burn, and that they would be dealt with strictly in
rotation.

CHAPTER VI

1

On his arrival at the office next morning Luke was somewhat surprised
to receive a visit in his office from Mr. Arthur Dobson. Apparently
Mr. Dobson had something on his mind. He wandered about nervously
saying incoherent things about the weather.

"Anything doing?" asked Luke.

"Nothing much. I say, I've found a new place to lunch at. It's run by
an Italian, Malodorato. Quite a little place, in Mud Lane. Still there
it is, you know. Five courses for one and threepence. That takes some
beating."

"Stuff must be pretty bad."

"Well, possibly yes. But think what a lot of it you get for your
money. Come and lunch there to-day."

"Thanks. I have promised to go up to Gallows to-day to lunch with the
Tyburns."

"You and your aristocratic friends. Well, I could tell you something,
Mr. Sharper. I ought not to. It would have to be distinctly understood
that you don't breathe a word about it to a soul."

"Of course, of course."

"Very well, then. You look at that sheet of office paper. Old Cain has
got his name above the line, and yours and mine beneath it. Well, I
may tell you that in a few days' time the only name below the line
will be your own. I'm being taken into partnership."

"What a damned shame! I mean to say, I congratulate you. That old
blighter has been talking about taking me into partnership for the
last two years. At any rate, I have."

"I only talked to him about it once. You see, I happen to be the only
one of us three that understands the manufacturing side. You've never
been inside the factory in your life. Diggle hardly ever goes, except
to make a fool of himself by some damn silly suggestion. No, he keeps
to the financial side. He's got a whole pack of doubtful financial
dodges, and he'll get seven years for one of them some day. All I did
was to tell Diggle that I was applying for the post of manager in a
certain rival firm, having had twenty years' experience here. And I
asked him if he would give me a testimonial. He said: 'No, but I will
give you a partnership.' You don't seem to get hold of the right way
of doing things, Sharper."

"All the same," said Sharper, "I'm going straight off to Diggle's room
now, and I'm going to give him hell."

"Oh, I say, you can't do that. If he knew I'd told you, there'd be the
very devil of a row."

"Oh, he won't know. I may be a high-minded sufferer, but I'm a ve