1959-05-23 — Page 5

THE CHINA MAIL, SATURDAY, MAY 28, 1959.

Gamble with my £5000

THREE years ago I was sitting up in bed in

the Adelphi Hotel, Liverpool, reading the Gideon Bible. I was doing this with feelings of pleasurable guilt. I should have been doing one of two other things: (a) reading over my notes on a certain tycoon; (b) carousing with this same tycoon and a small pack of his executives on the floor below.

Ile Bald this entirely without Without afectation or Irony,

"Perhaps."

DID IT HAPPEN?

I had to write a magazing what you write about me. I you afford to speculate? £500?" profile ot the tycoon; had might learn something." already spent two catre days in his company. had walked through shops, warehouses and factories with him. I had shared luncheon and dinner with him, I had carefully noted his every mat. I thought i knew him now.

This shared whirlwind lour had been decided upon: because he was departing on the Thurs day on a world trip..

Shrewd, affable

a teeth, bis Beoltish accent was fainter, his voice more reedy.

"What's it to be this time the same old work-horse, slog- gog, rugged, even-tempered?"

"Aren't you?" I asked him, smiling,

"Maybe." He smiled, in way embarrassed at exposing his naked gums. "And what about my so-called caution? Always ready to bet on a certainty, but had found him is nonly on a certainty," material

different

from expectation, The Press cuttings described him as shrewd, clope crained, simple, relaxed, affable. And so he was all these things at onec. After two days 1 teki I had received a threshold dose,

Way

At eleven I put the Bible down and switched off the light. Immediately the room telephone

buzzed.

"Davidson?" "It жда the tycoon. "I wondered if you'd care to drop itite my room for a nightcay."

Ilis voice Was somewhat alurred, I thought, with intertal, that he might be drink. I said yes, Indeed, and put on a dressing gown and went down.

The tyroon opened the door to me. He was fol drunk. He had taken his teeth out, He

"I shall be away by Rix, no We won't meet agoli.' Be poured me out a gloss of brandy, "Gul everything you wanted?"

Yes, thank you."

"Fine. Fine," he said, a.t2 poured himself glass and sat down.

He looked older, rend for rest, but still shrewd, simple, affable, etc.

"You know," he said, "I rarely get a chance for a normal con- versation with one of you chaps, It's a pity because i always read

"WeB. I'll give you a damz' good tip. You go and buy my Get them at shares tomorrow, 14s, G sell them next Tuesday. and you'll make yourself a bit of money."

I thanked him warmly for his tip.

:

"That's all right." He was grinning at me. "Could you raise mure than £3007"

"I'll certainly have a stub."

Would you plank £5,000 un If you had it?"

He saw me blink and sighed a little. "You know," he said, I've never understood what was meant by that. What is certainty? I've always had to exercise my judgment, but have never been afraid to back it to the hill. Everybody who writes what a cautious fellow I am imagines himself to be legs be forwarded. cautiouR. I ruppese you do how you get on.” yourself?"

"Well, J-Yes, I would," I said, recoiling how incautious I was.

How much?

.

I demurred at this, but he pervisted; and presently, I was admitting that yes, since hu specifically asked, I did consider myself less cautious than he.

"More likely chance?"

"Yes."

to

"A garáble, say?"

take

1

I

"I should have thought so." was beginning to feel a little foolish and detent.

"Aye, well, perhaps you're right." He ran a finger round his sums. "Have you got any of my shares?"

I said I hadn't,

He smiled at me suddenly. "I'm going to indulge a Utile private whilm. How much can

He got up, west to his writing table and wrote out a cheque, He handed it to me. Here you ars," he said, "Five thousand, Pay me back by the end of this Mark the envelope to I'd like to hear

month.

Reckless?

The speed of this manoeuvre had rendered me literally speechless, I found myself now urgently thrusting the cheque buck on him. "I couldn't possibly accept this. I've never irculated on this scale in my

fe."

"Try it," he said, "Good night." He ushered me at once out of the roum.

SAID THE

TYCOON

by LIONEL DAVIDSON Director of a Landon publishing · firm, mogazīna wsites and editor.

Te to London somewhat bleary of eye the next morning, and telephoned my stockbroker, He was a sound chap I had known for years. He was not cuthuslostig about the shares,

"What's the most they could drop?"

"ford to say, There has been a fluctuation of is. #d, in the past 10 deya,"

I did a quick sum. Five thousand quids' worth. If the shares fell as little as sixpence ....If they dropped a shilling ....I was sweating slightly. "Could you buy me just hundred pounds worth for. the time being." I said.

Distraction

D

Plenty of time yet. No point in Jumping in all at once. Ste how the shares got on for a ult. Sell next Tuesday, he had cald.

