ess I
saw my way free of that difficulty? There's old Maple; let him take
hold when he is hungry enough to come back to work."

"Maple? A good, steady man, Simon, but not the sort I'd pick. Not a
scrap of initiative. He knows enough to do just what he's told to do,
but--"

"That's the sort of man I want."

"And what you say goes! Don't trouble to point that out; I have heard
it before. Do you mind, however, if I mention another man whom I've
been thinking might fit in?"

"Well--who?"

"Copley. Your son. Don't look as if a snake had bit you! I think he
would make up in intelligence anything he lacks in experience. He is
quick to learn--"

"You may leave him out of your calculations."

Jason started at the tone of the remark, glanced at Varr's set face and
shot at him an impulsive question.

"Simon! You haven't gone and quarreled with him _too_, have you?"

"Never mind that."

"By thunder, you _have_!" Jason Bolt regarded his partner
open-mouthed. Then he added, half to himself: "'Whom the gods would
destroy they first make mad!'"

"What's that?" snapped Simon. The quotation had jarred on him,
something in its phraseology savoring unpleasantly of the anonymous
message he had received. "I'm a long way from being mad!"

"You can't prove it by me," said Jason rudely. He came to his feet.
"I'll be getting back home; only blew in to talk with you about Billy."
He hesitated before continuing. "By the way, Simon, are you going to
be at the office this morning?"

"Very likely--yes, I shall. Why?"

"This chap who's staying with me--Herman Krech--very nice fellow--he's
the broker I was speaking of to you the other day. I thought I might
bring him in and introduce him to you."

"Listen to me, Jason!" Varr's face was slowly flushing with anger.
"We are _not_ going to incorporate!"

"Oh--bless me, I'd practically abandoned that notion myself," said Mr.
Bolt, airily mendacious. "Nothing was farther from my thoughts; I just
thought I'd show him around and introduce him to you--let him see all
the sights, huh? You may as well meet him; we're bound to be dining
together either here or at my house as soon as our wives get their
heads--"

"Bring him in by all means," interrupted Varr. The idea in the back of
his head had suddenly burgeoned while his partner rambled on. "If
either of you mentions the word incorporate I'll have you thrown out,
but there is another matter in which he may be of se