Their estimate of the youth and recklessness of the lamb-like Mr. Wallingford was such that they mutually paused to muse upon it, though not at all unpleasantly.
“Suppose that we say twenty-five hundred,” resumed Mr. Squinch. “That will give each of the five of us five hundred dollars apiece. At that rate I’d venture to speak for both Grout and Christmas.”
“We three have a majority vote,” suggested Doc Turner. “However, it’s easy enough to see them.”
“Need we do so?” inquired Mr. Squinch, in slow thought. “We might—” and then he paused, struck by a sudden idea, and added hastily: “Oh, of course, we’ll have to give them a voice in the matter. I’ll see them to-night.”
“All right,” assented Doc Turner, rising with alacrity and looking at his watch. “By the way, I have to see a man. I pretty near overlooked it.”
“That reminds me,” said Mr. Fester, heaving himself up ponderously and putting on the hat which should have been square, “I have to foreclose a mortgage this afternoon.”
Mr. Squinch also rose. It had occurred to all three of them simultaneously to go privately to the two remaining members and buy out their interest in the list for the least possible money.
J. Rufus found the full board in session, however, when he walked into Mr. Squinch’s office on the following afternoon. Mr. Grout was a loose-skinned man of endless down-drooping lines, the corners of his eyelids running down past his cheek-bones, the corners of his nose running down past his mouth, the corners of his mouth running down past his chin. Mr. Christmas had over-long, rusty-gray hair, bulbous red ears, and an appalling outburst of scarlet veins netted upon his copper-red countenance. Notwithstanding their vast physical differences, however, Wallingford reflected that he had never seen five men who, after all, looked more alike. And why not, since they were all of one mind?
By way of illustrating the point, Mr. Grout and Mr. Christmas, finding that the list in question had some value, and knowing well their former partners, had steadfastly refused to sell, and the five of them, meeting upon the common ground of self-interest, had agreed to one thing—that they would ask five thousand dollars for the list, and take what they could get.
When the price was named to him, Mr. Wallingford merely chuckled, and observed, as he turned toward the door: