you?"

"No, but you have. Good day. Now, Barrett, listen to me. I never
repeat."

Mr. Wolverton opened his mouth, perceived that H. R. was not looking at
him, closed his mouth and went out. He was a well-dressed man with a
determined chin. If it had not been for that chin he would have been a
bookkeeper. Determination minus imagination equals stubbornness.

Mr. Wolverton therefore walked out unbleeding.

"Barrett, do you see the possibilities?"

"Do I? Didn't I see the parade? Say, I can only think when I talk. Trust
_me_! Speaking of terms--" He looked at H. R., nodded amiably, and said,
"After you, kind friend."

"You will ask our clients five dollars per day per man, they to pay for
the boards, which must be artistic and approved by me. The union label
will be on them. Forty per cent. goes to the artist, forty per cent. to
you, and ten per cent. to the society. Don't try Valiquet's. Tackle
everybody else first. I'll be here all the afternoon. Barrett, I expect
you to do your damnedest!"

He rose, shook hands with young Mr. Andrew Barrett, escorted him to the
door, and returned to his desk.

He sat there, thinking. He intended Barrett should fail in order that
when H. R. made him succeed, later, Barrett should know to whom the
credit should go, though the commissions would fall into Barrett's
pocket. That would make the young man really useful.

The telephone people had not yet installed the apparatus in his office,
so he went downstairs and called up Mr. Maximilian Onthemaker.

"Onthemaker?... This is H. R. speaking.... Of course I saw the
papers.... Yes, all of them. Come up to my office. At once!... I can't
help it; I need you--this means the front page again. If you don't want
the job.... I thought you would! Remember, I'm waiting. Do you hear me?
_Waiting!_"

The greatest stroke of political genius on the part of Louis XIV. was
his rebuke: "I almost have been made to wait!"

What, wait?--H. R.?

If it had not been that taxicabs cost actual money, M. Onthemaker would
have taken one. But he knew he soon would have one of his own--if the
newspapers did their share.

Before Max could decide whether he ought to say good morning to H. R. in
a sulky tone of voice at being called from an important conference, or
smile pleasantly, H. R. said:

"Onthemaker, I am going to advertise a shop without permission and
without pay."

"Another restaurant, like--"

"Like nothing. Don't interrupt again, not even