"But, George, we must have something to sell," said Mr. Brown, almost in despair. He did not then understand, and never since has learned the secrets of that commercial science which his younger partner was at so much pains to teach. There are things which no elderly man can learn; and there are lessons which are full of light for the new recruit, but dark as death to the old veteran.
"It will be so doubtless with me also," said Robinson, soliloquizing on the subject in his melancholy1 mood. "The day will come when I too must be pushed from my stool by the workings of younger genius, and shall sink, as poor Mr. Brown is now sinking, into the foggy depths of fogeydom. But a man who is a man—" and then that melancholy mood left him, "can surely make his fortune before that day comes. When a merchant is known to be worth half a million, his fogeydom is respected."
That necessity of having something to sell almost overcame Mr. Brown in those days. "What's the good of putting down 5,000 Kolinski and Minx Boas in the bill, if we don't possess one in the shop?" he asked; "we must have some if they're asked for." He could not understand that for a first start effect is everything. If customers should want Kolinski Boas, Kolinski Boas would of course be forthcoming,—to any number required; either Kolinski Boas, or quasi Kolinski, which in trade is admitted to be the same thing. When a man advertises that he has 40,000 new paletots, he does not mean that he has got that number packed up in a box. If required to do so, he will supply them to that extent,—or to any further extent. A long row of figures in trade is but an elegant use of the superlative. If a tradesman can induce a lady to buy a diagonal Osnabruck cashmere shawl by telling her that he has 1,200 of them, who is injured? And if the shawl is not exactly a real diagonal Osnabruck cashmere, what harm is done as long as the lady gets the value for her money? And if she don't get the value for her money, whose fault is that? Isn't it a fair stand-up fight? And when she tries to buy for 4l., a shawl which she thinks is worth about 8l., isn't she dealing3 on the same principles herself? If she be lucky enough to possess credit, the shawl is sent home without payment, and three years afterwards fifty per cent. is perhaps offered for settlement of the bill. It is a fair fight, and the ladies are very well able to take care of themselves.
And Jones also thought they must have something to sell. "Money is money," said he, "and goods is goods. What's the use of windows if we haven't anything to dress them? And what's the use of capital unless we buy a stock?"
With Mr. Jones, George Robinson never cared to argue. The absolute impossibility of pouring the slightest ray of commercial light into the dim chaos4 of that murky5 mind had long since come home to him. He merely shook his head, and went on with the composition on which he was engaged. It need hardly be explained here that he had no idea of encountering the public throng6 on their opening day, without an adequate assortment7 of goods. Of course there must be shawls and cloaks; of course there must be muffs and boas; of course there must be hose and handkerchiefs. That dressing8 of the windows was to be the special care of Mr. Jones, and Robinson would take care that there should be the wherewithal. The dressing of the windows, and the parading of the shop, was to be the work of Jones. His ambition had never soared above that, and while serving in the house on Snow Hill, his utmost envy had been excited by the youthful aspirant9 who there walked the boards, and with an oily courtesy handed chairs to the ladies. For one short week he had been allowed to enter this Paradise. "And though I looked so sweet on them," said he, "I always had my eye on them. It's a grand thing to be down on a well-dressed woman as she's hiding a roll of ribbon under her cloak." That was his idea of grandeur10!
A stock of goods was of course necessary, but if the firm could only get their name sufficiently11 established, that matter would be arranged simply by written orders to two or three wholesale12 houses. Competition, that beautiful science of the present day, by which every plodding13 cart-horse is converted into a racer, makes this easy enough. When it should once become known that a firm was opening itself on a great scale in a good thoroughfare, and advertising14 on real, intelligible15 principles, there would be no lack of goods.
"You can have any amount of hose you want, out of Cannon16 Street," said Mr. Robinson, "in forty-five minutes. They can be brought in at the back while you are selling them over the counter."
"Can they?" said Mr. Brown: "perhaps they can. But nevertheless, George, I think I'll buy a few. It'll be an ease to my mind."
