Still in the afterglow of composition, Hal, tinkering lightly with the proofs, felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Well, Boy-ee," said the voice of Dr. Surtaine.
"h.e.l.lo, father," returned Hal. "Sit down. What"s up?"
"I"ve just had a message from E.M. Pierce."
"Did you obey a royal command and go to his office?"
"No."
"Neither did I."
"With you it"s different. You"re a younger man. And Elias M. Pierce is the most powerful--um--er--well, _as_ powerful as any man in Worthington."
"Outside of this office, possibly."
"Don"t you be foolish, Boy-ee. You can"t fight him."
"Nor do I want to," said Hal, a little chilled, nevertheless, by the gravity of the paternal tone. "But when he comes in here and dictates what the "Clarion" shall and shall not print--"
"About his own daughter."
"News, father. It"s news."
"News is what you print. If you don"t print it, it isn"t news. Isn"t that right? Well, then!"
"Not quite. News is what happens. If no paper published this, it would be current by word of mouth just the same. A hundred people saw it."
"Anyway, tone your article down, won"t you, Boy-ee?"
"I"m afraid I can"t, Dad."
"Of course you can. Here, let me see it."
McGuire Ellis looked up sharply, his face wrinkled into an anxious query. It relaxed when Hal handed the editorial proof to the Doctor, saying, "Look at this, instead."
Dr. Surtaine read slowly and carefully. "Do you know what you"re doing?"
he said, replacing the strip of paper.
"I think so."
"That editorial will line up every important business man in Worthington against you."
"I don"t see why it should."
"Because they"ll see that none of "em are safe if a newspaper can do that sort of thing. It"s never been done here. The papers have always respected men of position, and their business and their families, too.
Worthington won"t stand for that sort of thing."
"It"s true, isn"t it?"
"All the more harm if it is," retorted Dr. Surtaine, thus codifying the sum and essence of the outsider"s creed of journalism. "Do you know what they"ll call you if you print that? They"ll call you an anarchist."
"Will they?"
"Ask Ellis."
"Probably," agreed the journalist.
"Every friend and business a.s.sociate of Pierce"s will be down on you."
"The whole angry hive of capital and privilege," confirmed Ellis.
"You see," cried the pleader; "you can"t print it. Publishing an article about Kathleen Pierce will be bad enough, but it"s nothing to what this other roast would be. One would make Pierce hate you as long as he lives. The other will make the whole Business Interests of the city your enemy. How can you live without business?"
"Business isn"t as rotten as that," averred Hal. "If it is, I"m going to fight it."
"Fight business!" It was almost a groan. "Tell him, Ellis, what a serious thing this is. You agree with me in that, don"t you?"
"Entirely."
"And that the "Clarion" can"t afford to touch the thing at all? You"re with me there, too, aren"t you?"
"Absolutely not."
"You"re going to stand by and see my boy turn traitor to his cla.s.s?"
"d.a.m.n his cla.s.s," said McGuire Ellis, in mild, conversational tones.
"As much as you like," agreed the other, "in talk. But when it comes to print, remember, it"s our cla.s.s that"s got the money."
"Wouldn"t it be a refreshing change," suggested Ellis, "to have one paper in Worthington that money won"t buy?"
"All very well, if you were strong enough." The wily old charlatan shifted his ground. "Wait until you"ve built up to it. Then, when you"ve got the public, you can afford to be independent."
"Get your price and then reform. Is that the idea, Father?" said Hal.
"Boy-ee, I don"t know what"s come over you lately. Journalism seems to have got into your blood."
"Blame Ellis. He"s been my preceptor."
"Both of you have got your lesson to learn."
"Well, I"ve learned one," a.s.serted Hal: "that it"s the business of a newspaper to print the news."
"There"s only one sound business principle, success. When it costs you more to print a thing than not to print it, it"s bad business to print it."
"I"m sorry, Dad, but the "Clarion" is going to carry this to-morrow."