Part 58 (1/2)
”Tell me, my dear fellow, what is happening in the financial world, now that Thomery has disappeared.”
”What do you mean?”
”Where is the money going--all the coppers?”
”The coppers?”
”Why, yes! I fancy that when an old fellow like that does the vanis.h.i.+ng trick, there are terrible results on the Bourse? Will you be kind enough to explain what does happen in such a case?”
Very much flattered by Fandor's request, Marville cried:
”But, my boy, you are asking for nothing less than a course of political economy--but I cannot do that--on the spur of the moment!... State precisely what you want to know.”
”What I want to know is just this: Who loses money through Thomery's disappearance?”
The Financier raised his hands to Heaven.
”But everybody! Everybody!... Thomery was a daring fellow: without him his business is nothing!... There was a big failure on the market to-day.”
”Good, but who gains by it?”
”How, who gains by it?”
”Yes. I presume Thomery's disappearance must be profitable to someone?
Can you think of any people to whose interest it would be that this old fellow should disappear?”
The Financier reflected.
”Those who gain money by the disappearance of Thomery--only the speculators, I should say. Suppose now that a Monsieur Tartempion had bought Thomery shares at ninety francs. To-day these shares would not be worth more than seventy francs: Tartempion loses money. But let us suppose some financier speculates on the probable fall of Thomery shares, and has sold to clients speculating on the rise of these shares; these shares to be delivered in a fortnight, at a price of ninety francs. If Thomery was still there, his shares would be worth, possibly, the ninety francs, possibly more. In the first case, the financier's deal would amount to nothing: in the second case, his deal would be a deplorable one, because he would be obliged to deliver at an inferior price, and would be responsible for the difference....”
”Whilst Thomery dead ...”
”Dead--no! But simply in flight, his shares fall to nothing, and this same financier may buy at sixty francs which he must deliver at ninety francs in fifteen days. In that case he has done excellent business.”
”Excellent, certainly ... and ... tell me, my dear Marville, do you know if there has been any such deal in Thomery shares on a large scale?”
”Ah! You ask me more than I can tell you now ... but that would be known at the Bourse.”
No doubt Jerome Fandor was going to continue his interrogation, but there was a great disturbance in the editorial room near by. They were shouting:
”Fandor! Fandor!”
The editorial secretary entered the Financier's room, and, catching sight of Fandor, he cried:
”What's the meaning of this? What are you up to here? I told you this Thomery affair was important.... Be off for the news as quick as you can.... Here is the _Havas_. It seems they have just found Thomery's body in a little apartment in the rue Lecourbe.”
Fandor forced himself to appear very interested.
”Already! The police have been quick!... I also had an idea that that Thomery had more than simply disappeared!”