nd a jasmine-twined
pergola to sit out under of a night--and watch the moon roll up from the
shining sea? I know the house--it's all that Mr. Necker says it is."

"And mahogany, and all kinds of beautiful linen for the table, Miss
Welkie. Imagine that, with cut glass and silver and the electric candles
gleaming over it of a night."

"I would dearly love to preside at the head of that table, Mr. Necker,
but Mr. Balfe was speaking of something that perhaps my brother should
hear about first."

"What's that, Andie?"

"Let it wait, Greg."

"Better now. What is it?"

"You may not like it."

"Maybe not, but we may as well have it now, Andie."

"I was to tell you that after this work is done there's another job
waiting you on the west coast, just as important, just as needful of
your supervision, and no more reward to it than this."

"Whee-eu!" whistled Necker. "The steamer captain had him right."

"Then I'm afraid"--Welkie turned to Necker--"it's off between us."

"Don't say that yet. Wait till you hear. What are you working for?
Leaving the money end out of it, which I know you don't care for and
never will care for, what are you getting? You want recognition? And
prestige? Do you get them? Not a bit. Who really knows of this work? A
few engineers who keep tabs on everything, yes. Who else? Nobody. The
government, for good reasons of their own, don't want it mentioned in
the press. Why, it's hardly mentioned in the engineering journals."

"Even so. It will go down in the records that I did it."

"Will it? Look here. I've been waiting for that." From his inside
coat-pocket Necker drew out several typewritten sheets. "Mind you, I
didn't want to produce this, but I'm forced to. My first interests are
my company's. There is a copy of the last official report on this work.
Read what that says. The credit is given, you see, to who? To you? No,
no. Not a mention of you except as a civilian engineer who assisted."

"But how did you get hold of this?" Welkie held the papers, but without
showing any inclination to read them.

"Does how I got hold of it matter?"

"That's right, it doesn't matter."

Welkie offered the papers to Balfe.

Balfe waved them back. "I saw the original of that report in Washington.
What Mr. Necker says is so."

"There!" Necker brought his fist down on the table. "The man of all
others to bear me out." He stepped close to Balfe. "I couldn't place you
for a while. Thanks for that."

"Don