department. Twyning supervised the factory
and workshops wherein the ecclesiastical and scholastic furniture was
produced, and Fortune supervised his two principals and every least
employee and smallest detail of all the business. Particularly orders.
He very strongly objected to clients dealing directly with either Sabre
or Twyning. His view was that it was the business of Sabre and of
Twyning to produce the firm's commodities. It was his place to sell
them. It was his place, to deal with clients who came to buy them, and
it was his place to sign all letters that went out concerning them.

Sabre, in so far as his publications were concerned, resented this.

"If I bring out a new textbook," he had said on the occasion of a formal
protest, "it stands to reason that I am the person to interest clients
in it; to discuss it with them if they call and to correspond with those
who take up our notices of it."

Mr. Fortune wheeled about his revolving chair by a familiar trick of his
right leg against his desk. It presented his whale-like front to
impressive advantage. "You do correspond with them."

"But you sign the letters. You frequently make alterations."

"That is what I am here for. They are my letters. It will be time to
bring up this matter again when you are admitted to partnership."

Sabre gave the short laugh of one who has heard a good thing before.
"When will that be?"

"Not to-day."

"Well, all I can say is--"

Mr. Fortune raised a whale-like but elegantly white fin. "Enough, I have
decided."

With the same clever motion of his feet he spun his chair and his
whale-like front to the table. A worn patch on the carpet and an
abraised patch on the side of the desk marked the frequent daily use of
these thrusting points.

Sabre kicked out of the room, using a foot to open the door, which stood
ajar, and hooking back a foot to shut it, because he knew that this
slovenly method of dealing with a door much annoyed Mr. Fortune.

He was not in the least in awe of Mr. Fortune, though Mr. Fortune had
power to sever him from the firm. Mr. Fortune was aware that he struck
no awe into Sabre, and this caused him on the one hand to dislike Sabre,
and on the other (subconsciously, for he would emphatically have denied
it) to respect him.

Twyning, Sabre's fellow sub-principal, did stand in awe of Mr. Fortune
and did not resent having his letters signed for him and his callers
interviewed for him. Indeed he frequentl