J R

— Oh, Davidoff inclined restraining his glasses to contain his wink, — maybe some day, if you’ll vote for me. Because, he straightened up — that’s what people’s capitalism is, isn’t it everybody. As one of the company’s owners you elect your directors in a democratic vote, and they hire men to run the company for you the best way possible. When you vote next spring…

— With one share we get like one vote?

— You certainly do, and what’s more you’re entitled to…

— And like if I owned two hundred ninety-three thousand shares then I’d get like two hundred ninety-three thousand votes?

— That’s not fair! Like we get this one lousy vote and he gets like two hun…

— What’s so not fair! You buy this here one share so you’ve got like this lousy twenty-two fifty working for you where I’ve got like six thou, wait a second… the pencil stub came up to scratch, — nought times nought is…

— He couldn’t could he?

— I could so boy I could even vote two hundred ninety-three thousand times for myself for a director if I wanted to couldn’t I?

— I mean like that’s democracy? It sounds like a bunch of…

— Slow down now slow down, before a family squabble starts here let’s come to this little lady’s rescue… she cringed from Davidoff’s wink behind the sweater wad, — every shareowner wants profits whether you’ve got one share or a million, right? So you’ll all want to vote for directors that will hire topflight management like your company here’s got to keep those profits rolling in and if they’re not, this little lady with her one share has just as much right to question the directors and management as somebody with a million shares because they’re working for her too, aren’t they. If she thinks they’re not running things for her and all the other owners she can even take them to court and start a lawsuit for damages to make sure they’re obeying all the company’s rules, that’s why we put a copy of the company’s bylaws in your little kit there. Those are the company’s rules and anybody who breaks one has to answer to this little lady, like a regular club boys and girls and those are the club’s rules one for all and all for one, I think that’s a pretty good little lesson in democracy that film about ready in there?

— Could I just ask if…

— Looks like we’ve got another minute… he looked past the arm straining the sweater’s dreary pattern in front of him, — look right in the back of your Annual Report there and you’ll see the pictures of your directors, that’s Governor Cates up in the corner you can say you’ve actually met him can’t you, and the big man right under him you might have heard about in your history books about the war let’s speed it up in there we can’t take all day, General Box, he was the famous armored division commander who stopped the whole German army in the big winter Ardennes… they startled to a blare of music and he shielded his eyes, — all right boys and girls I think we’re ready to see…

— Could I just ask back here where it says eight hundred sixty-seven thousand shares…

— Turn that sound down! What is it Carol…

— These eight hundred sixty-seven thousand shares which it says here they were under option at an aggregate price of…

— of tomorrow, presented by…

— Down turn it down! Look, he seized the narrow shoulder where the sweater’s seam gaped — it would take a month to explain all that arithmetic it’s just what we call the consolidated financial statement, don’t worry about it. Now, get those lights somebody…?

— I’m not worried about it I just wondered who…

— our natural resources, and the national heritage that makes us all proud to be…

— What’s this Carol.

— The update on Mister Moncrieff’s biography before it’s sent out and Mister Eigen wondered if that press release…

— Where is he I said I wanted him up here, that press release can wait I’d better check this bio out with Monty get Eigen right up here to keep an eye on things, boys and girls? I’ve got to get on deck for a brush fire, he came on over their heads loosening his tie — oh and Carol make sure the board room’s cleaned up in there when they’re done… and his lips continued to move silent as his stride up the corridor, round an alcove, touching the doorknob his wince became a grimace associated with tightening his tie passing with a nod toward an unoccupied desk — Boss wants to see me… tapping briskly on the door ahead and opening it, slow, on Mrs Joubert sitting knees clenched reading through tortoise shell glasses, looking up just then elsewhere to ask — must I read all this now? elsewhere the weather side of Cates hunched, back to the door, reading papers with a look pinched through gold rims that rose abruptly and glanced off hers to cross the desk lusterless with — just the cobalt? where Moncrieff’s glance over heavy black half frames and the huddled permanent of a secretary had already passed them both and returned, to leave Davidoff standing like the cry of fire! in an empty theater.