"I never heard of him. What company was he with last?"
"He has never been with any company, sir, but——"
Mr. Wattles surveyed the boy with a look of supreme disgust.
"Do you suppose for one moment," he interrupted, "that I am going to take an inexperienced jay from a town like this and send him ahead of an organization like Wattles' New York Comedy Company? Well, hardly. I've got to have an experienced man."
"And you're going to telegraph for one now, sir?"
"This minute."
"But suppose you can't get the man you want—will you talk with me then, sir?"
"Er—yes, in that case you might send your friend to see me, though it seems nonsense. But I shall get my man all right."
"I suppose you are going to request an immediate answer to your telegram, Mr. Wattles?"
"I am; I shall get it within an hour, in all probability."