فصل سوم

CHAPTER THREE

In which the young man learns to

seize opportunities and take risks

NOW, HOW MUCH MONEY are you willing to pay to get these secrets of wealth?” The millionaire’s question took the young man by surprise.

“Even if I was willing to spend money to get it, I haven’t got a dime.” “But if you had money, how much would you be willing to pay? Name a figure, any figure. The first one that comes to mind.” The young man couldn’t possibly evade the question now. The millionaire was asking for a very specific answer.

“I don’t know,” he replied. “A hundred dollars. .. ?”

The millionaire burst out laughing.

“Only a hundred dollars? Then you don’t really believe these secrets exist, do you? If you did, you’d surely be ready to pay a lot more for them. Come on, I’ll give you a second chance. Name another figure. This isn’t a game, but a very serious matter.” The young man thought it over.

“I don’t mind answering,” he said. “But remember, I’m flat broke.” “Don’t worry about that.”

“But if I don’t have any money, my hands are tied,” said the young man, bewildered.

“Oh, my!” exclaimed the millionaire. “We’ve got a long way to go! Since time began, the rich have been using other people’s money to amass their fortunes. Anyone really serious has never needed money to make money. By that I mean personal cash. Besides, you must have a checkbook on you. . . .” The young man wanted to deny it, but he had stuffed his checkbook into his pocket that morning. God knows why: he had exactly four dollars and twenty-eight cents in his account! He considered lying about it, but the millionaire had such a piercing gaze he seemed capable of mind-reading.

The young man heard himself stutter, as if he were confessing a deep, dark secret, “Yes, I br-brought it with me.” He pulled his checkbook out as automatically as a robot, even though an urge to rebel momentarily crossed his mind. He felt spellbound by this man, like someone in the hands of a hypnotist. Yet he wasn’t afraid of the millionaire, for he radiated goodwill; he even seemed somewhat amused.

“Fine,” replied the millionaire. “Now can you see there’s no problem?” He uncapped an elegant pen and handed it to the young man.

“Write out a check for the amount you have in mind and sign it.” “But I don’t know how much to write.”

“All right. Put down, say, $25,000.”

The millionaire uttered this figure in a perfectly straightforward way, without a shred of arrogance.

“What . . . $25,000!” exclaimed the young man. “You’ve got to be joking.” “Put down $50,000 if you like,” replied the millionaire, so calmly that the young man no longer knew whether he spoke seriously or in jest.

“Even $25,000 seems far too much. Anyway, you couldn’t cash the check because it would just bounce. And all I’d get out of it would be an angry bank manager wondering whether I’d gone crazy. And he’d be right!” “That’s exactly how I undertook my biggest deal ever. I signed a check for $250,000 and then had to scramble around to find the money to cover it. But if I hadn’t made out that check right then and there, I’d have missed an excellent opportunity.

“That was one of my first major business lessons,” he said. “People who waste time waiting for all the perfect conditions to fall into place never get anything done. The ideal time for action is now!

“Another lesson this little exercise can teach you is this: If you want to succeed in life, you have to make sure you have no choice in the matter. You have to put your back to the wall. People who vacillate and refuse to take risks because they don’t have all the elements in hand never get anywhere. The reason is simple. When you cut off all your exits and put your back to the wall, you mobilize all your inner powers. You want something to happen with every fiber of your being. So why hesitate now, young man? Put your back to the wall. Make out that $25,000 check to me.” The young man wrote out the check, slowly filling in the numbers, then the words. But when he came to sign it, he simply couldn’t do it.

“I’ve never written a check as large as this in my life.” “If you really want to become a millionaire, you’ll have to start some day. You’ll have to get used to signing checks much larger than this one. This is only the beginning.” But the young man still couldn’t sign it. Everything was happening so quickly. He was about to hand over a check for $25,000 to a man he’d just met and who was promising some pretty dubious secrets in exchange.

“What’s stopping you from signing?” asked the millionaire. “Everything’s relative under the sun. In no time at all, this amount will appear insignificant to you.” “It’s not the amount,” mumbled the young man.

“Well, what is it, then? I know why you can’t sign it. You don’t really believe my secrets will turn you into a millionaire. If you were absolutely convinced, you’d sign in a flash. Tell me, if you were absolutely positive that these secrets would help you earn an additional $100,000 in less than a year, without your having to work harder than you do now — even by working less — would you sign that check?” “Sure I would,” he was forced to agree. “I’d make a$75,000 profit.” “So sign it. I guarantee that you’ll be able to earn that amount.” “Would you be willing to put that in writing?”

The millionaire burst out laughing once again.

