For the _Lithuania_, having been seriously delayed in Liverpool by men
who were most ridiculously striking for the fantastic remuneration of
one pound a week, was engaged on the business of making new records.
And every passenger was personally determined that she should therein
succeed. And, despite very bad June weather toward the end, she did
sail past the Battery on a grand Monday morning with a new record to her
credit.
So far, Edward Henry’s plan was not miscarrying. But he had a very great
deal to do and very little time in which to do it, and whereas the
muscles of the other passengers were relaxed as the ship drew to her
berth Edward Henry’s muscles were only more tensely tightened. He had
expected to see Mr. Seven Sachs on the quay, for in response to his
telegram from Queenstown, the illustrious actor-author had sent him an
agreeable wireless message in full Atlantic; the which had inspired
Edward Henry to obtain news by Marconi both from London and New York, at
much expense; from the east he had had daily information of the
dwindling receipts at the Regent Theatre, and from the west daily
information concerning Isabel Joy. He had not, however, expected Mr.
Seven Sachs to walk into the _Lithuania’s_ music-saloon an hour before
the ship touched the quay. Nevertheless this was what Mr. Seven Sachs
did, by the exercise of those mysterious powers wielded by the
influential in democratic communities.
"And what are you doing here?" Mr. Seven Sachs greeted Edward Henry with
geniality.
Edward Henry lowered his voice.
"I’m throwing good money after bad," said he.
The friendly grip of Mr. Seven Sach’s hand did him good, reassured him,
and gave him courage. He was utterly tired of the voyage, and also of
the poetical society of Carlo Trent, whose passage had cost him thirty
pounds, considerable boredom, and some sick-nursing during the final
days and nights. A dramatic poet with an appetite was a full dose for
Edward Henry; but a dramatic poet who lay on his back and moaned for
naught but soda water and dry land amounted to more than Edward Henry
could conveniently swallow.
He directed Mr. Sachs’s attention to the anguished and debile organism
which had once been Carlo Trent, and Mr. Sachs was so sympathetic that
Carlo Trent began to adore him, and Edward Henry to be somewhat
disturbed in his previous estimate of Mr. Sachs’s common sense. But at
a favourable moment Mr. Sachs breathed humorously into Edward Henry’s
ear the question:
"What have you brought _him_ out for?"
"I’ve brought him out to lose him."
As they pushed through the bustle of the enormous ship, and descended
from the dizzy eminence of her boat deck by lifts and ladders down to
the level of the windy, sun-steeped rock of New York, Edward Henry said:
"Now I want you to understand, Mr. Sachs, that I haven’t a minute to
spare. I’ve just looked in for lunch."
"Going on to Chicago?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account