II
In Carey Street, Lincoln's Inn Fields, he descended from his broughamin front of the offices of Messrs Slosson, Hodge, Budge, Slosson,Maveringham, Slosson & Vulto--solicitors--known in the profession bythe compendious abbreviation of Slossons. Edward Henry, having been alawyer's clerk some twenty-five years earlier, was aware of Slossons.Although on the strength of his youthful clerkship he claimed, and wasadmitted, to possess a very special knowledge of the law--enough tosilence argument when his opponent did not happen to be an actualsolicitor--he did not in truth possess a very special knowledge ofthe law--how should he, seeing that he had only been a practitionerof shorthand?--but the fame of Slossons he positively was acquaintedwith! He had even written letters to the mighty Slossons.
Every lawyer and lawyer's clerk in the realm knew the greatnessof Slossons, and crouched before it, and also, for the most part,impugned its righteousness with sneers. For Slossons acted for theruling classes of England, who only get value for their money whenthey are buying something that they can see, smell, handle, orintimidate--such as a horse, a motor-car, a dog, or a lackey.Slossons, those crack solicitors, like the crack nerve specialists inHarley Street and the crack fortune-tellers in Bond Street, sold theirinvisible, inodorous and intangible wares of advice at double, treble,or decuple their worth, according to the psychology of thecustomer. They were great bullies. And they were, further, greatmoney-lenders--on behalf of their wealthier clients. In obedience to aconvenient theory that it is imprudent to leave money too long in oneplace, they were continually calling in mortgages, and re-lending thesums so collected on fresh investments, thus achieving two bills ofcosts on each transaction, and sometimes three, besides employing anarmy of valuers, surveyors and mortgage-insurance brokers. In short,Slossons had nothing to learn about the art of self-enrichment.
Three vast motor-cars waited in front of their ancient door, andEdward Henry's hired electric vehicle was diminished to a trifle.
He began by demanding the senior partner, who was denied to him byan old clerk with a face like a stone wall. Only his brutal Midlandinsistence, and the mention of the important letter which he hadwritten to the firm in the middle of the night, saved him from theignominy of seeing no partner at all. At the end of the descendingladder of partners he clung desperately to Mr. Vulto, and he saw Mr.Vulto--a youngish and sarcastic person with blue eyes, lodged in adark room at the back of the house. It occurred fortunately that hisletter had been allotted to precisely Mr. Vulto for the purpose ofbeing answered.
"You got my letter?" said Edward Henry, cheerfully, as he sat down atMr. Vulto's flat desk on the side opposite from Mr. Vulto.
"We got it, but frankly we cannot make head or tail of it!... _What_option?" Mr. Vulto's manner was crudely sarcastic.
"_This_ option!" said Edward Henry, drawing papers from his pocket,and putting down the right paper in front of Mr. Vulto with anuncompromising slap.
Mr. Vulto picked up the paper with precautions, as if it were acontagion, and, assuming eyeglasses, perused it with his mouth open.
"We know nothing of this," said Mr. Vulto, and it was as though he hadadded: "Therefore this does not exist." He glanced with sufferance atthe window, which offered a close-range view of a whitewashed wall.
"Then you weren't in the confidence of your client?"
"The late Lord Woldo?"
"Yes."
"Pardon me."
"Obviously you weren't in his confidence as regards this particularmatter."
"As you say," said Mr. Vulto, with frigid irony.
"Well, what are you going to do about it?"
"Well--nothing." Mr. Vulto removed his eyeglasses and stood up.
"Well, good morning. I'll walk round to _my_ solicitors." Edward Henryseized the option.
"That will be simpler," said Mr. Vulto. Slossons much preferred todeal with lawyers than, with laymen, because it increased costs andvitalized the profession.
At that moment a stout, red-faced and hoary man puffed veryauthoritatively into the room.
"Vulto," he cried sharply. "Mr. Wrissell's here. Didn't they tellyou?"
"Yes, Mr. Slosson," answered Vulto, suddenly losing all his sarcasticquality, and becoming a very junior partner. "I was just engagedwith Mr."--(he paused to glance at his desk)--"Machin, whose singularletter we received this morning about an alleged option on the leaseof the Chapel site at Piccadilly Circus--the Woldo estate, sir. Youremember, sir?"
"This the man?" inquired Mr. Slosson, ex-president of the Law Society,with a jerk of the thumb.
Edward Henry said, "This is the man."
"Well," said Mr. Slosson, lifting his chin, and still puffing, "itwould be extremely interesting to hear his story at any rate. I wasjust telling Mr. Wrissell about it. Come this way, sir. I've heardsome strange things in my time, but--" He stopped. "Please follow me,sir," he ordained.
"I'm dashed if I'll follow you!" Edward Henry desired to say, but hehad not the courage to say it. And because he was angry with himselfhe determined to make matters as unpleasant as possible for theinnocent Mr. Slosson, who was so used to bullying, and so well paidfor bullying that really no blame could be apportioned to him. Itwould have been as reasonable to censure an ordinary person forbreathing as to censure Mr. Slosson for bullying. And so Edward Henrywas steeling himself: "I'll do him in the eye for that, even if itcosts me every cent I've got." (A statement characterized by poeticallicense!)
The Regent Page 23
