“Seventeen hundred a year,” she repeated, mechanically.
“Well, then we got out the prospectus, d'ye see. Or first, there were other things to be done. I saw that a good broker's name counted for a lot on a prospectus. I picked out one that I'd heard was reasonable--it'd been a splendid name if I could have got it--but he calmly said his price was two thousand pounds, all cash down--and I came away. Finally I got a fellow who hadn't done much of anything yet, and so wasn't so stiff about his figure. He agreed to take 500 pounds cash, and 2,000 in shares. It was God's luck that I hit on him, for he turned out, at the pinch, to be the one man in a million for me. But I'll tell you about him later. He's the Broker, mind; you mustn't forget him. Well, then, he and I got a Solicitor--he took 200 pounds cash, but he had to have 2,000 shares--and the firm of Auditors--they were 100 pounds cash and 1,000 shares. Every company has to have these people pasted on to it, by law. Oh yes, and then you must have your Bankers. You don't pay them anything, though, thank God! Well, then, there was the machinery complete, all ready to start. I took a handsome set of offices, and furnished them up to the nines--but that I was able to do pretty well on credit. You see, ready money was getting short.
“And now came the biggest pull of all. There was the press to be worked.”
He spoke as if there were no other papers in London but the financial journals.
“I didn't sleep much while that was being fixed up. You've got no more idea of what the press means, Louisa, than you have of--of a coil of snakes thawing out hungry in the spring. Why, if one blackmailer came to me, I swear a hundred did. They scared the life out of me, the first month or so. And then there's a swarm of advertising agents, who say they can keep these blackmailers off, if you'll make it worth their while. But they all wanted too much money for me--and for a while I was at my wits' ends. At last I got a fellow--he's not behaved so badly, all things considered--who had some sporting blood in his veins, and he was willing to do the whole thing for 5,000 pounds, if I could pay 1,500 pounds down, and the rest in shares. But that was just what I couldn't do, you see, so finally he took 1,000 pounds down and 5,000 in shares--and as I say he's done it tolerably well. There was one editor that I had to square personally--that is to say, 100 pounds cash--it had to be in sovereigns, for notes could be traced--and a call of 2,000 shares at par,--he's the boss pirate that everybody has to square--and of course there were odd ten-pound notes here and there, but as a rule I just opened the door and fired the black-mailers out. The moment a fellow came in, and handed me his card, and said he had proofs of two kinds of articles in his pocket, one praising me, one damning me, I told him to go and see my advertising agent, and if he wouldn't do that, then to go to hell. That's the way you've got to talk in the City,” he added, as if in apologetic explanation.