"No--you need have
no fear of that. The press is all right. It's the talk
of the City, I'm told--the way I've managed the press.
It isn't often that a man has all three of the papers
walking the same chalk-line."
The Marquis considered these remarks with a puzzled air.
Then he smiled faintly. "I'm afraid we're speaking of
different things," he suggested. "Apparently you refer to
the financial papers. I had scarcely given them a thought.
It does not seem to me that I should mind particularly
what they said about me--but I should care a great deal
about the other press--the great public press."
"Oh, what do they know about these things?" said Thorpe, lightly.
"So far as I can see, they don't know about anything,
unless it gets into the police court, or the divorce court,
or a court of some kind. They're the funniest sort of
papers I ever saw. Seems as if they didn't think anything
was safe to be printed until it had been sworn to.
Why anybody should be afraid of them is more than I can see."
"Nevertheless," persisted his Lordship, blandly, "I should
greatly dislike any public discussion of our Company's affairs.
I hope it is quite clear that that can be avoided."
"Absolutely!" Thorpe told him, with reassuring energy.
"Why, discussions don't make themselves. Somebody has
to kick before anything gets discussed.
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