He did so; but it was a suicidal act on his part. One thing was quite clear, even to Mr. Jones. If the firm commenced business to the extent which they contemplated17, it was out of the question that they should do everything on the ready-money principle. That such a principle is antiquated18, absurd, and uncommercial; that it is opposed to the whole system of trade as now adopted in this metropolis19, has been clearly shown in the preface to these memoirs20. But in this instance, in the case of Brown, Jones, and Robinson, the doing so was as impracticable as it would have been foolish, if practicable. Credit and credit only was required. But of all modes of extinguishing credit, of crushing, as it were, the young baby in its cradle, there is none equal to that of spending a little ready money, and then halting. In trade as in love, to doubt,—or rather, to seem to doubt,—is to be lost. When you order goods, do so as though the bank were at your back. Look your victim full in the face, and write down your long numbers without a falter21 in your pen. And should there seem a hesitation22 on his part, do not affect to understand it. When the articles are secured, you give your bill at six months' date; then your credit at your bankers,—your discount system,—commences. That is another affair. When once your bank begins that with you,—and the banks must do so, or they may put up their shutters,—when once your bank has commenced, it must carry on the game. You are floated then, placed well in the centre of the full stream of commerce, and it must be your own fault if you do not either retire with half a million, or become bankrupt with an éclat, which is worth more than any capital in refitting you for a further attempt. In the meantime it need hardly be said that you yourself are living on the very fat of the land.
But birds of a feather should flock together, and Mr. Brown and Mr. Robinson were not exactly of the same plumage.
It was finally arranged that Mr. Robinson should have carte blanche at his own particular line of business, to the extent of fifteen hundred pounds, and that Mr. Brown should go into the warehouse23 and lay out a similar sum in goods. Both Jones and Mrs. Jones accompanied the old man, and a sore time he had of it. It may here be remarked that Mrs. Jones struggled very hard to get a footing in the shop, but on this point it should be acknowledged that her husband did his duty for a while.
"It must be you or I, Sarah Jane," said he; "but not both."
"I have no objection in life," said she; "you can stay at home, if you please."
"By no means," he replied. "If you come here, and your father permits it, I shall go to America. Of course the firm will allow me for my share." She tried it on very often after that, and gave the firm much trouble, but I don't think she got her hand into the cash drawer above once or twice during the first twelve months.
The division of labour was finally arranged as follows. Mr. Brown was to order the goods; to hire the young men and women, look after their morality, and pay them their wages; to listen to any special applications when a desire might be expressed to see the firm; and to do the heavy respectable parental24 business. There was a little back room with a sky-light, in which he was to sit; and when he was properly got up, his manner of shaking his head at the young people who misbehaved themselves, was not ineffective. There is always danger when young men and women are employed together in the same shop, and if possible this should be avoided. It is not in human nature that they should not fall in love, or at any rate amuse themselves with ordinary flirtations. Now the rule is that not a word shall be spoken that does not refer to business. "Miss O'Brien, where is the salmon-coloured sarsenet? or, Mr. Green, I'll trouble you for the ladies' sevens." Nothing is ever spoken beyond that. "Morals, morals, above everything!" Mr. Brown was once heard to shout from his little room, when a whisper had been going round the shop as to a concerted visit to the Crystal Palace. Why a visit to the Crystal Palace should be immoral26, when talked of over the counter, Mr. Brown did not explain on that occasion.
"A very nice set of young women," the compiler of these memoirs once remarked to a commercial gentleman in a large way, who was showing him over his business, "and for the most part very good-looking."
"Yes, sir, yes; we attend to their morals especially. They generally marry from us, and become the happy mothers of families."
"Ah," said I, really delighted in my innocence27. "They've excellent opportunities for that, because there are so many decent young men about."
He turned on me as though I had calumniated28 his establishment with a libel of the vilest29 description. "If a whisper of such a thing ever reaches us, sir," said he, quite alive with virtuous30 indignation; "if such a suspicion is ever engendered31, we send them packing at once! The morals of our young women, sir—" And then he finished his sentence simply by a shake of his head. I tried to bring him into an argument, and endeavoured to make him understand that no young woman can become a happy wife unless she first be allowed to have a lover. He merely shook his head, and at last stamped his foot. "Morals, sir!" he repeated. "Morals above everything. In such an establishment as this, if we are not moral, we are nothing." I supposed he was right, but it seemed to me to be very hard on the young men and women. I could only hope that they walked home together in the evening.
In the new firm in Bishopsgate Street, Mr. Brown, of course, took upon himself that branch of business, and some little trouble he had, because his own son-in-law and partner would make eyes to the customers.
"Mr. Jones," he once said before them all; "you'll bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave; you will, indeed." And then he put up his fat hand, and gently stroked the white expanse of his bald pate32. But that was a very memorable33 occasion.
