Part 63 (1/2)
The man looked up from the note.
”Do you want to talk business with me, Baron?” he asked.
”For a few moments only,” Peter answered. ”I am afraid I am a great nuisance, and if you wish it I will come down to the city again.”
”That's all right,” Mr. Heseltine-Wrigge replied. ”Myra won't mind waiting a minute or two. Come through here.”
He turned and led the way into a quiet-looking suite of offices, where one or two clerks were engaged writing at open desks. They all three pa.s.sed into an inner room.
”Any objections to my wife coming in?” Mr. Heseltine-Wrigge asked.
”there's scarcely any place for her out there.”
”Delighted,” Peter answered.
She glanced at the clock.
”Remember we have to meet the Count von Hern at half past one at Prince's, Charles,” she reminded him.
Her husband nodded. There was nothing in Peter's expression to denote that he had already achieved the first object of his visit!
”I shall not detain you,” he said. ”Your name has been mentioned to me, Mr. Heseltine-Wrigge, as a financier likely to have a large sum of money at his disposal. I have a scheme which needs money. Providing the security is unexceptionable, are you in a position to do a deal?”
”How much do you want?” Mr. Heseltine-Wrigge asked.
”A million to a million and a half,” Peter answered.
”Dollars?
”Pounds.”
It was not Mr. Heseltine-Wrigge's pose to appear surprised.
Nevertheless, his eyebrows were slightly raised.
”Say, what is this scheme?” he inquired.
”First of all,” Peter replied, ”I should like to know whether there's any chance of business if I disclose it.”
”Not an atom,” Mr. Heseltine-Wrigge declared. ”I have just committed myself to the biggest financial transaction of my life and it will clean me out.”
”Then I won't waste your time,” Peter announced, rising.
”Sit down for a moment,” Mr. Heseltine-Wrigge invited, biting the end off a cigar and pa.s.sing the box toward Peter. ”That's all right. My wife doesn't mind. Say, it strikes me as rather a curious thing that you should come in here and talk about a million and a half, when that's just the amount concerned in my other little deal.”
Peter smiled.
”As a matter of fact, it isn't at all queer,” he answered. ”I don't want the money. I came to see whether you were really interested in the other affair--the Turkish loan, you know.”
Mr. Heseltine-Wrigge withdrew his cigar from his mouth and looked steadily at his visitor.