human
I have come to give notice of my withdrawal from the June pool in common,
gpt
I am not the one to give notice to, returned Kimberly civilly,
human
Well, I’ve sold--I am selling, MacBirney corrected himself hastily,
gpt
McCrea and my brother are the organizers----
human
I understand, interjected MacBirney,
gpt
On the contrary, I quieted a great deal of talk about your action a year ago. It was so grossly unfair to your associates that I ascribed your unloading of your stock without notifying them to rank ignorance, and was disposed to overlook it on that ground.
human
Though you were careful enough to say publicly that you would never be caught in another pool with me.
gpt
I never have been, have I? And I did not ’say publicly’; I said so to McCrea, who had my permission to tell you. It cost me six hundred thousand dollars at that time to support the market against you for three days. And while I like to see my associates make money, I object to their making it out of me.
human
You didn’t say so to poison my wife against me?
gpt
I have never, MacBirney, spoken of that or of any other of your business affairs to your wife. I never have spoken even your name to your wife, in praise or in blame, until you left her--except twice to ask her if she loved you. Even that she treated as an insult.
human
You must have made some progress since then.
gpt
I am told, added MacBirney, in a thin, hard voice,
human
Quite true, I am.
gpt
I am beginning to understand now, Kimberly, he framed the words slowly and carefully,
human
You are travelling far in a few words, MacBirney. I hope you understand, once for all, that certain limits cover a situation even such as this. I don’t like your last phrase. It might be made to apply unpleasantly to a woman now very dear to me. I am used to angry men, and what you say about me----
gpt
What I say about----
human
What you say about me is allowable, no matter what I think of it. But understand this, if you say one word about her--here or elsewhere, now or hereafter--I will stop you, if I have to choke you with my own hands.
gpt
You can’t scare me, Kimberly.
human
I don’t want to; I don’t want to choke you; but if you wish to see me try it, pass that limit just once. Now go on, MacBirney.
gpt
I could have nothing to say against Alice.
human
But I have something to say about a man who pretended to be my friend----
gpt
I never pretended to be your friend.
human
I never got you down here.
gpt
What were you doing all this time? Trying to circumvent me by making your home happy or trying to help me by neglecting it?
human
You can’t escape with smooth phrases. You broke up my home!
gpt
No, you broke it up. Long before I ever saw you, you broke up your home. It was broken up and only waiting for some one to save your wife from the wreck. MacBirney, you have made a success of your business; one one-hundredth of the effort you have given to your business would have saved your home. Yet you thought you could treat your wife like a servant, humiliate and abuse her and still hold her forth a figurehead for your ’home’!
human
You, yourself, put her up to the divorce. Deny that, will you?
gpt
No, I will not deny it, retorted Kimberly relapsing into indifference.
human
After I came into her life she followed my advice. I believe I have advised her for the best.
gpt
I see your finger trailing through every turn of my trouble now. I saw it too late. But I’m not done with you. And I’m not the only man that understands your trickery. Lambert will have you on your knees in the sugar business before you are very much older. Now, I have come to you with a straight proposition. I want the escrow control of the Western refineries. If you are ready to give it to me we will make a working agreement and have peace. If you are not, I will back Lambert in a string of modern plants that will drive you out of the Western field. We are ready; the question for you to consider is whether you want to compromise.
human
I am afraid I am not enough of a business man to compromise, MacBirney, he responded in low tones.
gpt
You can’t have the escrow control of the Western refineries.
human
Very good. That decision suits me. I am now practically out of your stock; we shall see what we shall see.