Bones in London

"Young miss," he said soberly, "do you ever hear anybody talking aboutme in this jolly old City?"

"Why, yes," she said in surprise.

"Fearfully complimentarily, dear old miss?" asked Bones carelessly, andthe girl's colour deepened.

"I don't think it matters what people say about one, do you?"

"It doesn't matter to me," said Bones, "so long as one lovely oldtypewriter has a good word for poor old Bones." He laid his hand uponhers, and she suffered it to remain there without protest. "They thinkI'm a silly old ass, don't they?"

"Oh, no," she said quickly, "they don't think that. They say you'rerather unconventional."

"Same thing," said Bones. "Anybody who's unconventional in business isa silly old ass."

He squeezed the hand under his, and again she did not protest orwithdraw it from his somewhat clammy grip.

"Dear old darling – " began Bones, but she stopped him with a warningfinger.

"Dear old typewriter," said Bones, unabashed, but obedient, "supposesomething happened to the clever old Johnny who presides over thisoffice – the brains of the department, if I may be allowed to say so?"

"Captain Hamilton?" said the girl in surprise.

"No, me," said Bones, annoyed. "Gracious Heavens, dear old key-tapper, didn't I say me?"

"Something happen to you?" she said in alarm. "Why, what could happento you?"

"Suppose I went broke?" said Bones, with the comfortable air of one whowas very unlikely to go broke. "Suppose I had terrific and tremendousand cataclysmic and what's-the-other-word losses?"

"But you're not likely to have those, are you?" she asked.

"Not really," said Bones, "but suppose?"

She saw that, for once, when he was speaking to her, his mind waselsewhere, and withdrew her hand. It was a fact that Bones did notseem to notice the withdrawal.

"Poor old Bones, poor old mug!" said Bones softly. "I'm a funny olddevil."

The girl laughed.

"I don't know what you're thinking about," she said, "but you neverstrike me as being particularly funny, or poor, or old, for the matterof that," she added demurely.

Bones stooped down from the table and laid his big hand on her head, rumpling her hair as he might have done to a child.

"You're a dear old Marguerite," he said softly, "and I'm not such aditherer as you think. Now, you watch old Bones." And, with thatcryptic remark, he stalked back to his desk.

Two days after this he surprised Hamilton.

"I'm expecting a visitor to-day, old Ham," he said. "A Johnny named de

Vinne."

"De Vinne?" frowned Hamilton. "I seem to know that name. Isn't he thegentleman you had the trouble with over the boots?"

"That's the jolly old robber," said Bones cheerfully. "I'vetelegraphed and asked him to come to see me."

"About what?" demanded Hamilton.

"About two o'clock," said Bones. "You can stay and see your old friendthrough, or you can let us have it out with the lad in camera."

"I'll stay," said Hamilton. "But I don't think he'll come."

"I do," said Bones confidently, and he was justified in his confidence, for at two o'clock to the second Mr. de Vinne appeared.

He was bright and cheerful, even genial to Bones, and Bones was almosteffusive in his welcome.

"Sit down there in the most comfortable chair, happy old financier," hesaid, "and open your young heart to old Bones about the Mazeppa TradingCompany."

Mr. de Vinne did not expect so direct an attack, but recovered from hissurprise without any apparent effort.

"Oh, so you know I was behind that, do you? How the dickens did youfind out?"

"Stock Exchange Year Book, dear old thing. Costs umpteen and sixpence, and you can find out everything you want to know about the directors ofcompanies," said Bones.

"By Jove! That's clever of you," said de Vinne, secretly amused, forit was from the Year Book that he expected Bones to make the discovery.

"Now, what's the game, old financial gentleman?" asked Bones. "Whythis fabulous salary to friend Sanders and selling this thousands ofpounds worth of shares, eh?"

The other shrugged his shoulders.

"My dear chap, it's a business transaction. And really, if I thoughtyou were going to interrogate me on that, I shouldn't have come. IsMr. Sanders a friend of yours?" he asked innocently.

"Shurrup!" said Bones vulgarly. "You know jolly well he's a friend ofmine. Now, what is the idea, young company promoter?"

"It's pretty obvious," replied de Vinne, taking the expensive cigarwhich Bones had imported into the office for the purpose. "Theposition is a good one – "

"Half a mo'," said Bones. "Do you personally guarantee Mr. Sanders'ssalary for five years?"

The other laughed.

"Of course not. It is a company matter," he said, "and I shouldcertainly not offer a personal guarantee for the payment of any salary."

"So that, if the company goes bust in six months' time, Mr. Sandersloses all the money he has invested and his salary?"

The other raised his shoulders again with a deprecating smile.

"He would, of course, have a claim against the company for his salary,"he said.

"A fat lot of good that would be!" answered Bones.

"Now, look here, Mr. Tibbetts" – the other leaned confidentiallyforward, his unlighted cigar between his teeth – "there is no reason inthe world why the Mazeppa Company shouldn't make a fortune for theright man. All it wants is new blood and capable direction. Iconfess," he admitted, "that I have not the time to give to thecompany, otherwise I'd guarantee a seven per cent. dividend on theshare capital. Why, look at the price of them to-day – "