William Gaddis - J R

— They said Mister Joubert simply came up to the school this morning and took Francis out and drove him away, I’m sure Mrs Joubert will be extremely…

— By God of all the damn, get the police on him.

— Yes sir I’ll apply for a court order immediately I know Mrs Joubert was apprehensive about him taking the boy to Switzerland during our negotiations over Nobili and…

— Damn fool thought we’d let him hold us up on Nobili to protect these U S drug patents…

— Yes Beaton where’s my Bananx.

— Coming back to join us Zona just pull up a pew and be quiet, what the devil’s she talking about Beaton.

— Yes I have it right here ma’am it’s a tranquillizer marketed by our drug interest sir, one of the…

— One they had us up on that patent fraud charge for?

— Tranylcypromine yes sir, one of the monoamine-oxidase inhibitors included in the…

— Beaton just give it to me and don’t sit there with your…

— Drag in here just to get it free Zona knew you were cheap by God didn’t know you were that cheap, Beaton still have a minute here get back to that little wop up in the legislature…

— Yes that folder right there sir he…

— No Beaton I said put it there with my coat and John just hold your water if you still have a bladder to hold it in, sitting there like a windup toy with somebody else’s eyes and somebody else’s ears and try to tell me what I…

— Beaton Zona damn it be quiet Beaton sit down, saw all this trash in the newspapers one wop throws another one a few highway contracts gets him a few building variances nickel and dime politics hope you don’t call this information.

— No sir except insofar as these variances have affected mortgages issued by the local bank which now appears to be in severe difficulties over these and other unwise extensions of credit, including an unsecured loan to the contractor in question who our sources inform us has recently had recourse to a loan shark to satisfy this and the prospect of several lawsuits which threaten to…

— Banker there sounds like a damn fool.

— That would be my impression yes sir, I am also informed he appears to have made a gift of a substantial number of the bank’s shares to the wife of this Mister Pecci possibly in connection with a corporation formed in both their wives’ names to collect fees under contract with the same contractor under a leasing arrangement involving the local town dock, though since Mister Pecci’s association with the title company set up by his law firm specifically to insure the affected mortgages seems to be sub…

— Bank still hold them all?

— No sir they appear to have been bought as an investment by a teachers’ union which this current publicity has prompted to bring pressure on…

— Not too damn much to go after him with, scandal probably be gone the minute the damn leftwing press finds a new one to take its place, legislature get up and give him a vote of confidence all doing the same damn thing his wife’s bank stock may be the only leverage we’ve got.

— Yes sir of course if that became known, aside from probable grand jury proceedings merely the rather dubious ethics involved could severely injure his campaign for the…

— Not talking about any damn ethics Beaton talking about the price of the damn stock, bank going under might see the only damn way to save it’s let us bail them out, pass this legislation and the damn fool running the bank will probably take any offer we make him.

— Yes sir though the possibility of his also stipulating a management contract could…

— First damn head to fall get him something in Washington if we have to, this bank merger bill ready for the legislature?

— Yes sir I incorporated your changes in the earlier version and sent a copy to your office by messenger this morning before I…

— Get Frank Wiles on this bank stock put some pressure on it.

— Yes sir I, excuse me… hello? Oh yes thank you. General Blaufinger is in the board room sir, and there was one more urgent item concerning the Senate vote tomorrow affirming support for continued importation of nickel and the native platinum metals from Gandia in the face of yesterday’s United Nations resolution supporting the stand of the Nowunda…

— Broos calls tell him to call Frank Black settled it with him last night get my arm here Beaton…

— Yes sir…

— Reminds me Stamper’s heart tissue damage doctors tell him some damn government study shows maybe caused by cobalt brewers been using to get a head on beer, great damn beer drinker Stamper want you to get onto that little Jew down in the FDA find out what damn it let go of me…

— Yes sir but, excuse me but wouldn’t it serve Mister Stamper better to go directly to the National Institutes of Health for the…

— Not Stamper’s damn heart Beaton point’s where the damn cobalt’s coming from use it as an additive or find it in the water, find some damn brewery using water where it occurs could mean a deposit around somewhere last thing we need right now some damn fool coming up with that. Call Crawley about this Diamond tender tell him Stamper’s trying to reach him about some damn fool movie they’re making, sent Monty a memo on it says they want to shoot hippies in the National Parks probably even the damn Interior Department can’t issue permits for that.

— Yes sir I saw a copy of the memo and I believe that was a typographical error sir, I saw the film and their intention appears to be to shoot hippos…

— Just tell him call Stamper back in his car, riding around down there burning down all his guest houses been trying to reach Crawley all morning.

— Yes sir in fact I called Mister Crawley myself earlier but was told he was in his bath…

— What the devil you call him at home for.

— No sir this was his office he…

— Beaton you call Crawley tell him what I told you to about Nobili and this damn Endo divestiture tell him we’re holding up this Diamond Cable tender and this time call him at his office and don’t tell me he’s in his damn bath hear me? While you’re at it call Ude’s office find out where this damn law stands gives eighteen-year-olds majority rights, safe enough in that Greek jail but as long as this tender’s held up I want to be damn sure where her shares stand in case, what…

— No excuse me sir just that large folder there I, I thought you must have seen these pictures of her release in the papers sir…

— Release by God thought these Greeks gave a damn stiff sentence for drugs.

— Give me that Beaton.

— Yes ma’am it’s quite heavy yes sir that was Nepal sir, this time she was charged with transporting incendiary bombs across the border and when our embassy there called Mister Moncrieff to intervene he…

— Monty? Comes in throwing bombs you tell me Monty fixed it like a traffic ticket by God Beaton…

— No no sir not directly she, the objects she was carrying proved to be ah, items of feminine hygiene whose nature and use the Greek customs examiner was unfamiliar with in his ah, in his limited experience sir, they apparently resembled incendiary cylinders fitted with fuses and…

— Perfect pigs look at them, surfacing from a fun stay in the Greek islands with her constant companion on the BP circuit these days, tawny sitar-playing…

— Don’t have any damn shirt on, who’s the nigger with her.

— I understand he’s a young musician from India sir, he…

— The same one she’s stretched out here naked with, how do you like his…

— By God Beaton told you to keep a file on Boody don’t mean you have to buy every smut sheet in town.

— No sir this appeared in a leading fashion magazine sir she, here I’m sorry ma’am I’ll pick them up let me get the door sir…