"Your own fault, kid," said he. "I wanted to give you a free ride, but you had to come up and hear what he had to say."
"Johnson!" Anthony said sharply, "Just let the youngster's mental processes work the thing out in their own way."
Half a minute dragged along—yet before it was gone one saw clearly that the mental processes had taken their grip. An extremely visible change was coming over David Prentiss. He gulped down certain emotions of his own, and presently managed to smile, uneasily at first and then with a certain confidence. He cleared his throat and, with a slight huskiness, addressed Anthony:
"Er—do I understand that you want me to stay here until I fully appreciate all you've offered me, Mr. Fry?"
"Virtually that."
"Well, I appreciated that all along; but—but I was sort of worried about it getting so late, you know," David said brightly. "I certainly do appreciate it, and I thank you very much. Now can I have my coat?"
"Really decided to grip the opportunity, eh?" Anthony asked keenly.
"You bet!"
Johnson Boller laid aside his paper.
"Now chase him, Anthony!" he said. "He's standing up and holding the sugar on his nose. Slip the kid a five-dollar bill and let Wilkins——"