DISRAELI.

Stratford Evening Post, Issue 86, 27 June 1930, Page 3

DISRAELI.

(By EVE BERNSTEIN.)

Copyright 1929. Warner Bros. Pictures, inc

I "I .mean I am bankrupt," lie said for tbe "Listen to mo. First.the'jslHpu-with the bullion—fromArgentine—%ent down.'" "■\^ecke*a|".:, , '{Sftttttledj . Purposely and criminally *unk—-all the crew saved. A conspiracy. It will take weeks—monljbji—to get th e insurance. In addition to that, rumours affecting my credit have beeni spreal, and now, this wreck, I am being press* ed—some enormous potfer" "What power?" ;! "I don't know. They have acted through aa agent, a Mr Lewin. I have, .come to you first because we cannot carry out the Cmal project. heaven I am in time.-* Disraeli picked up th e telppram he was going to send him and laid it beibre him. "QOod ,QOd!" Meyers excJiiimcid. "When, will news of the bankruptcy be known?" "To-hjght." "By the Lord, it shall not." Disraeli ituristed. , "Get back to town. Stay in your office. Don't budge I' 4 I '*J 6j> you there all night. Dtm't wreok lightly. Something will happen." "wyj|, sir, what?' "God.knows, God knows." When Meyers left, Disraeli explained % 9 situation to Lady Beaconsfield who suggested that he go to town .to try to do something about situation but Disraeli ; head sadly. The papers. he was ill. If he were to hejeinl'in Downing Street inen dnifJttiV'fhe recess,' wben he Syas jßuppWjeffi to be sick at home, everjf newsp*nsr would grow hysterical* tied hand and foot, but ?#s 'Would hav e to find a solution. .Daring this discussion, Bascot announced Mrs TraverS, at which Disfa&lt jumped to his feet excitedly. ■«; *'S#ien4i4. wei must keep her herei She must not be allowed out ojt Ohr sight. If she gets tke; alightejst hint that I am making any

He ran quickly to the'closet, took out a dressing gown, an*d put it on 3d. place of his coat. : "Dizzy," Lady Beaconsfleld remonstrated, "what this play acting?"

; '"Lahi : iU-J-vej-y' ill,*' lie explained, flitting down in an, easy chair. "The papers my I am ill, and she shall 866 tlife sickest than 3h e ever saw in he* life.'' .';Mr.s followed by Clar» iasa, whom she met in the garden', greeted Lady Beaconsfleld and then Disraeli. She had heard he was ill, but Jshe did not know he was so ill. .Perhaps she had better go. "(I'm Very Weak," Disraeli told her in a lotf, pitiful voice, "but very glad to see you. So bright! Bo young! Isn't is good .of her, Mary? Jsit ' ; ttowg where- I can se e you. There!"

"I saw the Duchess, your yesterday," Mt'S Travers told Clarissa; "She is very anxious auout Lord Deeford, He is abroad, isa't he? Egypt or somewhere?" "*6s, U 4 is in Egypt," Disraeli replied. "We have just heard from him. Mary, isn't it time for my Mrs TfaVefs could not suppress her curiosity* beef tea?"

"YOU m&tyfOu heard from him?" \ -"yeg—a 'telegram. Read . it—there ott th e table.'' ,'/ She got up quickly and went to 'the:.table- "The celery is id 'cutf' fead. , "fbq knew he's engaged in a very lntifreating -agricultural experiment. Disraeli explained, at the same time .'jjjattib.ing her through the mirror. , ; He aaw how frhe had noticed the code Ipwjfc ne»t to the telegram, and qukkljf Hipped it in her glove. It Was obvious that from that moment Mi's Travers wanted to be alone—to read the code. She went to tbe window and admired th peacock*, Irat Disraeli, sensing what v ■h» r Wtfhded to do, was cu step \ :"«bqa4 of her. When she expressed 1 ,* d«»ii>6 to see them he whispered to Clarissa that she must uot leave her alone, afld Clarlsjsa obligingly accompanied her. Then he ■eflt LadyJßeacontffleld to r Prpbert, jnfltfhCtllig; her to take Mi's Travers' caiflage vsiich was: waiting outside. ' "And,-tqJije Clarissa with you," he /When Sfe returned with Clarissa it her side!, she again declared it - .. • ■ m

OTS%novel! has been filmed by Warner Bros. & Vitaphone.

was urgent that she leave, but Disrali would not hear of it. Lady Beaconsiield and Clarissa had to go to meet th e specialist, and she must stay with him.

My cab is waiting," she pleaded

'•I have sent it away," he announced. "Sit down here," he \\-vM on, taking her hand. "This dainty hand —supple fingers—so long and thin, so exquisitely shaped" "Oh, Mr Disraeli," she remonstrated cOquettishly.

. "So quick to grnsp things—scraps of paper—in such a hurry to get away from the poor sick man to read —the code," he snapped, forcing it out of her glove with a dextrous movement.

' What of it?" she challenged, unabl e to dissimulate.

