Now Edward Henry hated to be addressed as "young man," especially in the patronising tone which Sir John used. Moreover, he had a suspicion that in Sir John's mind was the illusion that Sir John alone was responsible for the creation of the Regent Theatre--that without Sir John's aid as a stone-layer it could never have existed.
"You mean my troubles as a manager?" said Edward Henry grimly.
"In twelve months from now, before I come back from my world's tour, you'll be ready to get rid of this thing on any terms. You will be wishing that you had imitated my example and kept out of Piccadilly Circus. Piccadilly Circus is sinister, my Alderman--sinister."
"Come up into the cage, Sir John," said Edward Henry. "You'll get a still better view. Rather fine, isn't it, even from here?"
He climbed up into the cage and helped Sir John to climb.
And, standing there in the immediate silence, Sir John murmured with emotion:
They heard footsteps resounding on loose planks in a distant corner.
"Only me!" replied a voice. "Nobody takes any notice of me!"
"Alloyd, the architect," Edward Henry answered, and then calling loud: "Come up here, Alloyd."
The muffled and coated figure approached, hesitated, and then joined the other two in the cage.
"Let me introduce Mr. Alloyd, the architect--Sir John Pilgrim," said Edward Henry.
"Ah!" said Sir John, bending towards Alloyd. "Are you the genius who draws those amusing little lines and scrawls on transparent paper, Mr. Alloyd? Tell me, are they really necessary for a building, or do you only do them for your own fun? Quite between ourselves, you know! I've often wondered."
"Of course everyone looks on the architect as a joke!" The pause was somewhat difficult.
"You promised us rockets, Mr. Machin," said Sir John. "My mind yearns for rockets."
"Right you are!" Edward Henry complied. Close by, but somewhat above them, was the crane-engine, manned by an engineer whom Edward Henry was paying for overtime. A signal was given, and the cage containing the proprietor and the architect of the theatre and Sir John Pilgrim bounded most startlingly up into the air. Simultaneously it began to revolve rapidly on its cable, as such cages will, whether filled with bricks or with celebrities.