He scratched his chin and walked thoughtfully into the office of Miss
Marguerite Whitland.
She swung round in her chair and reached for her notebook, but Bones
was not in a dictatorial mood.
"Young miss," he asked, "how do you like Sir Augustus?"
"Sir who?" she demanded, puzzled.
"Sir Augustus," repeated Bones.
"I think it's very funny," she said.
It was not the answer he expected, and instinctively she knew she had
made a mistake.
"Oh, you're thinking about yourself," she said quickly. "Are you going
to be a knight, Mr. Tibbetts? Oh, how splendid!"
"Yes," admitted Bones, with fine indifference, "not bad, dear old miss.
I'm pretty young, of course, but Napoleon was a general at twenty-two."
"Are you going back into the Army?" she asked a little hazily, and had
visions of Bones at the War Office.
"I'm talking about railways," said Bones firmly. "Sir Augustus
Tibbetts--there, now I've said it!"
"Wonderful!" said the girl enthusiastically, and her eyes shone with
genuine pleasure. "I didn't see it in the newspaper, or I would have
congratulated you before."
Bones shifted uneasily.
"As a matter of fact, dear old miss," he said, "it has not been
gazetted yet. I'm merely speaking of the future, dear old impetuous
typewriter and future secretary to the Lynhaven Railway Company, and
possibly dear old Lady----" He stopped short with one of his audible
"tuts."
Happily she could not see the capital "L" to the word "Lady," and
missed the significance of Bones's interrupted speech.
"And I advise you"--Mr. Pyeburt paused, as he thought of a better word
than "disinterestedly"--"as a friend, to jump at it. Parkinson Chenney
spoke in the highest terms of you. You evidently made a deep
impression upon him."
"Who is the jolly old Parkinson's agent?" asked Bones, and Mr. Harold
Pyeburt admitted without embarrassment that, as a matter of fact, he
was acting as Parkinson's attorney in this matter, and that was why he
had been so diffident in recommending the property. The audacity of
the latter statement passed unnoticed by Bones.
In the end Bones agreed to pay ten per cent. of the purchase price, the
remainder to be paid after a month's working of the line, if the deal
was approved.
"Clever idea of mine, dear old Ham," said Bones. "The Honours List
will be out in a month, and I can easily chuck it."
"That's about the eighth fellow who's paid a ten per cent. deposit,"
said Mr. Chenney to his agent. "I'll be almost sorry if he takes it."