sily.

"My idea, therefore, and I think it's a good one, is to hire you to
take me over and back. It might take all your time and it might
not--but I should want to have you on call, ready to go anywhere, any
time, at a moment's notice. It would make a tremendous difference in
the time-saving alone. You would have to--what about your mechanic?"

"What about him? I don't just get you." Johnny looked at him startled.

Lowell sat leaning one elbow lightly on the table, his slim, manicured
fingers tapping silently the rhythm of some tune which he was
subconsciously following. It was the only sign of nervousness he
displayed, save a frequent swift scanning of faces in the room. Any
diner there who observed him would have said that Cliff was retailing
some current scandal which concerned an acquaintance. Any diner would
have said that the good-looking boy in flyer's togs was listening with
mental reservations, ready to argue a point, but nevertheless eager to
hear the whole story.

"I mean, what about the mechanic? Have you any contract with him, or
are you tied up with him in any way? Can you get rid of him, in other
words?"

Johnny studied his little cup of coffee, his subconscious mind
registering the incongruity of such a skimpy amount of coffee after
such an amazingly ample meal. Consciously he was having a hurried,
whispered conversation with his native honesty.

"Well--I ain't married to Bland," he stated judicially, meeting
candidly the other's intent stare. "I never made any contract with
him. He agreed to do certain things for me if I'd bring him here--and
I brought him. On top of that, he talked about our doing certain
things when we got here--it was exhibition flying and taking up
joyriders--and I kinda fell in with the idea. I never said, right out
in so many words, that I'd do it. I just kinda let it ride along the
way he said. He sure expects me to go ahead, but--"

Lowell exhaled a mouthful of smoke and sipped his coffee as though he
was relieved of some doubt. "That's all right, then. You are free to
change your mind. And you're lucky that you have something to change
to, if I may say what I think. There's nothing in that sort of thing
any more. It would scarcely pay for the wear and tear on your machine,
I imagine. You certainly could not pull down any real money doing that
little stuff. Now let's see--"

He smoked and studied some mental question until Johnny grew restive
a