It happens that his majesty6 is an old time Wall Street banker with inherited traditions about banks and the way their funds should be handled. He had long held a pet aversion. The Van Dam Trust Company had become an offense7 to his nostrils8.
His own bank, hitherto the most powerful in America, is a private concern which bears the royal name. It had long been the acknowledged seat of the Empire of Mammon and within its unpretentious walls the king has held his court for years, extending his sceptre of gold in gracious favour to whom he likes, refusing admission to his presence for those who might offend his fancy.
The Van Dam Trust Company had built a huge palace far up town and its president had attempted to set up a court of his own. He had gathered about him a following, among them an ex-president of the United States. Gold had poured into the treasury9 of the great marble palace in a constant stream until its deposits had reached the unprecedented10 sum of $90,000,000, a sum greater than the royal bank itself could boast.
When the king heard the first rumour11 of the fact that the Van Dam Trust was backing the schemes of the Allied12 Bankers in their sensational13 raid on the market his big nostrils suddenly dilated14.
At last he had them just where he wanted them. He signed the death warrant of the bank and handed it to his executioner without a word of comment. And then a most curious thing happened. The king summoned to his presence a little dark swarthy man.
When Bivens received this order to appear at court he was dumfounded. He had long worshipped and feared the king with due reverence15 and always spoke16 his name with awe17. To be actually called into his august presence in such a crisis was an undreamed-of honour.
He was sure that his majesty had heard of his generous offer to help the Van Dam Trust in its hour of trouble and meant to reward him with promotion18 to high rank in the Empire.
He hastened into the royal presence with beating heart.
A court official conducted him into the king's private room where the ruler sat alone, quietly smoking.
The sovereign glanced up with quick energy.
"Mr. Bivens, I believe?"
The little man bowed low.
"I hear that you are about to aid the Van Dam Trust with four millions in cash?"
Bivens smiled with pride.
"My secretary will deliver the money to the bank within an hour."
The king suddenly wheeled in his big arm chair, raised his eyebrows19 and fixed20 the little man with a stare that froze the blood in his veins21. When he spoke at length his tones were smooth as velvet22.
"If I may give you a suggestion, Mr. Bivens, I would venture to say that the Van Dam Trust Company is beyond aid. The larger interests of the nation require the elimination23 of this institution and its associates.
"I have heard good reports of you and I wish to save you from the disaster about to befall the gentlemen who have been conducting the present campaign in Wall Street. If your secretary will report to me at once with the four millions you have set aside for the Van Dam Company I shall be pleased to place your name on my executive council in the big movement we begin to-day. The other gentlemen whom I have thus honoured are now waiting for me in the adjoining room. They represent a banking24 power that is resistless at the present moment.
"When the Van Dam Trust closes its doors to-day, a temporary panic will follow. We will give the gentlemen who started this excitement a taste of their own medicine, render a service to the nation, and, incidentally of course, earn an honest dollar or two for ourselves. I trust I have your hearty25 support in this programme?"
Bivens again bowed low.
"My hearty support and my profoundest gratitude26!"
"I'll expect your secretary with your check for four millions within thirty minutes."
The king waved a friendly gesture of dismissal and the little dark figure tremblingly withdrew.
It was not until he had reached the seclusion27 of his own office that the magnitude of the crisis through which he had passed fully28 dawned on Bivens. One of the dreams of his life had been to touch elbows with this mighty29 ruler at whose name he had often trembled. To-day he had joined the magic circle of those about the throne. The place had been bought at a fearful price. But the end would justify30 the means. No one knew with clearer perception than he what the king meant by his "suggestions." They were orders. He had been ordered to stab his associates.
At first he had raged in silent fury, but as the king continued his wonderful speech and revealed his generous intentions, his anger had melted into glowing gratitude.
"After all, business means war!" he exclaimed, "a war in which dog eat dog and devil take the hindmost becomes sooner or later the supreme31 law."
It hurt to break his word—the pledge he had made the president of the Van Dam Company—but it was unavoidable. Their death warrant had already been signed. His money would only be sunk in the bottomless pit the king had dug beneath them. He felt himself for the moment in the grip of forces beyond human control, blind, inevitable32, overwhelming. The only thing for a sane33 man to do was to ride the storm and take care of himself. He had found a place of safety. And such a place—at the right hand of the king himself.
