“Well, of course, if you can’t manage to do the lot——”
“I don’t say it’s impossible,” Jake rejoined. “But beginning work before breakfast is bad enough, without going on after dinner. Understand that I don’t question your authority to find me a job at night; it’s your object that makes me kick.”
“We want the calculations made before we set the boys to dig.”
“Then why didn’t you give me them when I was doing nothing this afternoon?” Jake inquired.
“I hadn’t got the plans ready.”
“Just so. You haven’t had things ready for me until after dinner all this week. As you’re a methodical fellow that’s rather strange. Still, if you really want the job finished, I’ll have to do my best, but I’m going out first for a quarter of an hour.”
“You needn’t,” Dick said dryly. “If you mean to tell the engineer not to wait, he’s gone. I sent him off some time since.”
“Of course you had a right to send him off,” Jake replied in an injured tone. “But I don’t quite think——”
“You know what your father pays for coal. Have you reckoned what it costs to keep a locomotive two or three hours for the purpose of taking you to Santa Brigida and back?”
“I haven’t, but I expect the old man wouldn’t stand for my running a private car,” Jake admitted. “However, it’s the only way of getting into town.”