Late that afternoon he returned to Jack¹ Berners’ waiting rooms. He had an idea about a man who meets a girl in an office and he thinks she’s a stenographer² but she turns out to be a writer. He engages her as a stenographer, though, and they start for the South Seas. It was a beginning, it was something to tell Jack, he thought — and, picturing Pricilla Smith, he refurbished some old business he hadn’t seen used for years.

He became quite excited about it — felt quite young for a moment and walked up and down the waiting room mentally rehearsing the first sequence. ‘So here we have a situation like It Happened One Night — only new. I see Hedy Lamarr —’

Oh, he knew how to talk to these boys if he could get to them, with something to say.

‘Mr Berners still busy?’ he asked for the fifth time.

‘Oh, yes, Mr Hobby. Mr Bill Costello and Mr Bach are in there.’

He thought quickly. It was half-past five. In the old days he had just busted³ in sometimes and sold an idea, an idea good for a couple of grand because it was just the moment when they were very tired of what they were doing at present.

He walked innocently out and to another door in the hall. He knew it led through a bathroom right in to Jack Berners’ office. Drawing a quick breath he plunged⁴ . . .

‘ . . . So that’s the notion,’ he concluded after five minutes. ‘It’s just a flash — nothing really worked out, but you could give me an office and a girl and I could have something on paper for you in three days.’

Berners, Costello and Bach did not even have to look at each other. Berners spoke⁵ for them all as he said firmly and gently:

‘That’s no idea, Pat. I can’t put you on salary for that.’

‘Why don’t you work it out further by yourself,’ suggested Bill Costello. ‘And then let’s see it. We’re looking for ideas — especially about the war.’

‘A man can think better on salary,’ said Pat.

There was silence. Costello and Bach had drunk with him, played

分享到：