beside them. If he had been possessed of any
sensitiveness, it might have been wounded by the utter indifference,
after the first signs of displeasure, they paid to his presence. They
continued their conversation as though no third party had been near, and
except that Mr Medlock nodded when the waiter said "For three?" seemed
to see as little of him as Hamlet's mother did of the Ghost.

However, for the time being that nod of Mr Medlock's was all Durfy
particularly coveted. He was hungry. Time enough to stand on his
dignity when the knife and fork had done their work.

"Yes," said Mr Shanklin, "time's up to-day. I've told him where to
find us. If he doesn't, you must go your trip by yourself; I can safely
stay and screw my man up."

"Think he will turn up?"

"Can't say. He seems to be flush enough of money still."

"Well, he can't say you've not helped him to get rid of it."

"I've done my best," said Mr Shanklin, laughing.

"I shall be glad of a holiday. It's as hard work sponging one fool as
it is fleecing a couple of hundred sheep, eh?"

"Well, the wool came off very easily, I must say. I reckon there'll be
a clean L500 to divide on the Liverpool business alone."

"Nice occupation that'll be on the Boulogne steamer to-morrow," said
Mr Shanklin. "Dear me, I hope it won't be rough, I'm such a bad
sailor!"

"Then, of course," said Mr Medlock, "there'll be your little takings to
add to that. Your working expenses can't have been much."

Mr Shanklin laughed again.

"No. I've done without circulars and a salaried secretary. By the way,
do you fancy any one smells anything wrong up in the North yet?"

"Bless you, no. The fellow's pretty near starving, and yet he sent me
up a stray L2 he received the other day. It's as good as a play to read
the letters he sends me up about getting the orders executed in strict
rotation, as entered in a beautiful register he kept, and which I
borrowed, my boy. Ha! ha! He wants me to run down to Liverpool, he
says, as he's not quite satisfied with his position there. Ho! ho! And
he'd like a little money on account, as he's had to buy stamps and coals
and all that sort of thing out of his own thirteen shillings a week.
It's enough to make one die of laughing, isn't it?"

"It is funny," said Mr Shanklin. "But you're quite right to be on the
safe side and start to-morrow. You did everything in his name, I
suppose--took the office, ordered the printing, and a