11

I began to write my article in state of some distraction Between times. I went out and bought the evening papers,, The shares went down threepence,

"So I sold. Afterwards th. shares went up another shilling. I got out the cheque that night

and sent it back to the tycoon, The covering note gave me a lot of trouble, but in the end I was quite protid of t

I implied that had not had to make use of the accommoda, lon he offered that I had managed to get it elsewhere at my own risk rather than his.

His roply

Of course,

I thanked him warmly for my large gains; but between the fulsome lines ran a clear hint that; far from being incautious !n making h gesture, he had been, as ever, bocking on a sure thing,

His shares had gone up, I had not un away with the money. He had derived pleasure in

giving-without cost. I whistled l the way to the pool box.

His reply rtached me eight days later, and even though) tore it up and jumped on it, the words

easily obliterated,

огс not

60

In the course of the next two "Dear Davidson,” It ran, "I market days, that is Friday and art, glad you had success on the Monday, the shares went up stock mörket. But You pro sixpence-frightening me into wrong in supposing I was in buying another hundred pounds' doubt as to the poslilon of the worth-and down one and three. shares or your eventual repay- pence, which frightened me into ment of the loan. a state of paralysis. I bought no more. I put the tycoon's cheque in an envelope. I locked it up,

On Tuesday, without warning, the shares rocketed up six and

cannot say that I slept well threepence. that night.

Of course, I could see that he was not being in the least reek- probably sorted me out as a type 133. After two days, he had unlikely to bilk him; and he, if Anyone should know how ble shares would behave. None the less, it is not every evening in Liverpool that one nightcups with a toothless magnate and is presented with £5,000.

There was coine perfectly valid reason for this, which I preter to forget. I caused a sensation. My stock- broker rang up to tell me.

"You aly devil," he said, "You

know something."

I don't, I thought gloomilly. Nothing at 201. Abcu: any- thing.

"Better sell now," "They've reached top!"

he said,

"I was interested only in you would cash the whether theque. For myself. I should not

"Here you are," he sai6......... "Five thousand, Pay me back at the end of this......

month."

have hesitated to do so, and to have used the money as advised. This, I believe, in known a backing certainties. I had little doubt, however, that you would. do otherwise,

"I am happy to think that my character assessment of · your was necurate, and shall look for! ward with interest to your more mine, professional estimato Yours sincerely,

My article came out the fol lowing week. It said the tycoon was shrewd, close-grained, simple, relaxed, affable. It sold he was a slogger, rugged and even-tempered,

It also said that he was always ready to back on certainties, Feeling that it might annoy him, I had already deleted this "bli once.

pop it back in after receiving There had just been time to his letter.

DID IT REALLY HAPPEN?

YES

NO.

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The answer is on Page 18.

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The International

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Now she's moving in every High Street

on

~ BY BARBARA GRIGGS

THE fashion business is fast becoming one great international roundabout. And in London last week, to give it one more merry spin, was Italian designer Emilio Pucci, presenting his summer collection at a Knightsbridge store.

To me, he is the perfect example of a trend that has been -gathering-spoed over the last 10 years the de-nationalisation_of_

fashion.

The Pucci Look originated in Capel. Like the life of its wearers, it was relaxed, gay, a little degenerate.

The long taut pants, the straight-cut shirts worn loose_out- side, both made of brilliantly coloured silk, became a Capri uniform that made this small istand resort seem like another world.

Now the Capri uniform is on sale throughout Europe: It turns up in London drawing rooms, in Californian patles, right round, the Riviera. Il has been copied everywhere.

But its originator has fallen reflecta Andor an alien spell.

America.

The man who invented the Capri Look: Emilio

Pucci in London with his wife.

tailored clothes; the Italians are Victorians went into raptures Gothic; Chippendale up classic epshmere over snopping golfem; the French are buying copted the Chinese, and clasele couturler Paul Polcet electrifléd lengths of tweed and gaberdines and the Swiss are Paris with his bizarre Oriental the fo of South Idmiring English country head- clothes.

DOOTYCS.

The exchange of ideas goes

of

There is only one danger in Back from South America, And so it goes on. As tride

all this..that the national where he has spent the last and travel incrEISE, fashion further. A chainstore commis look which gives ench country's three months honeymooning, designers draw thee Inspiration slons a Vienness designer to clothes their particular appeal

and style its Jersey Pucci is already at work on from all over the world,

dresses, and may be swamped out new collection which will "re stores all up with International a Scottish knitwear house turns existence.

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over its cashmeres and wools to an Itollań designer,

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don, but the

Swiss, bo

Italian, French, his designing has

hocustomed

онг. сусь

1

EWAY While English women on to dance floors in their saris, Indian women will be tramping the hills in tweed sults.

New look

Italian conicssas in their villas outside Rome will settle down to a quiet sherry dressed You can buy raincoats made Burmese, anything she likes. in jerseys, pearls and senablo in Denmark and Sweden, cottons

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also a fertile source of inspira- ed in silk shirts and narrow tion for designers everywhere. trousers.

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