"I don't know if I'm tired or lazy," he remarked. "Anyhow, it's very nice to sit by the fire with you."
"When you're lazy?" said Mabel, with a smile.
"Always," Marston declared. "However, you get a particular satisfaction from loafing after you have had a good day."
"On board the yacht? I'm not jealous, Bob, but you haven't been to the office much."
"That is so," Marston admitted. "I was rather keen about the business; in fact, I'm keen yet. I like to know how things are going, even if I can't help; but the boat's a temptation and Harry doesn't need me all the time."
"Do you know how things are going?"
"For the most part," Marston replied, with a touch of embarrassment, because he sometimes felt he did not know as much as he would like. "I don't bother about small particulars."
"Has Harry stated he did not need you? Or did you imagine this, and make it an excuse for a holiday?"
Marston pondered for a moment or two. He did not altogether approve Mabel's line, perhaps because it excited doubts he had tried to banish.
"Harry knows I like pottering about the boat," he said. "He has hinted that I needn't stick to business quite so close now he's in control. After all, there's hardly enough work for two partners."