Chapter Pour

TURGIS SEES HER

T

JL ]

URGIS was not lazy, and while he was in the
office he preferred doing something to doing
nothing, but he did not share Mr. Smeeth's
enthusiasm for office work and never regarded himself
as one of the firm. It was all very well for Twigg and
Dersingham to be suddenly busy again, indeed much
busier than they had ever been before, but Turgis did
not see the fun of going hard at it all day and every day
and frequently having to stay an hour later. No doubt
somebody was doing well out of it, but he, Turgis, was
getting nothing out of it but a great deal more work.
He grumbled about this to Mr. Smeeth. It was Satur-
day morning; he had just received his fortnight's pay,
six pound notes, one ten shilling note, and two florins;
and it was a time for such confidences.

"All right, all right," said Mr. Smeeth, with the
manner of a person who knew a great deal. "That's
your point of view, isn't it?"

Turgis, a little diffidently now, for he had a consider-
able respect for Mr. Smeeth, if no particular liking for
him, replied that it was.

"Now let me tell you something, my boy," Mr. Smeeth
continued gravely. "Just a week or two ago-Tll tell you
exactly what day it was; it was the day Mr. Golspie first

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