The Paper Dragon (32 page)

"I seem to recall a case involving another publisher in which a telephone number in a novel — the number for a house of prostitution — turned out to be a real number for a respectable woman living in New York."

"Yes, that's a well-known story in the trade. We try to be careful of such occurrences."

"So the serial number finally used was nonexistent?"

"Yes. A dummy number supplied by the Army."

"Did you have any similar qualms regarding the use of the digits one-oh-five to label Mr. Driscoll's division?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"We had no reason to believe the 105th was anything but an actual Army division."

"You thought the 105th was a
real
division?"

"We did."

"Didn't this trouble you?"

"It did not. An Army division consists roughly of eighteen thousand men. Worrying about the designation of such a large unit would be similar to worrying about" the designation of a city the size of Scarsdale."

"Then you never brought up the division number in any of your discussions with Mr. Driscoll?"

"Never. We thought it was one of the real divisions involved in the Ch'ongch'on River fighting, and it never occurred to us that we should try to change history."

"Did Mr.
Driscoll
ever say it was a real division?"

"He never mentioned it at all."

"Not at any time during any of your discussions?"

"Never."

"Thank you. Mr. Danton, how long have you been an editor?"

"I've been with Mitchell-Campbell Books since my discharge from the Navy in 1946. I was hired to handle subsidiary rights for the firm, but I began editorial work in, oh, it must have been '48 or '49. I've been an editor since that time."

"As part of your job, are you called upon to pass literary judgment on manuscripts submitted to the company?"

"I am."

"Mr. Danton, have you in this past week read the play
Catchpole
?"

"I have read it, yes."

"Mr. Willow," Brackman said, "I haven't objected until now to these leading questions — but I can't remain silent when you first supply your witness with a date, and only afterwards ask him if he read the play."

"Forgive me," Jonah said. "
Have
you read the play
Catchpole
, Mr. Danton?"

"I have."

"When did you first read it?"

"I read it last week. Last Tuesday night."

"Where did you obtain a copy of the play?"

"You gave it to me."

"Did I ask you to read it?"

"You did."

"Do you have any editorial opinion on it?"

"Objection. Mr. Danton's opinion of the play is immaterial."

"Your Honor," Jonah said, "the testimony of an expert on such matters, a man who has been an editor for more than twenty years, would certainly seem relevant to me. As with my earlier offer, I am merely attempting to ascertain whether or not anyone would
want
to steal this play."

"Your Honor…"

"Please," McIntyre said. "What earlier offer do you mean, Mr. Willow? The newspaper reviews of
Catchpole
?"

"If your Honor please."

"Mr. Brackman?"

"The quality of this play does not go to the question of plagiarism, your Honor. On Monday, Mr. Willow remarked that many well-known works have been plagiarized in the past, and he cited
Abie's Irish Rose
as a prime example. I'm sure his reversal of the facts was inadvertent, but nevertheless the plagiarism was charged
against Abie's Irish Rose
, which was purported to have been stolen from an unknown property. Point of fact, I think we all must realize that no one in his right mind would try to steal from a
famous
book or play — unless he was intent on being exposed and brought to justice. Moreover, with all due respect to Mr. Danton's abilities, I hardly think he is the man to pass judgment on Mr. Constantine's play."

"If he has a qualified editorial opinion…"

"I do not see where his opinion, qualified or otherwise—"

"I will exclude it, Mr. Willow," McIntyre said.

"In that case, your Honor, I have no further questions."

"Very well."

Brackman rose from behind his table, consulted a list of notes he had made, put the notes on the table again, and walked slowly toward the witness chair.

"We know each other, don't we, Mr. Danton?" he asked conversationally.

"We met at the pretrial examination, yes."

"How are you?"

"I'm fine, thank you."

Brackman nodded, and smiled. "Mr. Danton," he said, "I'd like to go over these editorial changes you just told us about. Would that be all right with you?"

"Yes, certainly."

