Many Dimensions, Charles Williams [black authors fiction TXT] 📗

shelter and

food from their jobs. Now, I’ve not seen this Stone, and I can hardly

believe what’s said, but it’s said—it is said—that it means there’s

some new method of movement. I suppose it’s a kind of scientific

invention.”

 

“I really don’t know,” Frank said, as Mr. Merridew paused. “I only know

what Miss Burnett told me. O and Mrs. Sheldrake seemed very anxious

about it.”

 

“Ah, the ladies, the ladies!” the General Secretary smiled. “A little

credulous, perhaps—yes? But I do feel that, if there should be anything

in it, I ought to know what. And as between a lady, a lawyer, and, if I

may say so, a man of the world like yourself, I naturally preferred to

get into touch with you. After all—I don’t know what your political

views may be, but after all someone ought to think of these millions of

hardworking men whose livelihood is in danger.”

 

“But I don’t see quite what I can do,” Frank said. “Miss Burnett

wouldn’t lend me the Stone.”

 

“She wouldn’t, you think,” Merridew asked, casually looking down at his

papers, “sell it?”

 

“Eh? sell it?” Frank exclaimed. “No, I don’t—I’m almost

sure she wouldn’t. Besides Mrs. Sheldrake said something about seventy

thousand pounds.”

 

“Ah, well, a poor Trades Union could hardly go to thatbut then I’d be

quite willing only to borrow it,” Merridew said. “If for instance you

by any chance had one of them—I’d willingly pay a good sum for the

privilege of borrowing it for a little while. Say-” he estimated Frank

for a moment and ended-“a few hundreds even. It’s of such dire

importance to my people.”

 

Frank considered, and the more he considered the more certain he became

that to offer Chloe, if she were still in her last night’s mood, a few

hundreds would be the same as offering a few millions or a few pence.

In these silly tempers it would mean nothing to her.

 

“I can ask her, of course,” he said reluctantly.

 

“If she should lend it to you for any reason-” Mr. Merridew

thoughtfully said, “If, I mean, you had any need of it and—as she

naturally would—she passed it on to you, perhaps you’d bear me in

mind.”

 

“I don’t think she’s likely to do that,” Frank said.

 

“Or even if you could borrow it sometime—I don’t mean exactly without

her knowing, though if she didn’t happen to want it…. I understand

Lord Arglay has one, and I suppose if Miss Burnett works there she

could always use his—if you happened across it some time…. I don’t

know whether Miss Burnett is one of those young ladies who always leave

their umbrellas or their handbags or something behind them-”

 

“No,” Frank said, “she isn’t.”

 

“Well, if she did”—Merridew went on—“or, as I say, if you borrowed it

for any purpose of your own—well, if you had it in any way, and would

show it me, I should be very glad to pay a fee. Better spend a few

hundreds first than a few millions on unemployment pay, you know, is

the way I look at it. Prevention is better than cure.”

 

“I see,” Frank answered.

 

He was not at all clear what he did see, moving in his mind, what kind

of action half-presented itself and then withdrew, but to borrow the

Stone for his examination, just for the day or two, couldn’t do any

harm. And if this fellow was willing to pay… Chloe should have it,

of course; she’d only about thirty pounds at her back. Or at least they

might split it—she was always very good about paying if things were

rather tight, and she’d probably rather… only then she’d have to

know. And if as a matter of fact she hadn’t known, if there were any

way of borrowing it, if…

 

“I see,” he said again, and there was a silence. Suddenly he stood up.

“Well, I must be going,” he said. “Yes, I see, Mr. Merridew. Well, if

anything should happen-”

 

“Any time, day or night,” the General Secretary said. “Carnegie will

give you my address. And of course any expenses—taxis or anything—goodbye.”

 

He watched Frank out and when Carnegie returned-“I’ wish there was a

quicker way,” he said. “I shall go to the Home Office after lunch, but

I don’t suppose they’ll let one out of their hands. I wouldn’t if I was

them. It’s up to you to keep on top of your friend, Carnegie. If he

wants it himself for this examination of his we may just have tipped

the balance. Though he mayn’t be able to do it even so. Well, we must

see. And now try and make an appointment for me with the Home

Office this afternoon.”

 

The Home Secretary was a charming politician whose methods

differed from Lord Birlesmere’s in that while the Foreign Secretary

preferred at least to appear to direct the storm, Mr. Garterr Browne

allowed it to blow itself out, after which he pointed out to it exactly

what damage it had done. He got up to shake hands with Mr. Merridew and

directed his attention to another visitor who was standing by the

table.

 

“May I introduce you to Mr. Clerishaw, the Mayor of Rich-by-the-Mere?”

he said. “Mr. Merridew, the General Secretary of the National Transport

Union. Do sit down, both of you. I fancy this business may be a trifle

long. Don’t be alarmed, Mr. Merridew—I know what you want, at least I

can guess. My difficulty is… but perhaps Mr. Clerishaw had better

explain. A man always puts his own case best.”

 

There were those who asserted that this phrase, which was a favourite

with Mr. Garterr Browne, had been responsible for more quarrels in his

party and crises in the Cabinet than any other formula for twenty

years. After hearing it, a man was always convinced that he did, and

was consequently more reluctant to abandon his case than before. The

Mayor needed no convincing, but neither was he anxious to waste energy.