Such was Mr. Brown's business. To Mr. Jones was allocated34 the duty of seeing that the shop was duly dressed, of looking after the customers, including that special duty of guarding against shop-lifting, and of attending generally to the retail35 business. It cannot be denied that for this sort of work he had some specialties36. His eye was sharp, and his ear was keen, and his feelings were blunt. In a certain way, he was good-looking, and he knew how to hand a chair with a bow and smile, which went far with the wives and daughters of the East End little tradesmen,—and he was active enough at his work. He was usually to be seen standing37 in the front of the shop, about six yards within the door, rubbing his hands together, or arranging his locks, or twiddling with his brass38 watch-chain. Nothing disconcerted him, unless his wife walked into the place; and then, to the great delight of the young men and women, he was unable to conceal39 his misery40. By them he was hated,—as was perhaps necessary in his position. He was a tyrant41, who liked to feel at every moment the relish42 of his power. To the poor girls he was cruel, treating them as though they were dirt beneath his feet. For Mr. Jones, though he affected43 the reputation of an admirer of the fair sex, never forgot himself by being even civil to a female who was his paid servant. Woman's smile had a charm for him, but no charm equal to the servility of dependence44.
But on the shoulders of Mr. Robinson fell the great burden of the business. There was a question as to the accounts; these, however, he undertook to keep in his leisure moments, thinking but little of the task. But the work of his life was to be the advertising department. He was to draw up the posters; he was to write those little books which, printed on magenta45-coloured paper, were to be thrown with reckless prodigality46 into every vehicle in the town; he was to arrange new methods of alluring47 the public into that emporium of fashion. It was for him to make a credulous48 multitude believe that at that shop, number Nine Times Nine in Bishopsgate Street, goods of all sorts were to be purchased at prices considerably49 less than the original cost of their manufacture. This he undertook to do; this for a time he did do; this for years to come he would have done, had he not experienced an interference in his own department, by which the whole firm was ultimately ruined and sent adrift.
"The great thing is to get our bills into the hands of the public," said Robinson.
"You can get men for one and nine a day to stand still and hand 'em out to the passers-by," said Mr. Brown.
"That's stale, sir, quite stale; novelty in advertising is what we require;—something new and startling."
"Put a chimney-pot on the man's head," said Mr. Brown, "and make it two and three."
"That's been tried," said Robinson.
"Then put two chimney-pots," said Mr. Brown. Beyond that his imagination did not carry him.
Chimney-pots and lanterns on men's heads avail nothing. To startle men and women to any purpose, and drive them into Bishopsgate Street, you must startle them a great deal. It does not suffice to create a momentary50 wonder. Mr. Robinson, therefore, began with eight footmen in full livery, with powdered hair and gold tags to their shoulders. They had magenta-coloured plush knee-breeches, and magenta-coloured silk stockings. It was in May, and the weather was fine, and these eight excellently got-up London footmen were stationed at different points in the city, each with a silken bag suspended round his shoulder by a silken cord. From these bags they drew forth2 the advertising cards of the house, and presented them to such of the passers-by as appeared from their dress and physiognomy to be available for the purpose. The fact has now been ascertained51 that men and women who have money to spend will not put out their hands to accept common bills from street advertisers. In an ordinary way the money so spent is thrown away. But from these men, arrayed in gorgeous livery, a duchess would have stayed her steps to accept a card. And duchesses did stay their steps, and cards from the young firm of Brown, Jones, and Robinson were, as the firm was credibly52 informed, placed beneath the eyes of a very illustrious personage indeed.
The nature of the card was this. It was folded into three, and when so folded, was of the size of an ordinary playing card. On the outside, which bore a satin glaze53 with a magenta tint54, there was a blank space as though for an address, and the compliments of the firm in the corner; when opened there was a separate note inside, in which the public were informed in very few words, that "Messrs. Brown, Jones, and Robinson were prepared to open their house on the 15th of May, intending to carry on their trade on principles of commerce perfectly55 new, and hitherto untried. The present rate of money in the city was five per cent., and it would be the practice of the firm to charge five and a half per cent. on every article sold by them. The very quick return which this would give them, would enable B. J. and R. to realize princely fortunes, and at the same time to place within the reach of the public goods of the very best description at prices much below any that had ever yet been quoted." This also was printed on magenta-coloured paper, and "nine times nine is eighty-one" was inserted both at the top and the bottom.
On the inside of the card, on the three folds, were printed lists of the goods offered to the public. The three headings were "cloaks and shawls," "furs and velvets," "silks and satins;" and in a small note at the bottom it was stated that the stock of hosiery, handkerchiefs, ribbons, and gloves, was sufficient to meet any demand which the metropolis could make upon the firm.
When that list was first read out in conclave56 to the partners, Mr. Brown begged almost with tears in his eyes, that it might be modified. "George," said he, "we shall be exposed."
"I hope we shall," said Robinson. "Exposition is all that we desire."
"Eight thousand African monkey muffs! Oh, George, you must leave out the monkey muffs."