"To begin with, you suggested the title
The Paper Dragon
, is that right?"

"Not to
begin
with. That came much later."

"I didn't mean chronologically, Mr. Danton."

"What did you mean?"

"Was it or was it not one of your editorial suggestions?"

"It was."

"And another of your suggestions was that the squad be provided with a stronger motivation for its dislike of Lieutenant Cooper?"

"I suggested that a major—"

"Please answer the question."

"Yes, that was another of my suggestions."

"And yet another concerned the use of profanity in the officer's mess scene?"

"Correct."

"And the deletion of flashbacks showing the civilian background of Private Colman?"

"Yes."

"You also suggested that a final chapter be written…"

"Yes."

"… between Lieutenant Cooper and the nurse Jan Reardon."

"No. Not between—"

"I quote from your own Exhibit I, where Miss Lang said, 'Don't you feel we need another scene between Coop and the nurse. ' "

"Yes, but—"

" '… to show how the squad's pressure on him is beginning—' "

"Yes, but that was not a suggestion for the final chapter. That was earlier on in the book, a scene set in the hospital."

"But you agreed with her comment?"

"Yes, I did."

"And suggested the change to Mr. Driscoll?"

"Yes. As well as suggesting a better last chapter."

"These were two
separate
changes, is that it?"

"Yes, I thought I'd made that clear."

"It's clear now, thank you. Do you consider these changes important?"

"Which changes?"

"All of them."

"They were important to the full realization of Mr. Driscoll's book, yes."

"What do you mean by that?"

"The book was potentially excellent. I believe the changes helped Mr. Driscoll to realize that potential. Yes, the changes were important."

"During your pretrial examination, Mr. Danton, you mentioned only
two
editorial suggestions which you considered important: the change of title and the profanity. You weren't trying to mislead me, were you?"

"I certainly was not!"

"You just didn't remember these three or four other suggestions, is that it?"

"Yes, of course that's…"

"Which you now consider as important as the others? Important to the
full
realization of Mr. Driscoll's book?"

"I've had a chance to reread
The Paper Dragon
since then, and to remember…"

"Yes, but at the pretrial, you did not recall these other suggestions when we asked you about them, did you?"

"No, not at the time."

"Your Honor," Jonah said, rising, "I do not see…"

"He is examining the witness as to credibility, Mr. Willow, and I will allow it," McIntyre said.

"I call your attention now to the following question in your pretrial examination: 'Mr. Danton, would you say that the editing—' "

"Excuse me, Mr. Brackman," Jonah said.

"This is page 21," Brackman said over his shoulder.

"Thank you."

"And the question was, 'Mr. Danton, would you say that the editing of a book is a process of offering the suggestions and opinions of others to an author for possible assimilation into the work?' and your answer was, 'Basically, yes.' And further down on that same page, Mr. Danton, you were asked, 'Did suggestions concerning
The Paper Dragon
originate entirely with you?' and your answer was, 'No, some of the suggestions originated elsewhere in the company.' I ask you now, Mr. Danton, where else in the company these suggestions originated?"

"They came from Miss Anita Lang, as I testified earlier."

"You also testified earlier, Mr. Danton, that — and I quote — 'the editor-author relationship was solely between Mr. Driscoll and me.' Do you recall that?"

"I said it was between Jimmy and me except for the memorandums…"

"Solely between Mr. Driscoll and yourself."

"I also mentioned the memorandums," Danton said.

"Your Honor," Jonah said, rising, "I believe Mr. Brackman is attempting to fuse two separate answers…"

"I repeat his answer," Brackman said. " 'The editor-author relationship was solely between—' "

"Yes, the personal relationship," Jonah said.

"Was it or was it not an exclusive relationship?"

"Should I answer that?" Danton asked.

"Please," McIntyre said.

"It was the only personal relationship."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that I was the only editor at Mitchell-Campbell who transmitted suggestions for change to Mr. Driscoll."

