Ordering tea seemed to involve a good deal of splashing water. Maude came back with a merrier face.
‘Is this a good paper, Mr. Harrison?’
‘What is it? Financial Whisper! No, the most venal rag in the city.’
‘Oh, I am so glad!’
‘Why?’
‘Well, you know, we bought some shares to-day, and it calls our mine a preposterous one.’
‘Oh, is that all. Who cares what the Financial Whisper says! It would call the Bank of England a preposterous institution if it thought it could bear Consols by doing so. Its opinion is not worth a halfpenny. By the way, Crosse, it was about those shares that I called.’
‘I thought you might. I have only just got back myself, and I saw by your wire that you had bought them all right.’
‘Yes, I thought I had better let you have your contract at once. Settling day is on Monday, you know.’
‘All right. Thank you. I will let you have a cheque. What—what’s this?’