"By no means, Mr. Brown."
"Or bring them down to a few hundreds. Two hundred African monkey muffs would really be a great many."
"Mr. Brown," said Robinson on that occasion;—and it may be doubted whether he ever again spoke25 to the senior partner of his firm in terms so imperious and decisive; "Mr. Brown, to you has been allotted57 your share in our work, and when you insisted on throwing away our ready money on those cheap Manchester prints, I never said a word. It lay in your department to do so. The composition of this card lies in mine, and I mean to exercise my own judgment58." And then he went on, "Eight thousand real African monkey muffs; six thousand ditto, ditto, ditto, very superior, with long fine hair." Mr. Brown merely groaned59, but he said nothing further.
"Couldn't you say that they are such as are worn by the Princess Alice?" suggested Jones.
"No, I could not," answered Robinson. "You may tell them that in the shop if you please. That will lie in your department."
In this way was the first card of the firm drawn60 out, and in the space of a fortnight, nineteen thousand of them were disseminated61 through the metropolis. When it is declared that each of those cards cost B. J. and R. threepence three farthings, some idea may be formed of the style in which they commenced their operations.
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1
melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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dealing
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| n.经商方法，待人态度 | |
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chaos
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| n.混乱，无秩序 | |
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murky
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| adj.黑暗的，朦胧的；adv.阴暗地，混浊地；n.阴暗；昏暗 | |
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throng
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| n.人群，群众；v.拥挤，群集 | |
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assortment
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| n.分类，各色俱备之物，聚集 | |
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8
dressing
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| n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料 | |
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aspirant
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| n.热望者；adj.渴望的 | |
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grandeur
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| n.伟大，崇高，宏伟，庄严，豪华 | |
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sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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wholesale
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| n.批发；adv.以批发方式；vt.批发，成批出售 | |
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plodding
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| a.proceeding in a slow or dull way | |
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advertising
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| n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的 | |
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intelligible
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| adj.可理解的，明白易懂的，清楚的 | |
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cannon
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| n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮 | |
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contemplated
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| adj. 预期的 动词contemplate的过去分词形式 | |
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antiquated
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| adj.陈旧的，过时的 | |
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metropolis
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| n.首府；大城市 | |
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memoirs
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| n.回忆录；回忆录传( mem,自oir的名词复数) | |
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21
falter
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| vi.(嗓音)颤抖，结巴地说；犹豫；蹒跚 | |
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hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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23
warehouse
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| n.仓库；vt.存入仓库 | |
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24
parental
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| adj.父母的；父的；母的 | |
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25
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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immoral
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| adj.不道德的，淫荡的，荒淫的，有伤风化的 | |
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innocence
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| n.无罪；天真；无害 | |
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28
calumniated
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| v.诽谤，中伤( calumniate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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29
vilest
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| adj.卑鄙的( vile的最高级 )；可耻的；极坏的；非常讨厌的 | |
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virtuous
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| adj.有品德的，善良的，贞洁的，有效力的 | |
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engendered
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| v.产生（某形势或状况），造成，引起( engender的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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32
pate
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| n.头顶；光顶 | |
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memorable
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| adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的 | |
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allocated
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| adj. 分配的 动词allocate的过去式和过去分词 | |
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retail
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| v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格 | |
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specialties
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| n.专门，特性，特别；专业( specialty的名词复数 )；特性；特制品；盖印的契约 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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40
misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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41
tyrant
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| n.暴君，专制的君主，残暴的人 | |
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42
relish
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| n.滋味，享受，爱好，调味品；vt.加调味料，享受，品味；vi.有滋味 | |
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43
affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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44
dependence
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| n.依靠，依赖；信任，信赖；隶属 | |
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45
magenta
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| n..紫红色（的染料）；adj.紫红色的 | |
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46
prodigality
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| n.浪费，挥霍 | |
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47
alluring
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| adj.吸引人的，迷人的 | |
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48
credulous
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| adj.轻信的，易信的 | |
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49
considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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50
momentary
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| adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的 | |
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51
ascertained
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| v.弄清，确定，查明( ascertain的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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52
credibly
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| ad.可信地；可靠地 | |
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53
glaze
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| v.因疲倦、疲劳等指眼睛变得呆滞，毫无表情 | |
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54
tint
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| n.淡色，浅色；染发剂；vt.着以淡淡的颜色 | |
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55
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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56
conclave
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| n.秘密会议，红衣主教团 | |
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57
allotted
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| 分配，拨给，摊派( allot的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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58
judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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59
groaned
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| v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
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60
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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disseminated
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| 散布，传播( disseminate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
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