oming over here now."

The doubtful nature of the compliment struck Skinner's sense of humor,
and he laughed outright.

"What's up?" asked the social arbiter.

"Of two evils--" Skinner began.

"But you're a devilish good dancer, and you don't chatter to me all the
time."

Later in the evening. Skinner made the following entry in his little
book;--

_Dress-Suit Account_

_Debit_ _Credit_

Two more dances with a
social arbiter. That's what's
next! Going some, I reckon.

Between dances, young Crawford took Skinner by the arm. "Come into the
den and have a wee nippie."

In the den Skinner found a group of millionaires and
multi-millionaires, smoking, drinking casually, and talking in quiet,
good-natured tones. For the first time in his life, he was really
mixing with the rich. No one there knew what Skinner's position in the
business world was. Nor would they have cared if they had known. But
Skinner was not trumpeting the fact that he was only a "cage man."
Skinner had many original ideas, which, because of a certain lack of
assertiveness, he'd never been able to exploit. McLaughlin and Perkins
had always looked upon him only as a counter of money and a keeper of
accounts. But now he was out of his cage. He talked with these men as
he never knew he could talk.

As a "cage man," Skinner had always dealt with men of small caliber,
who were ever in a hurry. If he chanced to meet one of these on the
street or in a restaurant and undertook to exploit his ideas, the other
always seemed bored. His attitude was, "Skinner is only a
machine--what does he know about real business?" But the men he was
now mixing with in the den seemed to have the leisure of the gods on
their hands. They were not bored. They listened with keen interest to
what he had to say.

Skinner observed that these men were good listeners and later noted the
fact:--

_Dress-Suit Account_

_Debit_ _Credit_

Important discovery! Big
men of affairs better listeners
than talkers.

But when they did talk at all, they talked in big figures--millions.
And later Skinner jotted down:--

_Dress-