"That's better. That's how I remember you. So curious—l remtember you, but couldn't place you. I connected you with something blue and white, snow and water, Mont Blanc and Lake of Geneva. Geneva in the sixties, Russian refugees and their English' sympathisers. A man called Lam-* ley, and his ravishing—shall I lay —Wife? That delightful couple, so good to the unhappy exiles. But eoplg are cruel. They said kind Mr Lumley and his lovely—comrade—were agents, decoys j.x Russian pay, engaged in worming out secrets of the refugees, in tempting'them back to Russia, to Siberia, death."

Ai look of horror passed over Mrs Trovers' face, and she cried aloud.

"Pray what has that to do with me?"

"What, indeed? You, the friend of the great bankers —of, Ambassadors. Good Mr Lumley and his charming comrade were driven out to Geneva .by the slanderers. Where do you think I saw him next? In Downing Street. He had changed his name to Foljambe. I was so Vdry jsorry for him that I gave hihl work, but you did better. You gave him; instruction's', to hurry up to Trieste. Now, do I remember you, dear Mrs Lumley, Travers, Foljambe f" "Now what?"

"Profound admiration until this mon|ent. If you had asked me I would have told you that the telegram metut that the Suez Canal purchase is completed and the Check accepted." "And Meyers bankrupt," Mrs Travers added, triumphantly.

Disraeli pretended surprise and beggdd tli&t She do not jest with him While lie was so ill, an'd jtl[3t when Mrs Travers began to think she had the upper hand indeed, Lady Beaconsfleld and Clarissa came ftl, accompanied by Probert. "Sorry you are ill, Mr Disraeli," Probert said.

Disraeli threw off his dressing gown and asked him to sit down, commanding Mrs Travers, who was ready to go, to sit down* allso. He was going to say something that would interest her, too. "Why have you sent for me?" Probert asked, "if you are not ill?" "I told you J might." "Has Moses failed you?" "No, I have carried the scheme through. 1 have purchased the Suez Canal. As Parliament was not setting to vQt e the money, I had to seefe it elsewhere. F'ive had to seek it elsewhere. Five million sterling, You refused. So I went to the wealthiest private firm —to Hugh Meyers." "Ah, a Jew."

"A patriot. He saw the greatness of the idea and stood by me. I sent Deeford to Ismail, but spies got wind of what I was dong, and Russia kuew. So Deeford had to go in a hurry. He bought the Canal and paid for it with Meyers' cheque drawn on the Bank of England. Meanwhile Russia ha"s been at work by the intermediation of one of the most fascinating woman of my acquaintance." He bowed stiffly to Mrs Travers. "Now Meyers is bankrupt."

"Mr Disraeli," Probert began "I warned you of this. It is no use appealing to me." "Then I will command! You will Sign this note giving Meyers unlimited credit."

"Are you mad?" "I was uever so sane in my life."

"Then I refuse. lam an Englishman, the head of a great national institution. I will not b e ordered about by an alien—a Jew." "Who happens to be the Prime Minister," Disraeli continued in a calm voice. "When it is known that the lack of patriotism of one man has placed our country in the position of a person who is trying to pass a fraudulent cheque exposed . the nation to the ridicule of th e world ; lost the Canal, lost India, disgraced England what becomes of the Bank." "You cannot touch the Bank." "I'll smash the Bank," Disraeli snooted. "Parliament granted the Bank its charter, Parliament can withdraw it." "Good God!" was all Probert could say. He had not dreamed this could happen. He had not considered that there waft a higher power that could ruin him. "And shall withdraw it at my bidding. Your board of directors will be swept away, your shareholders bankrupt. lam Prime Minister. I can do this, and if you don't sign, I w}ll.' : Probert wag left speechless. For the i first time he found hmself powerless. He took the paper with :iombling hands and signed it and left,:' a beaten man.

Oh, Mr Disraeli, Clarissa said, "thank the Lord you have such

power." , j^jjj Disraeli smiled significantly. "I haven't, dear child, but ho doesn't know that."

On the day that Lord Deeford returned. Queen Victoria was to be crowned Empress of India. It would have betu the happiest day of Disraeli's life, if it had not been for the fact that Lady Beaconsfiold was too ill to be present at the reception". Sh e was asleep when he left the house, but he left her a message with the garden'js- choice est flower. Every day he gave her a rose—a symbol of; their love. Nothing could compensate for her absence that day, not the fact that he had swayed the House with his leoquence, nor that he had silenced even Gladstone. Some of his staun'chest enemies had to admit that Disraeli was a great man, for now that it was done, it was eajsy to see the importance of the venture. Probert now firmly declared he had always been in accord with Disraeli's views.

Before Her Majesty's arrival, Disraeli thanked the men who had helped him through—Mr Meyers and Mr Probert, cm whom the Queen had bestowed a peerage, and Deeford, upon whom Her Majesty was going to confer the Ribbon of the Bath with her own hands. Then, as if to complete Disraeli's happiness, Lady Beaconsfield made her appearance. She knew her Dizzy, c'-ui in order not to mar what otherwise would have been a perfect day, she had left her bed to be at his side. Arm in arm they waited for the Queen to make her appearance —and close beside them stood Deeford and Clarissa, smiling in happy anticipation of a brilliant future together. The End.