"Including suggestions for change that might have originated elsewhere?"

"Yes."

"Do you know for a fact, Mr. Danton, that no one at Mitchell-Campbell Books saw or read the play
Catchpole
before the publication of
The Paper Dragon
?"

Danton hesitated.

"Mr. Danton?"

"No, I do not know that for a fact."

"Do you know for a fact that Miss Anita Lang did
not
see or read the play?"

"No, I do not know that for a fact, either. But Miss Lang is only—"

"You have answered the question."

"I would like to explain…"

"Your Honor…"

"I will hear the witness," McIntyre said.

"I would like to explain that Anita Lang is a very young woman. In fact, she couldn't have been more than twenty-two or three when
The Paper Dragon
first came to us. She must have been seven or eight years old when
Catchpole
was produced in New York, so I hardly think she could have seen the play, unless her mother took her to it in a baby carriage."

"Do you know for a fact that she did not
read
the play?"

"No, I don't."

"Mr. Danton, I call your attention to a report of your own, Defendants' Exhibit H, in which you said, and I quote: 'We have a fine novel here, and it's by a writer who is only thirty-three years old and who will, I am certain, go on writing many more excellent books. I feel we've made a true discovery.' This was dated February 4th, and the notation that all the points were cleared up is dated March 6, 1963. I ask you now, Mr. Danton, whether James Driscoll has delivered any other manuscript to you since that time?"

"He has not."

"To your knowledge, Mr. Danton, is he presently at work on another book?"

"Not to my knowledge."

"To your knowledge, Mr. Danton, had he ever written anything prior to the novel called
The Paper Dragon
?"

"I believe it was his first novel."

"Was it in fact his first published work of fiction?"

"I don't know."

"I call your attention to Defendants' Exhibit G, the questionnaire sent by Mitchell-Campbell Books to James Driscoll, and I refer you to the section asking the author to list his previous works. Would you please read Mr. Driscoll's answer to the Court?"

"He says, 'I have never had anything published before.' "

"Do you accept the statement in this questionnaire?"

"I do."

"He would have had no reason to falsify an answer to that question?"

"Mr. Driscoll is not a man who falsifies anything."

"Then Mitchell-Campbell Books accepted his statement that
The Paper Dragon
was the first work of fiction he had ever published."

"Yes, Mitchell-Campbell Books accepted the statement."

"In other words, Mr. Danton,
The Paper Dragon
in addition to being the
first
thing Mr. Driscoll ever had published, is also the
only
thing he has ever published."

"That's correct."

"Thank you, Mr. Danton."

"Is that all?"

"That's all, thank you."

"Are you through, Mr. Brackman?"

"Yes, your Honor."

"Mr. Genitori? Any further questions?"

"No, sir."

"Thank you, Mr. Danton. I'd like to recess for lunch now."

"This Court will reconvene at two p.m.," the clerk said.

"Mom?"

"Yes?"

"This is Arthur."

"Oh, hello, son where are you?"

"Downtown, in the courthouse. I'm in the hall here. In a phone booth."

"What is it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Did you lose?"

"It's not over yet, Mom."

"When
will
it be over?"

"Tomorrow, I guess. Or Friday."

"So soon?"

"Yes. Well, you know, it's a pretty simple case."

"Did you tell them?"

"Oh, sure."

"That he stole from you?"

"Sure."

"What did they say?"

"Well, they don't say anything, Mom. I mean, there's only the judge and the people who're involved, you know. So we present our side, and then they present theirs, and that's it."

"Did they ask you questions?"

"Oh, sure."

"And it was all right?"

"Yes, it was fine."

"How's the play?"

"Well, we're still casting it."

"When will it be?"

"When will it go
on
, do you mean?"

"Yes."

"I don't know."

"Because I want to tell my sister."

"Oh, sure. I'll let you know in plenty of time."

"Good."

"How's Papa?"

"He's in the sun porch, working on his clocks. Shall I call him?"