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Torusumi showed his teeth once more, then indicated that the King should sit.
"It is not that I want the watch," he said to the King. "But because thou art
my friend and thou hast taken much trouble, I should inquire what does the man
who owns this insignificant watch want for it?"
"Three thousand dollars," the King replied. "I'm sorry it's overpriced."
"Truly it is overpriced. The owner has sickness in his head. I am a poor man,
only a guard, yet because we have done business in the past and to do thee a
favor I will offer three hundred dollars."
"I regret. I dare not. I have heard that there are other buyers who would pay
a more reasonable price through other intermediaries. I agree that thou art a
poor man and should not offer money for so insignificant a watch. Of course,
Omegas are not worth much money, but in deference to the owner thou wouldst
understand it would be an insult to offer him anything less than a
second-class watch is worth."
"That is true. Perhaps I should increase the price, for even a poor man has
honor, and it would be honorable to try to alleviate any man's suffering in
these trying times. Four hundred."
"I thank your concern for my acquaintance. But this watch - being an Omega -
and being that the price of Omegas has fallen from their accepted high place
previously, obviously there is a more definite reason for thou not wanting to
do business with me. A man of honor is always honorable  "
"I, too, am a man of honor. I had no wish to impugn thy reputation and the
reputation of your acquaintance who owns the watch. Perhaps I should risk my
reputation and try to see if I could persuade those miserable Chinese
merchants with whom I have to deal to give a fair price once in their
miserable existences. I'm sure that thou wilt agree, five hundred would be the
maximum a fair and honorable man could go for an Omega, even before their
price dropped."
"True, my friend. But I have a thought for thee. Perhaps the prices of Omegas
have not dropped from their ichi-bon position. Perhaps the miserly Chinese are
mistakenly taking advantage of a man of honor. Why, only last week another of
thy Korean friends came to me and bought such a watch and paid three thousand
dollars for it. I only offered it to thee because of my long friendship and
trust that pertains as between associates of long standing."
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"Dost thou tell me truly?" Torusumi spat vehemently on the floor, and Peter
Marlowe readied himself for the blow which had followed such outbursts before.
The King sat unperturbed. God, thought Peter Marlowe, he's got nerves of
steel. The King pulled out some shreds of tobacco and began to roll himself a
cigarette. When Torusumi saw this, he stopped raving and offered the pack of
Kooas and cooled.
"I am astonished that the miserable Chinese merchants for whom I risk my life
are so corrupt. I am horrified to hear what thou, my friend, hast told me.
Worse, I am appalled. To think that they have abused my trust. For a year I
have been dealing with the same man. And to think that he has cheated me for
so long. I think I will kill him."
"Better," said the King, "to outsmart him."
"How? I would dearly like my friend to tell me."
"Curse him with thy tongue. Tell him that information has been given thee to
prove that he is a cheat. Tell him if he does not give thee a fair price in
future - a fair price plus twenty percent to pay thee back for all his past
errors - then thou mayest whisper in the ear of the authorities. Then they
will take him and take his women and take his children and abuse them to thy
satisfaction."
"It is superb advice. I am happy with the thought of my friend. Because of
his thought and the friendship I hold for him, let me offer fifteen hundred
dollars. It is all the money I have in the world, plus some money entrusted to
me by my friend who is with the sickness of women in the stink-house called a
hospital and who cannot work for himself." [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]