ry
fair liar as well. I'll put it right for you."

He entered Mr. Diggle's room. Mr. Diggle, seated with his back to him,
continued the letter he was writing.

"Look here," said Sharper impulsively, "what have you been and done
with that partnership of mine?"

"That you, Sharper? Sit down. I shall be a minute or two. I said, sit
down. I did not ask you to twist your feet round the legs of the
chair. Refrain also from waggling your toes violently. It interrupts
my train of thought. Keep the hand still, if you please. Thank you."

There were three minutes of absolute silence during which Diggle, in
the most leisurely way possible, finished and blotted his letter.

"And now, Sharper," said Diggle, "I think you wished to say
something."

"Well, I mean to say, what have you been and done with my
partnership?"

"I was not aware that you had one."

"No, but you promised me. And now you've gone and given it to Dobson."

"I promised you nothing. And that, I think, is what you have got.
Dobson is very gravely in error in telling you anything at all about
it. If you will kindly send him here, I will speak to him on the
subject."

"Dobson never said a single word about it. I'll take my Bible oath he
never did. He came into my room and began to speak in rather a
dictatorial way, and I said, 'You might be a partner,' and he
blushed."

"I do not think so," said Diggle. "Dobson does not blush. If he did
blush it could not show on that complexion."

"But on my word of honor he did. White-faced men blush red. Red-faced
men blush purple. Any man of science will tell you that."

"The appointment of a partnership is entirely within my discretion. It
has nothing to do with you. If you have nothing further to say, I need
not detain you."

"I've a lot more to say, only I can't think of it. I never can. But
it's there. Inside my head. On the letter paper you and he will have
your names above the line, and mine will be below it."

"That merely shows that I know where to draw the line. I wish you
did."

"It's not for myself I mind so much. It's those dear little books of
mine. All bound in lilac morocco. Sitting down. It's just as if they
were slighted. If this kind of thing goes on, I shan't play any more."

"I'm not asking you to. But you can return to your work. And you
remind me. I have had a bill from the binders of those books sent in
to the firm's account. I have explained that this should be charged to
your private