Iris Murdoch - Under the Net

'It ate two pounds today,' said Finn.

'But at least,' I said, 'he'll be troubled about the welfare of the brute. He'll want to get it back intact.'

Dave regarded me with pity. 'What will you do to frighten him?' he asked. 'Cut off its tail? Even if it were not that you are one whose character is written on his face, your Sadie knows you well enough to know that you would not hurt an earthworm let alone a big dog.'

This was a fact. I was by now beginning to feel myself that my first essay in chantage was turning out rather badly.

'It is of course possible,' said Dave, 'that they will want the animal urgently, but it is not certain. So much for A. Now perhaps you could make a statement on B. Did you personally own the translation rights of Breteuil's books?'

'No, of course not,' I said, 'I just made a separate agreement with the publisher for each book.'

'So!' said Dave, 'then so far as anyone's interests are threatened here it is the publisher's interests and not yours. But let us see what the threat is. What is it?'

I ran my fingers through my hair. I felt that whatever I said now would sound simple-minded. 'Look, Dave,' I said, 'what has happened is that they have stolen my translation and are showing it to Mr Pringsheim to persuade him to make a film of the book.'

'Exactly,' said Dave, 'but so far they have not made any other use of the translation. If the thing were published they could buy a copy in the shops.'

'But it's not published,' I said, 'and they pinched my typescript.'

'The felony,' said Dave, 'is another question. At any rate it seems that so far there has been no infringement of copyright. This American, who has no French, glances at your translation; that is all. If they decide to make a film they will negotiate the details with whoever owns the film rights, presumably the author.'

'Well, at any rate,' I said desperately, 'there was a theft.'

'That's not so clear,' said Dave, 'morally, yes--but could this be shown? Your friend Madge hands this thing to Starfield. Starfield will say that he bad no idea that you would mind. Your Madge in the witness box will say the same, together with any details of how well she knew you which the defending counsel can draw out of her.'

I was imagining this. 'All right!' I said. 'Yes, yes, yes, all right.'

'Shall I sum up?' said Dave.

'Go ahead!' I told him bitterly.

'It is unlikely that they need the dog, anyway in the next few days,' said Dave. 'After these days, after this American has seen the book, they will return you politely the typescript and ask for the dog. If you refuse to give him up they go then to the police. What charge could you possibly bring against them? This American will know and care not whose translation he saw. If you press the matter you are lost in a labyrinth. All that is clear is that you stole the dog.'

'But,' I said, 'if they are not afraid to have their actions questioned, why is it that they haven't gone to the police already? Assuming that you're right in thinking that we'd know it by now if they had.'

'Can you not work that out?' said Dave with scorn. 'They are just being kind to you. Startleld might well have the police on you. But your friend Sadie will laugh and say that you are perfectly sweet and so you are let off.'

This conjecture enraged me the more because I saw at once that it was very likely to be correct. 'You've succeeded in showing that I'm a fool,' I said. 'Let's leave it at that. I'm going out for a walk.'

'But no, Jake,' said Dave. 'We have not yet discussed the second heading.'

'I imagined,' I said, 'that since it turns out that I have no bargaining power the question of what I am to do with it would not arise.'

'It is not certain that you have no bargaining power,' said Dave, 'though I think it very likely that you have none. But you have the dog. And what do you propose to do with him? Send him back to Starfield?'

'Never!' I cried, 'so long as there's any alternative!'

'Well, then,' said Dave, let us discuss number two.' He sat there, relaxed and reflective, as if he were giving a seminar, except that there was a very sharp gleam of enjoyment in his eye.

'You can still try to bargain,' said Dave. He was now changing over from making the worst of the affair to making the best of it. 'It is conceivable that they might indeed need the dog at once, or they might be worried about its welfare and make you an offer so as to get it quickly. And to make you an offer might be their best course if they are at all uneasy about the felony question. Whether they are uneasy may depend upon an unknown factor, which is the behaviour and state of mind of your Madge.'

I think I felt more pessimistic at this point than Dave did. 'It's hopeless!' I said. 'All I wanted was to prevent them from using the typescript. Since that's impossible, I'd better start thinking about what I'm going to say in court!'

'Nonsense!' said Dave. 'Try to bargain, if only to save your face. You might appeal here to the sporting spirit of this Starfield.'

This made me wince. I had no further wish to be beholden to Sammy's sportsmanship. 'I had rather deal with Sadie,' I said.

'Well, write to her,' said Dave; 'we will compose the letter together. But first we must decide in what persona you are writing, whether as an injured party or as a simple blackmailer. And remember,' he added, 'with whom we have to deal. It is my view that if these people at any moment want back their animal they will not trouble with bargains or with the police, they will discover where it is and send four strong men in a car to get it.'

We were cut short at this point by a thunderous knocking at the front door.

'Police!' said Finn. I thought it was more likely to be Sammy's strong men. We looked at each other. Mars growled, his fur rising. The knocking was repeated.

'We'll let on not to be in,' said Finn in a whisper. Mars let out a couple of deafening barks.

'That's given that away!' said Dave.

'Let's go and look at them through the glass of the door,' I said, 'and see how many there are.'

I was ready to fight for Mars, unless of course it should turn out to be the police. We walked softly out into the hall. The stained glass of Dave's front door gave us a jagged image of what lay beyond it. There seemed to be only one person there.

'The rest are in wait on the steps,' said Finn.

'Oh, damn this!' I said, and opened the door.

'Two wires for Donaghue,' said a telegraph boy.

I took them, and he disappeared down the stairs. Finn and Dave were laughing, but I shivered with apprehension as I tore open the first telegram. At that moment everything was alarming. I read it through several times. Then I walked back into the sitting-room. What it said was: Come Paris Hotel Prince de Cleves at once by air for important talk stop all expenses paid stop thirty pounds immediate outlay under separate cover Madge.

'What is it?' said Finn and Dave, following me. I gave it to them to read. The other wire was the order for the thirty pounds.

We all sat down. 'What will this be for?' asked Dave.

'I haven't got the remotest notion,' I said. What in the world could Madge be up to now? It was all curiously unreal. Except for the thirty pounds. That was real; like the next morning object which proves that it wasn't all a dream. What was Madge doing in Paris? A fever of curiosity was already raging in my blood. In an instant I had run over a dozen possibilities without finding one that was plausible.

'I shall go, of course,' I said thoughtfully to the other two. Madge's wire was from every point of view a very welcome development. It wasn't that I was exactly bored with my blackmail scheme; but it had turned out to be rather disappointing and its final stages were likely to be frustrating and mechanical. Perhaps indeed the best thing would be to abandon it altogether. I need small persuading to go to Paris at any time; least of all now, when Anna was there. Or rather Anna might be there. But no, she must be there, I felt, so charged with her presence was the image of that city which now rose up before me; and already in my mind I was walking with Anna along the Champs-Elysees, while the warm breeze of an eternal Parisian spring blew into our faces like drifting flowers the promises of a coming felicity.