He had dreamed of making a paltry34 five millions when the raid on the market had ended. Now his very soul stood blinded by the splendour of the vision before him. Beyond a doubt in the holocaust35 which would follow the day's work he would more than treble his entire fortune, perhaps multiply it by four. He could see it all before it happened. His slender hands trembled as he fumbled36 his beard and his bead37 eyes became two scintillating38 points of light. The thirst for gold was now a raging fever and his blood molten fire. The lust39 for gain had ceased to be a human passion—it was the hunger of a beast.
Without a moment's hesitation40 he gave the cruel orders that sent his associates hurling41 over the precipice42. As the day progressed he stood with one hand on the tape of his private ticker and the other holding the receiver of the telephone which connected him with the floor of the Stock Exchange. He received no word from friend or foe43 without. Only the king's messenger could reach him. He paused not a moment for food or drink, and at three o'clock when the market closed he stood with a hundred yards of tape from the ticker coiled serpent like about his legs, the wreck44 of empires of wealth beneath his feet, his heart still beating a single wild cry—"more, more, more!"
What a day! In all the annals of man's inhumanity to his fellow-man never were there more opportunities for generosity45, for kindly46 deeds and noble acts of kingly heroism47. Never were so few recorded.
Martial48 war at least has for its justification49 the flag and the life of a nation for which it stands the gleaming symbol in the sky, and in real war they do not kill the wounded or fire on women and children. Even the Turk does not fire on a hospital. But in this war which maniacs50 waged for gold, they fired on women and children without mercy and when night had fallen they searched the field, dragged out and stabbed to death the wounded!
When the president of the Van Dam Trust Company failed to receive the promised millions from Bivens he called his telephone and receiving no answer sprang into his automobile51 and dashed down town to the little main office.
When the clerk at the door informed him that Mr. Bivens could not be seen by anyone, he turned quickly on his heel, drove back to the palatial52 house of his bank, smiled sadly at the mob in front of its huge pillars, ordered its bronze doors closed, walked around the corner to his home, locked himself in his room and blew his brains out.
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1
hitch
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| v.免费搭(车旅行)；系住；急提；n.故障；急拉 | |
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potent
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| adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的 | |
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monarch
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| n.帝王，君主，最高统治者 | |
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fiery
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| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
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royalty
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| n.皇家，皇族 | |
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majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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7
offense
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| n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪 | |
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8
nostrils
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| 鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
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9
treasury
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| n.宝库；国库，金库；文库 | |
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unprecedented
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| adj.无前例的，新奇的 | |
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rumour
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| n.谣言，谣传，传闻 | |
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allied
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| adj.协约国的；同盟国的 | |
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sensational
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| adj.使人感动的，非常好的，轰动的，耸人听闻的 | |
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dilated
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| adj.加宽的，扩大的v.（使某物）扩大，膨胀，张大( dilate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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15
reverence
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| n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬 | |
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16
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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17
awe
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| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
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promotion
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| n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传 | |
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eyebrows
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| 眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 ) | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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21
veins
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| n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理 | |
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22
velvet
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| n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的 | |
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23
elimination
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| n.排除，消除，消灭 | |
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24
banking
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| n.银行业，银行学，金融业 | |
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25
hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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26
gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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seclusion
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| n.隐遁，隔离 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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30
justify
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| vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护 | |
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31
supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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inevitable
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| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
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sane
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| adj.心智健全的，神志清醒的，明智的，稳健的 | |
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34
paltry
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| adj.无价值的，微不足道的 | |
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holocaust
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| n.大破坏；大屠杀 | |
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36
fumbled
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| （笨拙地）摸索或处理（某事物）( fumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 乱摸，笨拙地弄； 使落下 | |
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37
bead
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| n.念珠；(pl.)珠子项链；水珠 | |
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38
scintillating
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| adj．才气横溢的,闪闪发光的; 闪烁的 | |
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39
lust
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| n.性(淫)欲；渴(欲)望；vi.对…有强烈的欲望 | |
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40
hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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41
hurling
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| n.爱尔兰式曲棍球v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的现在分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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42
precipice
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| n.悬崖，危急的处境 | |
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43
foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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44
wreck
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| n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难 | |
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45
generosity
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| n.大度，慷慨，慷慨的行为 | |
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46
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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47
heroism
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| n.大无畏精神，英勇 | |
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48
martial
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| adj.战争的，军事的，尚武的，威武的 | |
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49
justification
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| n.正当的理由；辩解的理由 | |
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50
maniacs
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| n.疯子（maniac的复数形式） | |
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51
automobile
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| n.汽车，机动车 | |
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52
palatial
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| adj.宫殿般的，宏伟的 | |
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