ed admiringly at his purchase.
"Ought to cheer those girls up some."

Sir Lyster continued to gaze at the teapot as if fascinated.

"I told her to run in here and fetch it," continued John Dene,
indicating the packet of tea. "She doesn't know about the pot," he
added with self-satisfaction.

"In here," repeated Sir Lyster, unwilling to believe his ears.

"Sure," replied John Dene, his eyes still fixed admiringly upon the
teapot, "at eleven o'clock. It's that now," he added, looking at his
watch.

As he did so Mr. Blair entered and closed the door behind him. He was
obviously embarrassed.

"A young person----" he began.

"Send her right in," cried John Dene.

Mr. Blair glanced uncertainly from Sir Lyster to John Dene, then back
again to his chief. Seeing no contradiction in his eye, he turned and
held open the door to admit Dorothy West.

"Ah! here you are," cried John Dene, rising and indicating that the
girl should occupy his chair. "There's your pound of tea," pointing to
the package lying before Sir Lyster, "and there's a new teapot for
you," he added, indicating that object, which seemed to flaunt its pink
and white and gold as if determined to brazen things out.

The girl looked at the teapot, at Sir Lyster and on to John Dene, and
back to the teapot. Then she laughed. She had pretty teeth, John Dene
decided.

"It's very kind of you," she said, "but there wasn't a pound of tea in
the teapot you broke yesterday, and--and----"

"Never mind," said John Dene, "you can keep the rest. Now see here, I
want someone to take down my letters. You're a stenographer?" he asked.

The girl nodded her head.

"Speeds?" enquired John Dene.

"A hundred and twenty----" was the response.

"Typing?"

"Sixty-five words----"

"You'll do," said John Dene with decision. "In future you'll do my
work only. Nine o'clock, every morning."

The girl looked enquiringly at Sir Lyster, who coughed slightly.

"We will take up your references, Miss--er----"

"Oh! cut it out," said John Dene impatiently, "I don't want references."

"But," replied Sir Lyster, "this is work of a confidential nature.".

"See here," cried John Dene. "I started life selling newspapers in
T'ronto. I never had a reference, I never gave a reference and I never
asked a reference, and the man who can get ahead of John Dene had
better stay up all night for fear of missing the buzzer in the morning.
That girl's straight, else she wouldn't