ployees with a
rod of iron--chiefly by silence. It was usually said of him that he never
spoke to anybody unless he was absolutely obliged to do so--certain it was
that all his orders to the various heads were given out pretty much after
the fashion of a drill sergeant's commands to a squad of well-trained,
five-month recruits, and that monosyllables were much more in his mouth
than even brief admonitions and explanations. If anybody ever did manage
to approach Markledew, it was always with fear and trembling. A big,
heavy, lumbering man, with a face that might have been carved out of
granite, eyes that bored through an opposing brain, and a constant
expression of absolute, yet watchful immobility, he was a trying person to
tackle, and most men, when they did tackle him, felt as if they might be
talking to the Sphinx and wondered if the tightly-locked lips were ever
going to open. But all men who ever had anything to do with Markledew were
well aware that, difficult as he was of access, you had only got to
approach him with something good to be rewarded for your pains in full
measure.

At ten minutes past four Triffitt, who had just finished his work, lifted
his head to see a messenger-boy fling open the door of the reporter's room
and cast his eyes round. A shiver shot through Triffitt's spine and went
out of his toes with a final sting.

"Mr. Markledew wants Mr. Triffitt!"

Two or three other junior reporters who were scribbling in the room
glanced at Triffitt as he leapt to obey the summons. They hastened to
make kindly comments on this unheard-of episode in the day's dull
routine.

"Pale as a fair young bride!" sighed one. "Buck up, Triff!--he won't eat
you."

"I hear your knees knocking together, Triff," said another. "Brace
yourself!"

"Markledew," observed a third, "has decided to lay down the sceptre and
to instal Triff in the chair of rule. Ave, Triffitt, Imperator!--be
merciful to the rest of us."

Triffitt consigned them to the nether regions and hurried to the
presence. The presence was busied with its secretary and kept Triffitt
standing for two minutes, during which space he recovered his breath.
Then the presence waved away secretary and papers with one hand, turned
its awful eyes upon him, and rapped out one word:

"Now!"

Triffitt breathed a fervent prayer to all his gods, summoned his
resolution and his powers, and spoke. He endeavoured to use as few words
as possible, to be lucid, to make