“Quite enough. And I know it isn’t pleasant for you to be taken along the same ground over and over again.”
The man moved awkwardly in his chair and pulled nervously at his grizzled beard.
“You mustn’t take any notice of what I said just now, sir,” he apologized. “You somehow make me feel that something may come of it; but I’ve been badgered about and accused and cross-examined from one to another of them these weeks till it’s fairly made me bitter against everything. And now they talk of putting me in a lavatory—me that has been with the company for five and forty years and on the foot-plate thirty-two—a man suspected of running past a danger signal.”
“You have had a rough time, Hutchins; you will have to exercise your patience a little longer yet,” said Carrados sympathetically.
“You think something may come of it, sir? You think you will be able to clear me? Believe me, sir, if you could give me something to look forward to it might save me from——” He pulled himself up and shook his head sorrowfully. “I’ve been near it,” he added simply.
Carrados reflected and took his resolution.
“To-day is Wednesday. I think you may hope to hear something from your general manager towards the middle of next week.”
“Good God, sir! You really mean that?”
“In the interval show your good sense by behaving reasonably. Keep civilly to yourself and don’t talk. Above all”—he nodded towards a quart jug that stood on the table between them, an incident that filled the simple-minded engineer with boundless wonder when he recalled it afterwards—“above all, leave that alone.”
Hutchins snatched up the vessel and brought it crashing down on the hearthstone, his face shining with a set resolution.