The door opened and Maury entered. With him shambled the tall, hunched, dark-bearded figure of the Lincoln simulacrum.
Pris said, “I think we should accept his offer.”
“What offer?” Maury said. “I haven’t heard any offer.” To me he said, “Have you heard any offer?”
I shook my head.
“Pris,” Maury said, “have you been talking with Barrows?”
Barrows said, “Here’s my offer. We’ll let MASA be assessed at a worth of seventy-five thousand dollars. I’ll put up–”
“Have you two been talking?” Maury interrupted.
Neither Pris nor Barrows said anything. But it was clear to me and to Maury, clear to all of us.
“I’ll put up one hundred and fifty thousand,” Barrows said. “And I’ll naturally have a controlling interest.”
Maury shook his head no.
“May we discuss this among ourselves?” Pris said to Barrows.
“Surely,” Barrows said.
We withdrew to a small supply room across the hall.
“We’re lost,” Maury said, his face gray. “Ruined.”
Pris said nothing. But her face was tight.
After a long time my father said, “Avoid this Barrows. Don’t be part of a corporation in which he holds control; this I know.”
I turned to the Lincoln, who stood there quietly listening to us. “You’re an attorney–in the name of god, help us.”
The Lincoln said, “Louis, Mr. Barrows and his compatriots hold a position of strength. No deception lies in his acts . . . he is the stronger party.” The simulacrum reflected, then it turned and walked to the window to look out at the street below. All at once it swung back toward us; the heavy lips twisted and it said, with pain in its face but a spark glowing in its eyes, “Sam Barrows is a businessman but so are you. Sell MASA ASSOCIATES, your small firm, to Mr. Jerome Rosen, here, for a dollar. Thereby it becomes the property of the Rosen spinet and organ factory, which has great assets. To obtain it, Sam Barrows must buy the entire establishment, including the factory, and he is not prepared to do that. As to Stanton, I can tell you this; Stanton will not cooperate with them much further. I can speak to him, and he will be persuaded to return. Stanton is temperamental, but a good man. I have known him for many years; he was in the Buchanan Administration, and against much protest I elected to keep him on, despite his machinations. Although quick-tempered and concerned with his own position, he is honest. He will not, in the end, consort with rascals. He does not want to open a law office and return to his law practice; he wishes a position of public power, and in that he is responsible–he makes a good public servant. I will tell him that you wish to make him Chairman of your Board of Directors, and he will stay.”
Presently Maury said softly, “I never would have thought of that.”
Pris said, “I–don’t agree. MASA shouldn’t be turned over to the Rosen family; that’s out of the question. And Stanton won’t buy an offer like that.”
“Yes he will,” Maury said. My father was nodding and I nodded, too. “We’ll make him a big man in our organization–why not? He has the ability. My good god, he can probably turn us into a million-dollar business inside a year.”
The Lincoln said gently, “You will not regret placing your trust, and your business, in Mr. Stanton’s hands.”
We filed back into the office. Barrows and his people awaited us expectantly.
“Here is what we have to say,” Maury said, clearing his throat. “Uh, we’ve sold MASA to Mr. Jerome Rosen.” He indicated my father. “For one dollar.”
Blinking, Barrows said, “Have you? Interesting.” He glanced at Blunk, who threw up his hands in a gesture of rueful, wry resignation.
The Lincoln said to the Stanton, “Edwin, Mr. Rock and the two Mr. Rosens wish you to join their newly-formed corporation as Chairman of its Board of Directors.”
The sour, embittered, harsh features of the Stanton simulacrum faltered; emotions appeared, disappeared. “Is that the actual fact of the matter?” it said questioningly to the group of us.
“Yes sir,” Maury said. “That’s a firm offer. We can use a man of your ability; we’re willing to step down to make way for you.”
“Right,” I said.
My father said, “This I agree to, Mr. Stanton. And I can speak for my other son, Chester. We are sincere.”
