Mr Golden didn’t seem to want to go. He looked around the room again. He looked at Robert Holton and said something to Mr Murphy which Kuppelton couldn’t hear. Mr Murphy smiled and nodded.
Mr Golden finally opened the door of the railing. “See you at the meeting, Murphy.”
“Yes, sir.”
Mr Golden hurried out of the office. There was an immediate change in the sounds of the room after he had left. The hum of voices began again. Richard Kuppelton put down his fountain pen.
Caroline and Mr Murphy were talking together and laughing. Robert Holton was still working quietly at his desk. The women of the office talked about Mr Golden in low voices.
Richard Kuppelton wondered what Mr Golden had said to Mr Murphy about Robert Holton. He looked at Robert Holton with dislike.
“O.K.,” said Kuppelton, “Mr Golden’s gone, you can stop working.”
Robert Holton put down his notebook and smiled. “It doesn’t hurt,” he said. “It doesn’t hurt to look busy.”
“Oh, no, I wasn’t meaning to criticize.”
“I didn’t think you were. Did you hear what they were talking about?”