“I like you, young man. You’re determined to cover your back. That’s often a very prudent thing to do. Even if you’re absolutely sure about your re-sources, it doesn’t mean you should trust the first per-son who comes your way.” He left the table, rummaged about in a drawer, and pulled out a readymade agreement. This didn’t sit very well with the young man. Was the millionaire mass-producing his secrets and selling them to every Tom, Dick, and Harry who showed up?

The millionaire signed the guarantee and handed it to the young man, who skimmed over it quickly, satisfied with what he’d read. Then the old man suddenly changed his mind.

“I’ve got another idea,” he said. “How about a bet?”

He took a coin from his pocket and bounced it up and down in the palm of his hand.

“Let’s play heads or tails. If I lose, I’ll give you the $25,000 cash I have in my pocket. If I win, you give me the check. In either case, let’s forget about the guarantee.” “The only problem,” the young man said, “is what I told you. There’s almost nothing in my account. Even if I give you this check, you won’t be able to cash it.” “No problem,” said the millionaire. “I’m in no hurry. Why not postdate it a year from now?” The young man hesitated.

“All right. Under those conditions I accept the bet.”

He had now calculated that in any event he had a full year to change banks, close his account, or simply stop the check. He had nothing to lose. And with the millionaire’s new offer he could even earn $25,000 in a few seconds flat, without having to do an ounce of work!

A self-satisfied smile flitted across his lips. He hoped the millionaire hadn’t noticed it.

The millionaire then proposed a minor clarification, which immediately confirmed the young man’s doubts.

“There’s just one thing. You have to solemnly swear that, should you lose the bet, you’ll still honor this check.” The young man tentatively gave his word, but just as the millionaire was about to toss the coin, he abruptly interrupted him.

“May I see the coin?” he asked. The millionaire smiled.

“No doubt about it. I really like you, young man. You’re cautious. That’ll help you avoid a lot of mistakes. Just make sure it doesn’t cause you to miss out on a lot of good opportunities.” The millionaire handed over the coin. As soon as the young man had carefully examined both sides and returned it, the millionaire asked him to call.

“Tails.”

The millionaire tossed the coin, and the young man’s heart began to beat as wildly as if he were on his first date! This was the first time he’d ever had the chance of winning $25,000!

As he watched the coin spinning in the air, his anxiety mounted sharply. The coin landed on the table.

“Heads!” said the millionaire gleefully, but then quickly added a sympathetic, “Sorry.” It was hard to say wether he was being sincere or merely polite.

The young man couldn’t help trembling a little as he signed the check. He would probably get used to signing big checks like this one day, but at this point it made him feel very strange indeed.

He gave the check to the millionaire, who examined it briefly, folded it, and put it in his pocket.

“Now,” said the young man, “can I have the secrets?”

“But of course,” said the millionaire. “Do you have a piece of paper? I’ll write them down for you. That way, you won’t forget them.” The young man had a hard time grasping his words. The millionaire surely couldn’t expect a single sheet of paper to hold all the secrets — especially secrets he’d just bought for $25,000!

“Sorry. I don’t have any paper on me.”

“But didn’t you have a letter of introduction when you arrived here? The people your uncle has sent me over the years always had a letter.” The young man took it out of his pocket.

He handed it over, carefully watching the old man’s face as he opened it. But the millionaire didn’t seem at all surprised to find it was completely blank. He took his pen, leaned over the table, and was about to write something when he raised his head and asked the young man to fetch the butler.

“You’ll find him in the kitchen, at the far end of that corridor over there,” explained the millionaire.

When the young man came back with the butler, the millionaire was sealing the envelope. He seemed pleased with himself.

“Our young guest will be spending the night,” he said to the butler. “Would you take him to his room, please?” Then he turned to the young man and said, “Here are the secrets.” He stood up and handed him the envelope; then he solemnly shook his hand, as if he had just wrapped up one of the most important deals he had ever made in his life.

“The only thing I must ask you to do is to wait until you’re alone in your room before opening the envelope and reading the secrets. And oh, there’s one more condition. Before you may read what I’ve writ-ten, you must promise to spend part of your life sharing these secrets with those less fortunate than you. If you agree, you’ll be the last person to whom I’ll ever give these secrets directly. My work here will be over. I’ll be ready to take care of roses in a much larger garden.

“If you don’t feel ready to share these secrets,” he said, “you still have time to back out. But then, of course, you won’t be able to open the envelope. I’ll give you back your check. And you’ll be free to go home and get on with the same life you’ve been leading up to now.” Now that the young man finally had his hands on the letter containing the secrets, there was no possibility of backing out. His curiosity had gotten the better of him.

“I promise,” he replied.