I + 

The Advertisement + 

On New YearвАЩs Day, 1943, G. H. Bondy, head of the great Metallo-Electrical Company, was sitting as usual reading his paper. He skipped the news from the theatre of war rather disrespectfully, avoided the Cabinet crisis, then crowded on sail (for the PeopleвАЩs Journal, which had grown long ago to five times its ancient size, now afforded enough canvas for an ocean voyage) for the Finance and Commerce section. Here he cruised about for quite a while, then furled his sails, and abandoned himself to his thoughts. + 

вАЬThe Coal Crisis!вАЭ he said to himself. вАЬMines getting worked out; the Ostrava basin suspending work for years. Heavens above, itвАЩs a sheer disaster! WeвАЩll have to import Upper Silesian coal. Just work out what that will add to the cost of our manufactures, and then talk about competition. WeвАЩre in a pretty fix. And if Germany raises her tariff, we may as well shut up shop. And the Industrial Banks going down, too! What a wretched state of affairs! What a hopeless, stupid, stifling state of affairs! Oh, damn the crisis!вАЭ + 

Here G. H. Bondy, Chairman of the Board of Directors, came to a pause. Something was fidgeting him and would not let him rest. He traced it back to the last page of his discarded newspaper. It was the syllable tion, only part of a word, for the fold of the paper came just in front of the t. It was this very incompleteness which had so curiously impressed itself upon him. + 

вАЬWell, hang it, itвАЩs probably iron production,вАЭ Bondy pondered vaguely, вАЬor prevention, or, maybe, restitutionвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ And the Azote shares have gone down, too. The stagnationвАЩs simply shocking. The positionвАЩs so bad that itвАЩs ridiculousвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ But thatвАЩs nonsense: who would advertise the restitution of anything? More likely resignation. ItвАЩs sure to be resignation.вАЭ + 

With a touch of annoyance, G. H. Bondy spread out the newspaper to dispose of this irritating word. It had now vanished amid the chequering of the small advertisements. He hunted for it from one column to another, but it had concealed itself with provoking ingenuity. Mr.¬†Bondy then worked from the bottom up, and finally started again from the right-hand side of the page. The contumacious вАЬtionвАЭ was not to be found. + 

Mr.¬†Bondy did not give in. He refolded the paper along its former creases, and behold, the detestable tion leaped forth on the very edge. Keeping his finger firmly on the spot, he swiftly spread the paper out once more, and foundвБ†вАФMr.¬†Bondy swore under his breath. It was nothing but a very modest, very commonplace small advertisement: + 

Highly remunerative, suitable for any factory, for immediate sale, personal reasons. Apply R. Marek, Engineer, B≈Щevnov, 1651. + 

вАЬSo thatвАЩs all it was!вАЭ thought G. H. Bondy. вАЬSome sort of patent braces; just a cheap swindle or some crazy fellowвАЩs pet plaything. And here IвАЩve wasted five minutes on it! IвАЩm getting scatterbrained myself. What a wretched state of affairs! And not a hint of improvement anywhere!вАЭ + 

He settled himself in a rocking-chair to savour in more comfort the full bitterness of this wretched state of affairs. True, the M.E.C. had ten factories and 34,000 employees. The M.E.C. was the leading producer of iron. The M.E.C. had no competitor as regards boilers. The M.E.C. grates were world-famous. But after thirty yearsвАЩ hard work, gracious Heavens, surely one would have got bigger results elsewhereвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ + 

G. H. Bondy sat up with a jerk. вАЬR. Marek, Engineer; R. Marek, Engineer. Half a minute: mightnвАЩt that be that red-haired MarekвБ†вАФletвАЩs see, what was his name? Rudolph, Rudy Marek, my old chum Rudy of the Technical School? Sure enough, here it is in the advertisement: вАШR. Marek, Engineer.вАЩ Rudy, you rascal, is it possible? Well, youвАЩve not got on very far in the world, my poor fellow! Selling вАШa highly remunerative invention.вАЩ Ha! ha! вАШвА¶¬†for personal reasons.вАЩ We know all about those вАШpersonal reasons.вАЩ No money, isnвАЩt that what it is? You want to catch some jay of a manufacturer on a nicely limed вАШpatent,вАЩ do you? Ah, well, you always had rather a notion of turning the world upside down. Ah, my lad, where are all our fine notions now! And those extravagant, romantic days when we were young!вАЭ + 

