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 "Not such rotten results!" rejoined Ralph with sincere enthusiasm. "I'm very glad to see you. Something to tell you."

The girl took this as a hint for her departure and left them alone, whereupon Ralph, instead of supplying information, requested: "Tell me the truth, when does Alban drop us?"

"Just as quick," replied Jay, "as Lew is left an orphan. That's all there is to it."

"Just so," said Ralph feelingly, and asked: "How is father using you? Between the hours of nine and five with an hour off for lunch?"

Jay smiled. "That's about it."

"And I bet you call on people at their offices. Now I'll lay you a little wager. You've done one thing that interests me mightily. You cracked Howarth-Lyman Company for a little order. I don't know anything about it but I'll lay you any odds you like that you didn't get it between nine and five, unless it was at the hour off for lunch, and you didn't hook it in any office."

"No contest," said Jay. "I got it from Ken Howarth at a club about one-thirty."

"A.M.," finished Ralph positively. "And I bet if you hadn't rung the clock at nine the next morning, father Rountree would have called you for not keeping office hours. Office hours! That's Chicago for you. Chicago still thinks business is done in offices. There's only one good reason for any busy man to have an office; it collects for him, all in one place, everybody he doesn't want to see. It's a great help, that way. A man has all his time to give to business, if he just keeps away from his office.