nry, "I understood London when we were
chatting over there." With his elbow he indicated the music-hall,
somewhere vaguely outside the room.

"London," said Mr. Bryany.

And Edward Henry thought:

"What on earth am I meddling with London for? What use should I be in
London?"

"You see the plot marked in red?" Mr. Bryany proceeded. "Well, that's
the site. There's an old chapel on it now."

"What do all these straight lines mean?" Edward Henry inquired,
examining the plan. Lines radiated from the red plot in various
directions.

"Those are the lines of vision," said Mr. Bryany.

"They show just where an electric sign at the corner of the front of
the proposed theatre could be seen from. You notice the site is not
in the Circus itself--a shade to the north." Mr. Bryany's finger
approached Edward Henry's on the plan, and the clouds from their
cigarettes fraternally mingled. "Now you see by those lines that the
electric sign of the proposed theatre would be visible from nearly
the whole of Piccadilly Circus, parts of Lower Regent Street,
Coventry Street and even Shaftesbury Avenue. You see what a site it
is--absolutely unique."

Edward Henry asked coldly:

"Have you bought it?"

"No," Mr. Bryany seemed to apologize. "I haven't exactly bought it.
But I've got an option on it."

The magic word "option" wakened the drowsy speculator in Edward Henry.
And the mere act of looking at the plan endowed the plot of land with
reality! There it was! It existed!

"An option to buy it?"

"You can't buy land in the West End of London," said Mr. Bryany,
sagely. "You can only lease it."

"Well, of course!" Edward Henry concurred.

"The freehold belongs to Lord Woldo, now aged six months."

"Really!" murmured Edward Henry.

"I've got an option to take up the remainder of the lease, with
sixty-four years to run, on the condition I put up a theatre. And the
option expires in exactly a fortnight's time."

Edward Henry frowned and then asked:

"What are the figures?"

"That is to say," Mr. Bryany corrected himself, smiling courteously,
"I've got half the option."

"And who's got the other half?"

"Rose Euclid's got the other half."

At the mention of the name of one of the most renowned star-actresses
in England, Edward Henry excusably started.

"Not _the_--?" he exclaimed.

Mr. Bryany nodded proudly, blowing out much smoke.

"Tell me," asked Edward Henry, confidentially, leaning forward, "where
do those ladi