Upton Sinclair - The Metropolis

"How much is it going to take to dress her for a year?"

"I suppose thirty or forty thousand," was the reply. 'I don't expect to keep count."

Montague sat in silence. "You don't want to shut her up and keep her at home, do jou?" inquired his brother, at last.

'Do you mean that other women spend that much on clothes.''" he demanded.

"Of course," said Oliver, "hundreds of them. Some spend fifty thousand — I know several who go over a hundred."

"It's monstrous!" Montague exclaimed.

"Fiddlesticks!" was the other's response. "Why, thousands of people live by it — wouldn't know anything else to do."

Montague said nothing to that. "Can you afford to have Alice compete with such women indefinitely.''" he asked.

"I have no idea of her doing it indefinitely," was Oliver's reply. "I simply propose to give her a chance. When she's married, her bills will be paid by her husband."

"Oh,' said the other, "then this layout is just for her to be exhibited in."

"You may say that," answered Oliver, " — if you want to be foolish. You know perfectly well that parents who launch their daughters in Society don't figure on keeping up the pace all their lifetimes."

"We hadn't thought of marrying Alice off," said Montague.

Digitized by Microsoft®

To which his brother replied that the best physicians left all they could to nature. "Suppose," said he, "that we just introduce her in the right set, and turn her loose and let her enjoy herself — and then cross the next bridge when we come to it?"

Montague sat with knitted brows, pondering. He was beginning to see a little daylight now. "Oliver," he asked suddenly, "are you sure the stakes in this game aren't too big.?"

"How do you mean ?" asked the other.

"Will you be able to stay in until the showdown ? Until either Alice or myself begins to bring in some returns.''"

"Never worry about that," said the other, with a laugh.

"But hadn't you better take me into your confidence.''" Montague persisted. "How many weeks can you pay our rent in this place ? Have you got the money to pay for all these clothes.''"

"I've got it," laughed the other — "but that doesn't say I'm going to pay it."

"Don't you have to pay your bills.? Can we do all this upon credit.''"

Oliver laughed again. "You go at me like a prosecuting attorney," he said. "I'm afraid you'll have to inquire around and learn some respect for your brother." Then he added, seriously, "You see, Allan, people like Reggie or myself are in position to jjrmg a great deal of custom to tradespeople, and so they are willing to go out of their way to oblige us. And we have commissions of all sorts coming to us, so it's never any question of cash."

Digitized by Microsoft®

" Oh !" exclaimed the other, opening his eyes, "I see! Is that the way you make money?"

" It's one of the ways we save it," said Oliver. "It comes to the same thing."

"Do people know it ?"

" Why, of course. Why not.?"

"I don't know," said Montague. "It sounds a little queer."

"Nothing of the kind," said Oliver. "Some of the best people in New York do it. Strangers come to the city, and they want to go to the right places, and they ask me, and I send them. Or take Robbie Walling, who keeps up five or six establishments, and spends several millions a year. He can't see to it all personally — if he did, he'd never do anything else. Why shouldn't he ask a friend to attend to things for him.? Or again, a new shop opens, and they want Mrs. Walling's trade for the sake of the advertising, and they oflFer her a discount and me a commission. Why shouldn't I get her to try them.?"

"It's quite intricate," commented the other. "The stores have more than one price, then.?"

"They have as many prices as they have customers," was the answer. "Why shouldn't they ? New York is full of raw rich people who value things by what they pay. And why shouldn't they pay high and be happy.? That opera cloak that Alice has — Reval promised it to me for two thousand, and I'll wager you she'd charge some woman from Butte, Montana, thirty-five hundred for one just like it."

Digitized by Microsoft®

Montague got up suddenly. " Stop," he said, waving his hands. "You take all the bloom off the butterfly's wings!"

He asked where they were going that evening, and Oliver said that they were invited to an informal dinner-party at Mrs. Winnie Duval's. Mrs. Winnie was the young widow who had recently married the founder of the great banking-house of Duval and Co. — so Oliver explained; she was a chum of his, and they would meet an interesting set there. She was going to invite her cousin, Charlie Carter—she wanted him to meet Alice. "Mrs. Winnie's always plotting to get Charlie to settle down," said Oliver, with a merry laugh.

He telephoned for his man to bring over his clothes, and he and his brother dressed. Then Alice came in, looking like the goddess of the dawn in the gorgeous rose-coloured gown. The colour in her cheeks was even brighter than usual; for she was staggered to find how low the gown was cut, and was afraid she was committing a Jaux pas. "Tell me about it," she stammered. " Mammy Lucy says I'm surely supposed to wear some lace, or a bouquet."

"Mammy Lucy isn't a Paris costumer," said Oliver, much amused. " Dear me — wait until you have seen Mrs. Winnie!"

Mrs. Winnie had kindly sent her limousine car for them, and it stood throbbing in front of the hotel-entrance, its acetylenes streaming far up the street. Mrs. Winnie's home was on Fifth Avenue, fronting the park. It occupied half a block, and had cost two millions to build and

Digitized by Microsoft®

furnish. It was known as the "Snow Palace," being all of white marble.

At the curb a man in livery opened the door of the car, and in the vestibule another man in livery bowed the way. Lined up just inside of the door was a corps of imposing personages, clad in scarlet waistcoats and velvet knee-breeches, with powdered wigs, and gold buttons, and gold buckles on their patent-leather pumps. These splendid creatures took their wraps, and then presented to Montague and Oliver a bouquet of flowers upon a silver salver, and upon another salver a tiny envelope bearing the name of their partner at this strictly "informal" dinner-party. Then the functionaries stood out of the way and permitted them to view the dazzling splendour of the entrance hall of the Snow Palace. There was a great marble staircase running up from the centre of the hall, with a carved marble gallery above, and a marble fireplace below. To decorate this mansion a real palace in the Punjab had been bought outright and plundered; there were mosaics of jade, and wonderful black marble, and rare woods, and strange and perplexing carvings.

The head butler stood at the.entrance to the salon, pronouncing their names; and just inside was Mrs. Winnie.

Montague never forgot that first vision of her; she might have been a real princess out of the palace m the Punjab. She was a brunette, rich-coloured, full-throated and deep-bosomed, with scarlet lips, and black hair and eyes. She wore a court-gown of cloth of silver, with white kid

Digitized by Microsoft®

shoes embroidered with jewelled flowers. All her life she had been collecting large turquoises, and these she had made into a tiara, and a neck ornament spreading over her chest, and a stomacher. Each of these stones was mounted with diamonds, and set upon a slender wire. So as she moved they quivered and shimmered, and the effect was dazzling, barbaric.

She must have seen that Montague was staggered, for she gave him a little extra pressure of the hand, and said, "I'm so glad you came. OUie has told me all about you." Her voice was soft and melting, not so forbidding as her garb.

Montague ran the gauntlet of the other guests: Charlie Carter, a beautiful, dark-haired boy, having the features of a Greek god, but a sallow and unpleasant complexion; Major "Bob" Venable, a stout little gentleman with a red face and a heavy jowl; Mrs. Frank Landis, a merry-eyed young widow with pink cheeks and auburn hair; Willie Davis, who had been a famous half-back, and was now junior partner in the banking-house; and two young married couples, whose names Montague missed.