 

“I have already stated my case to you, sir, as a member of the

Government,” he said. “I cannot see that anything is to be gained by

repeating it.”

 

“I think, Mr. Mayor,” the Home Secretary said, “that you will find it

is more necessary to convince Mr. Merridew than to persuade me.”

 

“How so?” the Mayor asked.

 

“Because Mr. Merridew is one of my difficulties, I fancy,” the Minister

answered. “Mr. Secretary, tell me how much publicity do you desire for

the tale of this absurd Stone?”

 

“What!” Merridew exclaimed-“publicity? I don’t want any publicity at

all—that’s the point. I want to know whether the Government are taking

steps to control all of these precious Stones that are in existence…

I mean, if there’s anything in them. Or to have immediate assurances

that there is nothing.”

 

“Yes, but Mr. Clerishaw wants a great deal of publicity, Mr. Garterr

Browne smiled. “O a very great deal. He objects to any kind of

secrecy.”

 

Mr. Merridew settled himself firmly in his chair. “And why?” he asked,

very much as a General Secretary should.

 

The Mayor turned on him. ‘Great God, sir,” he said almost fiercely, “do

you want to condemn thousands of men and women to suffering?”

 

“I don’t,” Merridew said, “and because I don’t I want the Stone

withdrawn from… from circulation.”

 

“Don’t you know,” the Mayor cried out, “that there are those well and

happy to-day who have been in pain and grief for years—all by the

healing powers of this Stone?”

 

“O you mean the people at Rich?” Merridew exclaimed. He had entirely

forgotten, in his concern with transport, the virtues of the Stone

which had caused so much disturbance in Rich during the week-end. But

his phrase sounded as if he relegated the people at Rich to sickness or

health indifferently, and the Mayor took a step forward.

 

“I speak for the people at Rich,” he said, “for I am the Mayor of Rich.

By what right do you speak and for whom?”

 

“I speak,” Merridew answered, sincerely if somewhat

habitually moved, “for the sons of Martha.” He had found Mr. Kipling’s

poem of the greatest use in emotional speeches from the platform; that

and some of Mr. Masefield’s verses were his favourite peroiations. But

the Mayor, not having read much modern verse, was merely astonished.

 

“For what?” he asked.

 

‘For the sailor, the stoker of steamers, the man with the clout,’ “

murmured the Home Secretary, who had heard Mr. Merridew before. “For

the workers—some of them anyhow.”

 

“And what have the workers to lose because of the Stone?” the Mayor

asked. “Are not they also the people?”

 

“Of course they’re the people,” the General Secretary exclaimed, “they

are the people. And are they to lose their livelihood because of a few

cures?”

 

“Perhaps,” the Home Secretary put in, “you haven’t realized, Mr. Mayor,

that this very interesting Stone has other qualities, so I am told,

besides the curative. In short….”

 

He gave a brief explanation of those qualities. The Mayor listened

frowning.

 

“But I confess,” Mr. Garterr Browne ended, “I didn’t know that these

facts—these apparent facts—would have reached

Mr. Merridew so soon. However, as it is-” He got courteously off the

storm, and signed to it to go ahead.

 

“That,” Merridew said, “is my case. If it’s some scientific invention,

as I suppose it is, it ought to be State property, and its introduction

into the economic life of the country must be only brought about very,

very gradually.”

 

“While the poor die in misery,” the Mayor commented.

 

“Damn it, sir,” Mr. Merridew exclaimed, “I am speaking for the poor.”

 

“For the sick and dying?” the Mayor asked. “For the blind and the

paralytic and the agonized? Do as you will about economics—but the body

is more than raiment.”

 

“Not without raiment—not for long,” Mr. Garterr Browne said. “But go on

with the discussion. What were you about to say, Mr. Secretary?”

 

“I protest against the way my words are twisted,” Merridew cried. “I’ve

no possible objection to the medicinal use of the Stone.”

 

“Nor I to its economic suppression,” the Mayor answered and they both

looked at Mr. Garterr Browne.

 

“Beautiful,” the Minister breathed. “When democracy lies down with

democracy…. And how, gentlemen, do you propose to use the Stone all

over the country while at the same time keeping it under close guard?”

 

“The doctors-” Merridew began.

 

“Hardly,” the Minister said. “For it must be in the hands and at the

will of those who are to be healed. And I don’t my. self see what is to

prevent the… the healee from going off by its means, once he is

cured. We shan’t be able to keep it quiet. And then there will be

Stones everywhere. I’m not objecting. I’m only saying that we must use

it either fully or not at all.”

 

“Then in the name of God, use it!” the Mayor cried out.

 

“And ruin hundreds and thousands of homes!” Merridew followed him.

“Suppress it, I say.”

 

Mr. Garterr Browne waved both hands at the storm. “You

See?” he asked it courteously, and after a few moments’ silence added,

“If the Government heal the sick they starve the healthy. If, on the

other hand, they protect the healthy they doom the sick.”

 

.Both his visitors felt a sudden touch of horror. The dilemma came at

them so suddenly, and on so vast a scale, that they mentally recoiled

from it. Neither of them was thinking at the moment of any others than

those on whose behalf he imagined himself speaking. But to each of them

the placid