“What do you mean?” asked Tom.
“Well, we made you an offer of a million dollars for the complete rights to your talking-picture invention that we might destroy it to save our business from ruin. You saw fit to decline that and you got the better of us in what followed. Now, since it seems that the invention is going on the market, the next best thing for us to do is to buy into the exploiting company and have a share in the profits. I suppose there will be profits?” he asked, with a somewhat quizzical smile. He was a big business man, as Tom knew.
“I hope there will be,” Tom answered.
“Well, now that we’ve backed down—because you made us and for no other reason,” went on Mr. B, “will you listen to another offer?”
“What is it?”
“We’ll give you a million for a half share in the invention.”
“Nothing doing!” exclaimed Tom, getting ready to leave.
“A million and a half!” offered Mr. B.
“Your figure is too low,” replied Tom, who began to see daylight ahead for Ned Newton’s financial embarrassment. “Why, you movie men put a million dollars in a single feature picture.”
“Oh, quit being pikers!” put in another magnate. “Say two millions and be done with it! Come, what about two, young man?”