598 ANGEL PAVEMENT

"He says you're going to lose your job. Is that right?"

'That's right, Edie. It's all up with Twigg and
Dersingham. In a week or two I'll be finding myself
without a job.''

"You're sure this time, Dad? I mean—it's not one of
your false alarms, is it?"

"I wish it was. No, there's no false alarm about it
this time."

"Mind you," cried Mrs. Smeeth hastily, shakily, "that's
no reason why you should have gone and behaved like
this. My word, if anybody'd told me you'd have gone
and done a thing like this—you of all men—my word,
I'd have told them something! Smashing the place up,
tool Look at this room! Look at yourself! But I suppose
if you were upset, you weren't responsible. Here, Dad,
are you sure, really sure, about your job? You're not—
you're not trying to frighten me again, are you?"

"No, of course I'm not."

"I can't believe it. Here, what happened?"

He tried to tell her what had happened, and at least
succeeded in convincing her that he was entirely serious.
"And if you think I'm going to get another job as good
as that, or a job worth having at all, in a hurry, you're
mistaken, Edie. I know what it is, with office jobs; and
it'll have to be an office job because that's what I've
always done. I'm nearly fifty, and I look it. I dare say
I look older—"

"That you don't, Dad."

"Well, that's your opinion, but you won't be employ-
ing me. I know what it is." And there came back to
him, suddenly, poignantly, the memory of that tiny
scene outside the office door, several months ago, when
he had said to that anxious man, the last in the line of