of purpose would have shown. He would have found it difficult to keep up their dignity.

同类推荐
  • 拙轩集

    拙轩集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 观世音菩萨授记经

    观世音菩萨授记经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 谭曲杂札

    谭曲杂札

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 王明阳集

    王明阳集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 解酲语

    解酲语

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
热门推荐
  • 川藏线觅爱记

    川藏线觅爱记

    措姆和两个朋友轮流开着一辆北京吉普,已在路上行驶2天2夜了。他们的目的地是措姆的家乡——丹巴。说是措姆的家乡,但措姆也是很少有机会回去的,因为他从小出生在苏州,江南的一个小镇上,从小身边的伙伴们,也都是说着软绵绵的吴腔,走路不紧不慢的苏州人。措姆在这种环境中,几乎忘记自己是一个藏民,一个血管中奔流着西域豪情的汉子。
  • 病榻遗言

    病榻遗言

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 魔剑传说之霸主天下

    魔剑传说之霸主天下

    高小风,程小影拜玉观门清风道长为师,学有所成,两人青梅竹马,两小无猜,可一切随着五十年一次的论剑而改变!高小风忽然之间成了妖孽,弑师魔头,误会重重,痛苦、意外、生死一次次无情地考验着他……九死一生后,古传送阵、鬼域,千龟岛……奇人异事,纷争与狡诈,险象环生……绝境磨砺出王者,他不但剑冠天下,侠骨丹心更使众界归服,四海宁靖,成为一代剑帝。
  • 花妖芸止

    花妖芸止

    深山里的小花妖恋上人间两面书生……纯真的爱恋……(文笔一般,故事一般,总之很一般!)
  • 绝色无双之凤战九霄

    绝色无双之凤战九霄

    一次穿越,魂兮归来。她脑海中潜藏的记忆告诉她,只有成为最强者,自己才能保护家人不受伤害。于是,她踏上问鼎巅峰之路。一步一步,她找回了原本属于她的力量,以及身份,却陷入了他的温柔中无法自拔,也因此不断成为众矢之的。最后一战,她以灵魂为代价封印对手,一抹凄美的微笑挂在唇边,轻道一声来世再见。然,她的对手,笑着留下了一句令她震惊的遗言。“能封印我的,只有你,唯有你。”她也笑了:“惟愿来世你能踏月而归,许我一生挚爱。”
  • 梦话三篇

    梦话三篇

    小猫说:现在的痛苦你必须要承受,不然你会活不下去,在一次次的蜕皮,当你完成最后的蜕变后,你的样貌就会发生变化,除了和你有血缘关系的人能够感觉到你的存在,不然任何人都不会认识你。当你发生了变化后,这个世界就会失去你,因为你已不是这个世界的人,只能离开,这样你才能够活着,不然就会死。
  • 今夜无电话

    今夜无电话

    本书介绍了潘集区的发展历史,抗日战争时期该区的英雄事迹,以及该区的风土人情等概况。书中分为历史钩沉、名人轶事、抗战烽火、水文地质等栏目。
  • 明伦汇编皇极典听言部

    明伦汇编皇极典听言部

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 白色眷恋

    白色眷恋

    因为不满皇马6比2的比分,中国青年律师沈星怒砸啤酒瓶,结果电光火石间,他穿越成了佛罗伦蒂诺的儿子,且看来自09年的小伙子如何玩转03年的欧洲足坛
  • 铁血帝君

    铁血帝君

    谁无虎落平阳日,待我风云再起时.有朝一日龙得水,我要长江水倒流。岁月如歌又如何,自有知己当对饮!天地无情,以天下苍生为刍狗,家族情仇旧恨,念念何敢忘倾城佳人,一心表意显真情:纵使与天下为敌,我心依旧!