ung Deaves (his father addressed him as George) passed out through a
small door on the left presumably to telephone to Evan's references.
His father followed him, still protesting tearfully that the salary he
purposed paying Evan would ruin them both. Evan was left standing in
the middle of the room. Before he had time to take a further survey of
his surroundings the door from the hall was softly opened, and a smug,
pale young man in a sober suit sidled into the room, a servant. Evan
learned later that "Second man" was his official title. "Spy" was writ
large on him. The house seemed to be swarming with them. This fellow
had undoubtedly been listening at the door.

"Good God! who would be rich!" thought Evan.

The servant with a sly, meaning look in Evan's direction went to a
console at the left of the room, and affected to busy himself in
arranging the objects upon it. In reality his long ears were stretched
for sounds coming through the little door. Having satisfied himself
that the Deaves' were good for several minutes in there, he came
towards Evan with an ingratiating leer.

"Nice day," he said.

Evan's impulse was to call the fellow down, but he reflected that if he
was to become an inmate of the house, it would be just as well for his
own protection to learn what this snooping and eavesdropping signified.

"Fine," he said non-committally.

"Are you going to be one of us?"

"I don't know yet."

"It's a rummy joint."

"So I gather," said Evan dryly.

"Have you seen the Missus yet?"

"No."

The lackey cast up his eyes and whistled softly. "Oh boy! You've got
something to see!"

This was Evan's first experience of the below-stairs point of view. It
was a revelation.

"Were you planted here?" the servant asked with a mysterious air.

"What do you mean?" asked Evan.

The other quickly turned it off. "Oh nothing." He glanced towards the
little door. "When you work for a bunch like this you don't feel like
you owed them anything. It's every man for himself."

"I suppose so," said Evan.

"But there's a square bunch down-stairs. Come down to the butler's
room when you can and get acquainted."

"Thanks."

"Take it from me you won't find it such a bad house if you stand in
with the crowd down-stairs. There's money to be made on the side if
you're smart enough."

"How?" asked Evan.

The second man winked at him knowingly. "Let's you and I get better
acquainted before we get con