454 ANGEL PAVEMENT

along for smart fellows. You know the kind of thing to
say. Threaten him with the sack, if you like; I don't
mind. I shouldn't care if I saw the last of the fellow this
morning, I never did think much of him. Got a Bolshie
look about him. All right then, Smeeth—see about that,
and about getting another boy. And I shall be off in
about half an hour or so, and Mr. Golspie won't be in,
this morning, So just-er-carry on, will you/'

Mr. Smeeth was really sorry that Stanley had gone,
and not merely because it meant getting another boy and
showing him what to do. He realised now that he had
liked Stanley and would miss that freckled snub nose of
his, that sandy bullet head, and all the ridiculous detec-
tive talk. But that was not all. Nobody knew better
than Mr. Smeeth that office boys come and go, are here
to-day and gone to-morrow, but nevertheless this sudden
departure of Stanley troubled him, if only because he
disliked change of any kind and found himself visited
by a vague mistrust, a flicker or two of apprehension,
whenever it occurred. Stanley had become part of the
office for him, and now Stanley had gone. It was not
important, but still, he did not like it.

"If we finish in good time this morning," he said to
Turgis, after he had told them all about Stanley and
had handed over the copying and posting of the letters
to little Poppy Sellers, "I want to have a little talk with
you, Turgis. You're not in a great hurry to get away,
are you?"

Turgis wasn't. Indeed, the outside world appeared to
have lost as much favour with him as the office had,

It was an easy morning. At twelve, Miss Matfield had
nothing more to do, and was allowed to go, looking
rather more pleased with herself and the world than she