e a
leader in an immense commercial enterprise.

One cannot start commercial enterprises without capital. The first thing
was to determine the exact nature of my balance at the bank. This was a
matter for the bank to arrange, and I drove there rapidly.

"Good morning," I said to the cashier, "I am in rather a hurry. May I
have my pass-book?"

He assented and retired. After an interminable wait, during which many
psychological moments for commercial enterprise must have lapsed, he
returned.

"I think _you_ have it," he said shortly.

"Thank you," I replied, and drove rapidly home again.

A lengthy search followed; but after an hour of it one of those
white-hot flashes of thought, such as only occur to the natural business
genius, seared my mind and sent me post-haste to the bank again.

"After all," I said to the cashier, "I only want to know my balance.
What is it?"

He withdrew and gave himself up to calculation. I paced the floor
impatiently. Opportunities were slipping by. At last he pushed a slip of
paper across at me. My balance!

It was in four figures. Unfortunately two of them were shillings and
pence. Still, there was a matter of fifty pounds odd as well, and
fortunes have been built up on less.

Out in the street I had a moment's pause. Hitherto I had regarded my
commercial enterprise in the bulk, as a finished monument of industry;
the little niggling preliminary details had not come up for
consideration. Just for a second I wondered how to begin.

Only for a second. An unsuspected talent which has long lain dormant
needs, when waked, a second or so to turn round in. At the end of that
time I had made up my mind. I knew exactly what I would do. I would ring
up my solicitor.

"Hallo, is that you? Yes, this is me. What? Yes, awfully, thanks. How
are you? Good. Look here, come and lunch with me. What? No, at once.
Good-bye."

Business, particularly that sort of commercial enterprise to which I had
now decided to lend my genius, can only be discussed properly over a
cigar. During the meal itself my solicitor and I indulged in the
ordinary small-talk of the pleasure-loving world.

"You're looking very fit," said my solicitor. "No, not fat, _fit_."

"You don't think I'm looking thin?" I asked anxiously. "People are
warning me that I may be overdoing it rather. They tell me that I must
be seriously on my guard against brain strain."

"I suppose they think you oughtn't to strain it too suddenly,"