"That is what pretty pennies are for, isn't it?"
Unable to disturb his nephew's peace of mind, Uncle John launched straight into business. "What are you going to do with those fellows?"
"You mean the MacBirney syndicate? Robert tells me he has concluded to be liberal with them."
"He is giving too much, Charlie."
"He knows better what the stuff is worth than we do."
Uncle John smiled sceptically. "He will give them more than they are worth, I am afraid."
Robert said nothing.
"Perhaps there is a reason for that," suggested Charles.
They waited for Robert to speak. He shifted in his chair presently and spoke with some decision. His intonation might have been unpleasant but that the depth and fulness of his voice redeemed it. The best note in his utterance was its open frankness.
"Uncle John understands this matter just as well as I do," he began, somewhat in protest.