Wilberton hesitated.
“Ballantyne,” supplied Griscom.
“Ah, yes, Mr. Ballantyne,” resumed Wilberton. “What you have said is quite true. That is the unfortunate part of it all. The theatrical business is not at present subject to racketeering.”
Ballantyne looked at him with a puzzled air.
“With the present growth of racketeering,” continued Wilberton, “it is logical that the theatrical business will soon be imposed upon by these leeches. It will find the situation difficult to combat. It will suffer accordingly.”
“This is too much, Mr. Wilberton,” blurted Ballantyne. “You are assuming too much—”
The financier stared coldly at the irate speaker. Ballantyne settled down. Stanley Wilberton spoke again.
“With me,” he said, “it is a matter of lending money to a sound enterprise. Your merger is an excellent plan. But racketeering seems to be on the upward trend.
“Should demands be made upon you, which you would attempt to resist, your properties would be subject to damage and financial loss. Your merger would no longer be a sound venture; it would become a disaster!”
“I can’t agree with you!” declared Ballantyne.