Seating himself at one of MASA’s old Underwood electric typewriters, Maury inserted a sheet of paper and began to type. “We’ll put it in writing; we can sign it right now and get the barge towed out into the river.”
Pris said in a low, cold voice, “I consider this a deceitful betrayal of not only Mr. Barrows but everything we’ve striven for.”
Staring at her, Maury said in a shocked voice, “Shut up.”
“I won’t go along with this because it’s wrong,” Pris said. Her voice was absolutely under control; she might have been ordering clothes over the telephone from Macy’s. “Mr. Barrows and Mr. Blunk, if you want me to come along with you, I will.”
We–including Barrows and Blunk–could not believe our ears.
However, Barrows recovered quickly. “You, ah, helped build the two simulacra. You could build another, then?” He eyed her.
“No she couldn’t,” Maury said. “All she did was draw the face. What does she know about the electronic part? Nothing!” He continued to stare at his daughter.
Pris said, “Bob Bundy will go with me.”
“Why?” I said. My voice wavered. “Him, too?” I said. “You and Bundy have been–” I couldn’t finish.
“Bob is fond of me,” Pris said remotely.
Reaching into his coat pocket, Barrows brought out his billfold. “I’ll give you money for the flight,” he said to Pris. “You can follow us. So there won’t be any legal complications . . . we’ll travel separately.”
“Good enough,” Pris said. “I’ll be in Seattle in a day or so. But keep the money; I have my own.”
Nodding to Dave Blunk, Barrows said, “Well, we’ve concluded our business here. We might as well get started back.” To Stanton, he said, “We’ll leave you here, Stanton; is that your decision?”
In a grating voice the Stanton simulacrum said, “It is, sir.”
“Good day,” Barrows said to all of us. Blunk waved at us in a cordial fashion. Mrs. Nild turned to follow Barrows– and they were gone.
“Pris,” I said, “you’re insane.”
“That’s a value judgment,” Pris said in a faraway voice.
“Did you mean that?” Maury asked her, ashen-faced. “About going over to Barrows? Flying to Seattle to join him?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll get the cops,” Maury said, “and restrain you. You’re just a minor. Nothing but a child. I’ll get the mental health people in on this; I’ll get them to put you back in Kasanin.”
“No, you won’t,” Pris said. “I can do it, and the Barrows organization will help me. The mental health people can’t hold me unless I go back in voluntarily, which I won’t, or unless I’m psychotic, which I’m not. I’m managing my affairs very ably. So don’t go into one of your emotional tantrums; it won’t do any good.”
Maury licked his lip, stammered, then became mute. No doubt she was right; it could all be successfully arranged. And the Barrows people would see that there were no legal loopholes; they had the know-how and they had a lot to gain.
“I don’t believe Bob Bundy will leave us on your account,” I said to her. But I could tell by her expression that he would. She knew. It was one of those things. How long had it been that way between them? No way to tell. It was Pris’s secret; we had to believe it. To the Lincoln I said, “You didn’t expect this, did you?”
It shook its head no.
Maury said brokenly, “Anyhow we got rid of them. We kept MASA ASSOCIATES. We kept the Stanton. They won’t be back. I don’t give a damn about Pris and Bob Bundy; if the two of them want to go join them, good luck to them.” He glared at her wretchedly. Pris returned his glare with the same dispassion as before; nothing ruffled her. In a crisis she was even colder, more efficient, more in command, than ever.
Maybe, I said bitterly to myself, we’re lucky she’s leaving. We would not have been able to cope with her, finally–at least not me. Can Barrows? Perhaps he may be able to use her, exploit her. . . or she may damage, even destroy him. Or both. But then they also have Bundy. And between Pris and Bundy they can build a simulacrum with no trouble. They don’t need Maury and they certainly don’t need me.
Leaning toward me the Lincoln said in a sympathetic voice, “You will benefit from Mr. Stanton’s ability to make firm decisions. He, with his enormous energy, will assist your enterprise almost at once.”