Island Navigation Company,"
entering his hushed Board-room, stepped briskly to the table, gathered
some papers, and stood looking at his chairman. Not more than
thirty-five, with the bright hues of the optimist in his hair, beard,
cheeks, and eyes, he had a nose and lips which curled ironically. For,
in his view, he was the Company; and its Board did but exist to chequer
his importance. Five days in the week for seven hours a day he wrote,
and thought, and wove the threads of its business, and this lot came down
once a week for two or three hours, and taught their grandmother to suck
eggs. But watching that red-cheeked, white-haired, somnolent figure, his
smile was not so contemptuous as might have been expected. For after
all, the chairman was a wonderful old boy. A man of go and insight could
not but respect him. Eighty! Half paralysed, over head and ears in
debt, having gone the pace all his life--or so they said!--till at last
that mine in Ecuador had done for him--before the secretary's day, of
course, but he had heard of it. The old chap had bought it up on
spec'--"de l'audace, toujours de l'audace," as he was so fond of
saying--paid for it half in cash and half in promises, and then--the
thing had turned out empty, and left him with L20,000 worth of the old
shares unredeemed. The old boy had weathered it out without a bankruptcy
so far. Indomitable old buffer; and never fussy like the rest of them!
Young Farney, though a secretary, was capable of attachment; and his eyes
expressed a pitying affection. The Board meeting had been long and
"snadgy"--a final settling of that Pillin business. Rum go the chairman
forcing it on them like this! And with quiet satisfaction the secretary
thought 'And he never would have got it through if I hadn't made up my
mind that it really is good business!' For to expand the company was to
expand himself. Still, to buy four ships with the freight market so
depressed was a bit startling, and there would be opposition at the
general meeting. Never mind! He and the chairman could put it
through--put it through. And suddenly he saw the old man looking at him.

Only from those eyes could one appreciate the strength of life yet
flowing underground in that well-nigh helpless carcase--deep-coloured
little blue wells, tiny, jovial, round windows.

A sigh travelled up through layers of flesh, and he said almost
inaudibly:

"Have they come, Mr. Farney?"

"Yes, sir. I've put