To Dream Again Read Online Free Page A

mustache and looked grave. "We must demand that the loan be repaid now."
    "But that will break us!" Mara leaned forward in her chair. "We are growing, but we are still a small company."
    "My dear lady, times are very uncertain. We can't afford the risk."
    "Risk?" Mara's chin lifted slightly at the word. "I assure you, sir, I do not take risks. My business philosophy is most conservative."
    "I'm sure it is."
    She did not miss the patronizing tone of his voice. "The company is solvent," she went on, fighting to keep her voice confident. "I am a good customer of your bank. I have always made the interest payments on time. You can see by my financial statements that our position has improved tremendously in the last four years. This year, I expect we will make a profit."
    She said it with pride, but he was not impressed. "There are other considerations. Your husband is dead, Mrs. Elliot. I sympathize with you, but we cannot allow sentiment to interfere with business decisions."
    "I would not dream of bringing sentiment into it, sir. The fact is that if you call the loan now, we will not be able to pay it. Elliot's will be forced into bankruptcy, all our assets will be sold, and you will be fortunate if you can recoup the principal amount."
    He said nothing, and she knew she was making no progress with him. She changed her tactics. "Then at least give me time to raise the money."
    He leaned back in his chair. "My dear lady, what good will time do you? A few days, a few months—" He shrugged. "What difference will it make?"
    "I would have time to find investors willing to capitalize Elliot's."
    "Investors?" He stared at her in amazement. "You'll have difficulty finding investors with your present situation."
    "The company is a fine investment. If you look at my financial statements again, you will see that—"
    "Mrs. Elliot," he interrupted gently, "the fact is that you are a woman. You have little experience in the harsh world of business. It is difficult enough for a man of the world to succeed, much less a lady such as yourself. I doubt you will be lucky enough to find investors who feel differently."
    "Lucky?" Mara forced herself not to grind her teeth. "I don't believe in luck, Mr. Abercrombie, and I would have thought that a man of logic and reason such as yourself would not believe in it either."
    He stiffened. "The fact remains that your husband is dead."
    "James has had nothing to do with the management of Elliot's for some years now. I have been in charge. You know that. I've come in every Monday for the past four years to make deposits, go over our account, and manage our financial affairs."
    "Mrs. Elliot, I realize that circumstances forced you to take on some responsibility for the business when your husband went to America. But all this time, he was still within reach of a telegraph if the need arose for serious decisions. Now that he is dead, who will make those decisions?"
    "I have been making those decisions for four years now, sir. My husband was a brilliant man in his way, with an uncanny knack for making money, but he also had an uncanny knack for losing it. I assure you, I never telegraphed to him for advice. It was neither necessary nor desirable for me to do so."
    The banker was unconvinced. "Nonetheless, your husband owned the company, and he was responsible for it. Now that he is dead, the bank wishes to remove itself from any possible future losses resulting from his death."
    "This is ridiculous!" Mara burst out, frustrated by the sheer unfairness of it. "I have been responsible for Elliot's. I have worked very hard to make the company profitable. I will not stand by and watch it all unravel!"
    The banker seemed uncomfortable at this display of female emotion. He picked up the documents and handed them to her. "The decision has been made. I am truly sorry if the company is forced into bankruptcy, but this is business."
    Mara stared down at the neatly penciled figures of her balance sheet, feeling her