to
his son who had succeeded him in the concession. Well, Gruenbaum wouldn't
hear of a lot of improvements which Macedoine wanted to introduce. The
gel's father was full of modern ideas. Wanted to put in electric
traction for the mines, with electric elevators and tips, and so on. He
also wanted to develop the place, and had a plan for irrigation to
attract settlers. Gruenbaum wouldn't hear of it. Very conservative
Gruenbaum was. Got his tenth of the three francs per ton on the ore, and
a thousand a year as manager, and was satisfied. Didn't want settlers.
He was king of the island and he and Macedoine had had a row. Macedoine
was sick of it. All this had been explained to Jack by a young Greek, a
clerk in the office, who was sick of it, too, and was 'going in' with
Macedoine in his new venture. And what was that? Well, it was this way:
Macedoine, who had knocked about a bit, had taken an option on some
sites in Saloniki, he had bought a sixty-fourth share in the Turkish
steamboat which carried the mails to the islands, and he was going into
the development of Saloniki. Had formed a small preliminary company,
registered in Athens, to take up the options, and he wanted directors.
This young Greek, Nikitos, was to be secretary, knowing the languages,
you see. He wanted directors, practical men to superintend the actual
business while he, Macedoine, you understand, would be free to control
the financial side of the affair. Oh, it was a big thing. There was to
be a big hotel, a big brewery, a big shipping business, a big real
estate development in Macedonia, a big railroad system, and a big fleet
of ships to carry away the freight which comes from all this. Everything
was to be big, big! Jack blew clouds of smoke, big clouds, and
flourished his fat hands in the air. 'What did I think? Wasn't it worth
jumping at? Five founder's shares of a thousand drachmas each in the
preliminary company, convertible into preferred stock in the big concern
and ten thousand drachmas a year salary. Eh? What did I think? Wasn't it
a sound investment? What about it?' And Jack bored into my ribs with his
powerful finger.

"I looked at Mrs. Evans. It was evident she had already heard something
of this magnificent scheme for making us all millionaires, and her
verdict was evident enough also. She never raised her eyes from her
sewing where she sat in a cane chair, her hair smooth and shining, her
dress smooth and shining, too, the embodiment of p