red, and pushed a chair towards him.

"'Lately engaged at Coxon and Woodhouse's?'

"'Yes, sir.'

"And now on the staff of Mawson's?'

"'Quite so.'

"'Well,' said he. 'The fact is that I have heard some really
extraordinary stories about your financial ability. You remember Parker
who used to be Coxon's manager? He can never say enough about it.'

"Of course I was pleased to hear this. I had always been pretty smart in
the office, but I had never dreamed that I was talked about in the City
in this fashion.

"'You have a good memory?' said he.

"'Pretty fair,' I answered, modestly.

"'Have you kept in touch with the market while you have been out of
work?' he asked.

"'Yes; I read the Stock Exchange List every morning.'

"'Now, that shows real application!' he cried. 'That is the way to
prosper! You won't mind my testing you, will you? Let me see! How are
Ayrshires?'

"'One hundred and six and a quarter to one hundred and five and
seven-eighths,' I answered.

"'And New Zealand Consolidated?'

"'A hundred and four.'

"'And British Broken Hills?'

"'Seven to seven and six.'

"'Wonderful!' he cried, with his hands up. 'This quite fits in with all
that I had heard. My boy, my boy, you are very much too good to be a
clerk at Mawson's!'

"This outburst rather astonished me, as you can think. 'Well,' said I,
'other people don't think quite so much of me as you seem to do, Mr.
Pinner. I had a hard enough fight to get this berth, and I am very glad
to have it.'

"'Pooh, man, you should soar above it. You are not in your true sphere.
Now I'll tell you how it stands with me. What I have to offer is little
enough when measured by your ability, but when compared with Mawson's it
is light to dark. Let me see! When do you go to Mawson's?'

"'On Monday.'

"'Ha! ha! I think I would risk a little sporting flutter that you don't
go there at all.'

"'Not go to Mawson's?'

"'No, sir. By that day you will be the business manager of the
Franco-Midland Hardware Company, Limited, with one hundred and
thirty-four branches in the towns and villages of France, not counting
one in Brussels and one in San Remo.'

"This took my breath away. 'I never heard of it,' said I.

"'Very likely not. It has been kept very quiet, for the capital was all
privately subscribed, and it is too good a thing to let the public into.
My brother, Harry Pinner, is promoter, and joins the board after
allotment as managing director. He knew