ally.

"There is a gentleman on the telephone wishes to speak to you, sir," he
announced. "I have connected him with the instrument by your side."

"To speak with me?" Philip repeated. "Are you quite sure?"

"Yes, sir. Mr. Douglas Romilly he asked for. He said that his name was
Mr. Gayes, I believe."

The man left the room and Philip took up the receiver. For a moment he
sat and thought. The situation was perplexing, in a sense ominous, yet
it had to be faced. He held the instrument to his ear.

"Hullo? Who's that?" he enquired.

"That Mr. Romilly?" was the reply, in a man's pleasant voice. "Mr.
Douglas Romilly?"

"Yes!"

"Good! I'm Gayes--Mr. Gayes of Gayes Brothers. My people wrote me last
night from Leicester that you would be here this morning. You are
crossing, aren't you, on the _Elletania_?"

Philip remained monosyllabic.

"Yes," he admitted cautiously.

"Can't you come round and see us this morning?" Mr. Gayes invited. "And
look here, Mr. Romilly, in any case I want you to lunch with me at the
club. My car shall come round and fetch you at any time you say."

"Sorry," Philip replied. "I am very busy this morning, and I am engaged
for lunch."

"Oh, come, that's too bad," the other protested, "I really want to have a
chat with you on business matters, Mr. Romilly. Will you spare me half an
hour if I come round?"

"Tell me exactly what it is you want?" Philip insisted.

"Oh! just the usual thing," was the cheerful answer. "We hear you are off
to America on a buying tour. Our last advices don't indicate a very easy
market over there. I am not at all sure that we couldn't do better for
you here, and give you better terms."

Philip began to feel more sure of himself. The situation, after all, he
realized, was not exactly alarming.

"Very kind of you," he said. "My arrangements are all made now, though,
and I can't interfere with them."

"Well, I'm going to bother you with a few quotations, anyway. See here,
I'll just run round to see you. My car is waiting at the door now. I
won't keep you more than a few minutes."

"Don't come before twelve," Philip begged. "I shall be busy until then."

"At twelve o'clock precisely, then," was the reply. "I shall hope to
induce you to change your mind about luncheon. It's quite a long time
since we had you at the club. Good-by!"

Philip set down the telephone. He was still in his pajamas and the
morning was cold, but he suddenly felt a great drop of perspi