Page:Christopher Morley--Tales from a rolltop desk.djvu/36

 She bubbled and chuckled and gurgled her way through the rest of Moretti's menu, amazing him more and more by the spontaneity, sophistication, and charm of her wit. He escorted her home, and then stood under a lamp-post for three minutes removing the soup stain with a handkerchief. "She's immense!" he said to himself. "Why she's—she's a poem by William Butler Yeats!"

As an afterthought, he made a mental memorandum to visit the library and look up the work of Walter Mason.

A few days later Mr. Arundel sent for Lester, who hurried to the private office with visions of a raise in salary. The president was sitting at his desk turning over some papers; he motioned Lester to a chair and seemed curiously loath to begin conversation. At last he turned, saying:

"Mr. Valiant, your life at Oxford did a great deal to mitigate your literary sensibilities?"

Lester hardly knew what to say, and murmured some meaningless syllables.

"I think that your abilities can be of very great service to us," continued Mr. Arundel, "and as an evidence of that I am asking the cashier to raise your salary five dollars a week."

Lester bowed gently; he was not capable of articulate speech.