On one occasion, old Jolyon being present, Soames recollected a little unpleasantness. His uncle had looked up sharply and said: ‘Don’t talk nonsense, Hemmings! You mean that what they do know isn’t worth knowing!’ Old Jolyon detested humbug.
Hemmings, angry-eyed, and wearing a smile like that of a trained poodle, had replied in an outburst of artificial applause: ‘Come, now, that’s good, sir – that’s very good. Your uncle will have his joke!’
The next time he had seen Soames he had taken the opportunity of saying to him: ‘The chairman’s getting very old – I can’t get him to understand things; and he’s so wilful – but what can you expect, with a chin like his?’
Soames had nodded.
Everyone knew that Uncle Jolyon’s chin was a caution. He was looking worried today, in spite of his General Meeting look; he (Soames) should certainly speak to him about Bosinney.
Beyond old Jolyon on the left was little Mr Booker, and he, too, wore his General Meeting look, as though searching for some particularly tender shareholder. And next him was the deaf director, with a frown; and beyond the deaf director, again, was old Mr Bleedham, very bland, and having an air of conscious virtue – as well he might, knowing that the brown-paper parcel he always brought to the Board-room was concealed behind his hat (one of that old-fashioned class of flat-brimmed top hats which go with very large bow ties, clean-shaven lips, fresh cheeks, and neat little white whiskers).
Soames always attended the general meeting; it was considered better that he should do so, in case ‘anything should arise’. He glanced round with his close, supercilious air at the walls of the room, where hung plans of the mine and harbour, together with a large photograph of a shaft leading to a working that had proved quite remarkably unprofitable. This photograph – a witness to the eternal irony underlying commercial enterprise – still retained its position on the wall, an effigy of the directors’ pet, but dead, lamb.
And now old Jolyon rose, to present the report and accounts.
Veiling under a Jove-like serenity that perpetual antagonism deep-seated in the bosom of a director towards his shareholders, he faced them calmly. Soames faced them too. He knew most of them by sight. There was old Scrubsole, a tar man, who always came, as Hemmings would say, ‘to make himself nasty’, a cantankerous-looking old fellow with a red face, a jowl, and an enormous low-crowned hat reposing on his knee. And the Rev. Mr Boms, who always proposed a vote of thanks to the chairman, in which he invariably expressed the hope that the Board would not forget to elevate their employees, using the word with a double e, as being more vigorous and Anglo-Saxon (he had the strong Imperialistic tendencies of his cloth). It was his salutary custom to buttonhole a director afterwards, and ask him whether he thought the coming year would be good or bad; and, according to the trend of the answer, to buy or sell three shares within the ensuing fortnight.
And there was that military man, Major O’Bally, who could not help speaking, if only to second the re-election of the auditor, and who sometimes caused serious consternation by taking toasts – proposals rather – out of the hands of persons who had been flattered with little slips of paper, entrusting the said proposals to their care.
These made up the lot, together with four or five strong, silent shareholders, with whom Soames could sympathize – men of business, who liked to keep an eye on their affairs for themselves, without being fussy – good, solid men, who came to the City every day and went back in the evening to good, solid wives.
Good, solid wives! There was something in that thought which roused the nameless uneasiness in Soames again.
What should he say to his uncle? What answer should he make to this letter?
… ‘If any shareholder has any question to put, I shall be glad to answer it.’ A soft thump. Old Jolyon had let the report and accounts fall, and stood twisting tortoise-shell glasses between thumb and forefinger.
The ghost of a smile appeared on Soames’s face. They had better hurry up with their questions! He well knew his uncle’s method (the ideal one) of at once saying: ‘I propose, then, that the report and accounts be adopted!’ Never let them get their wind – shareholders were notoriously wasteful of time!
A tall, white-bearded man, with a gaunt, dissatisfied face, arose:
‘I believe I am in order, Mr Chairman, in raising a question on this figure of £5,000 in the accounts. “To-the widow and family”’ (he looked sourly round) ‘“of our late Superintendent,” who so – er – ill-advisedly (I say – ill-advisedly) committed suicide, at a time when his services were of the utmost value to this Company. You have stated that the agreement which he has so unfortunately cut short with his own hand was for a period of five years, of which one only, had expired – I –’