ou? It's
only one of Manning's little jokes."

"That's all right, General," said Mr. Crewe, "I haven't been a director
in railroads for nothing. I'm not as green as he thinks. Am I, Mr.
Manning?"

"It never struck me that green was your colour, Mr. Crewe," answered the
division superintendent, smiling a little as he tore the tickets into
bits and put them in the waste-basket.

"Well," said Mr. Crewe, "you needn't have torn 'em up on my account. I
travel on the pass which the Northeastern gives me as a legislator, and
I'm thinking seriously of getting Mr. Flint to send me an annual, now
that I'm in politics and have to cover the State."

"We thought you were a reformer, Mr. Crewe," the Honourable Brush Bascom
remarked.

"I am a practical man," said Mr. Crewe; "a railroad man, a business mark
and as such I try to see things as they are."

"Well," said General Doby, who by this time had regained his usual
genial air of composure, "I'm glad you said that, Mr. Crewe. As these
gentlemen will tell you, if I'd had my wish I'd have had you on every
important committee in the House."

"Chairman of every important committee, General," corrected the
Honourable Jacob Botcher.

"Yes, chairman of 'em," assented the general, after a glance at Mr.
Crewe's countenance to see how this statement fared. "But the fact is,
the boys are all jealous of you--on the quiet. I suppose you suspected
something of the kind."

"I should have imagined there might be some little feeling," Mr. Crewe
assented modestly.

"Exactly," cried the general, "and I had to combat that feeling when I
insisted upon putting you at the head of National Affairs. It does not
do for a new member, whatever his prominence in the financial world,
to be pushed forward too quickly. And unless I am mighty mistaken, Mr.
Crewe," he added, with his hand on the new member's shoulder, "you will
make yourself felt without any boosting from me."

"I did not come here to remain idle, General," answered Mr. Crewe,
considerably mollified.

"Certainly not," said the general, "and I say to some of those men,
'Keep your eye on the gentleman who is Chairman of National Affairs.'"

After a little more of this desultory and pleasant talk, during which
recourse was, had to the bathroom for several tall and thin glasses
ranged on the shelf there, Mr. Crewe took his departure in a most
equable frame of mind. And when the door was closed and locked behind
him, Mr. Manning dipped h