Bondy lay back in his chair once more. + 

вАЬItвАЩs quite likely it really is Marek,вАЭ he reflected. вАЬStill, Marek had a head for science. He was a bit of a talker, but there was a touch of genius about the lad. He had ideas. In other respects he was a fearfully unpractical fellow. An absolute fool, in fact. ItвАЩs very surprising that he isnвАЩt a Professor,вАЭ mused Mr.¬†Bondy. вАЬI havenвАЩt set eyes on him for twenty years. God knows what he has been up to; perhaps heвАЩs come right down in the world. Yes, he must be down and out, living away over in B≈Щevnov, poor chapвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ and getting a living out of inventions! What an awful finish!вАЭ + 

He tried to imagine the straits of the fallen inventor. He managed to picture a horribly shaggy and dishevelled head, surrounded by dismal paper walls like those in a film. There is no furniture, only a mattress in the corner, and a pitiful model made of spools, nails, and match-ends on the table. A murky window looks out on a little yard. Upon this scene of unspeakable indigence enters a visitor in rich furs. вАЬI have come to have a look at your invention.вАЭ The half-blind inventor fails to recognize his old schoolfellow. He humbly bows his tousled head, looks about for a seat to offer to his guest, and then, oh Heaven! with his poor, stiff, shaking fingers he tries to get his sorry invention goingвБ†вАФitвАЩs some crazy perpetual motion deviceвБ†вАФand mumbles confusedly that it should work, and certainly would work, if only he hadвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ if only he could buyвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ The fur-coated visitor looks all round the garret, and suddenly he takes a leather wallet from his pocket and lays on the table one, two (Mr.¬†Bondy takes fright and cries вАЬThatвАЩs enough!вАЭ) three thousand-crown notes. (вАЬOne would have been quite enoughвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ to go on with, I mean,вАЭ protests something in Mr.¬†BondyвАЩs brain.) + 

вАЬThere isвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ something to carry on the work with, Mr.¬†Marek. No, no, youвАЩre not in any way indebted to me. Who am I? That doesnвАЩt matter. Just take it that I am a friend.вАЭ + 

Bondy found this scene very pleasant and touching. + 

вАЬIвАЩll send my secretary to Marek,вАЭ he resolved; вАЬtomorrow without fail. And what shall I do today? ItвАЩs a holiday; IвАЩm not going to the works. My timeвАЩs my ownвБ†вАКвБ†вА¶ a wretched state things are in! Nothing to do all day long! Suppose I went round today myself.вАЭ + 

G. H. Bondy hesitated. It would be a bit of an adventure to go and see for oneself how that queer fellow was struggling along in B≈Щevnov. + 

вАЬAfter all, we were such chums! And old times have their claim on one. Yes, IвАЩll go!вАЭ decided Mr.¬†Bondy. And he went. + 

He had rather a boring time while his car was gliding all over B≈Щevnov in search of a mean hovel bearing the number 1651. They had to inquire at the police-station. + 

вАЬMarek, Marek,вАЭ said the inspector, searching his memory. вАЬThat must be Marek the engineer, of Marek and Co., the electric lamp factory, 1651, Mixa Street.вАЭ + 

The electric lamp factory! Bondy felt disappointed, even annoyed. Rudy Marek wasnвАЩt living up in a garret, then! He was a manufacturer and wanted to sell some invention or other вАЬfor personal reasons.вАЭ If that didnвАЩt smell of bankruptcy, his name wasnвАЩt Bondy. + 

вАЬDo you happen to know how Mr.¬†Marek is doing?вАЭ he asked the police inspector, with a casual air, as he took his seat in the car. + 

вАЬOh, splendidly!вАЭ the inspector answered. вАЬHeвАЩs got a very fine business.вАЭ Local pride made him add, вАЬThe firmвАЩs very well knownвАЭ; and he amplified this with: вАЬA very wealthy man, and a learned one, too. He does nothing but make experiments.вАЭ + 

вАЬMixa Street!вАЭ cried Bondy to his chauffeur. + 

вАЬThird on the right!вАЭ the inspector called after the car. + 

Bondy was soon ringing at the residential part of quite a pretty little factory. + 

вАЬItвАЩs all very nice and clean here,вАЭ he remarked to himself. вАЬFlowerbeds in the yard, creeper on the walls. Humph! There always was a touch of the philanthropist and reformer about that confounded Marek.вАЭ And at that moment Marek himself came out on the steps to meet him; Rudy Marek, awfully thin and serious-looking, up in the clouds, so to speak. It gave Bondy a queer pang to find him neither so young as he used to be nor so unkempt as that inventor; so utterly different from what Bondy had imagined that he was scarcely recognizable. But before he could fully realize his disillusionment, Marek stretched out his hand and said quietly, вАЬWell, so youвАЩve come at last, Bondy! IвАЩve been expecting you!вАЭ + 