I was glad to have that matter off my mind, and he promised to get busy on it before he went out to lunch. I changed my opinion a little about Mr. Field. He had struck me as being a man who always took things in an easy-going way, but the promptness with which he got after me when he spotted a new prospect for a policy, and the directness with which he explained the proposition, showed me that he had plenty of energy to use when necessary.
At four o'clock I got another surprise. This time it was a long-distance call from Mr. Peck, the credit manager of Bates & Hotchkin.
"Have you had a fire, Mr. Black?" was his first remark.
"Yes," I replied, "quite an exciting time."
"Are you covered by insurance?"
"No—"
"What!" he cried, and there was great anxiety in his tone.
"No, the policy expired a few days ago and somehow I neglected to—"
"Neglected to—neglected such an important thing as your insurance!" My! but I felt small! "What's the amount of damage?"
"I should say fifty dollars would cover it, and that's on the building, not on the stock."