"Can't you hear? I said, tell Noakes he can cut his tender by thirty per cent."
"All right; I've got it now. But who's Noakes, and what have we to do with him?"
"Aren't you Mr. Wilkins?"
"Wilkins is out. I'm speaking from his shop."
"Oh, hang!"
"He's cut off, Bob," said Eves, ruefully, hanging up the receiver. "I wanted to ask him about Methuselah. You've done at last?"
"Yes, thank goodness!"
"Well, clean yourself, and come along. Hullo! Here's another visitor."
A tall, lean, loosely-built man was hurriedly crossing the yard towards the shop door.
"Good morning to you," he said, somewhat breathlessly. "I'm just off the train from London, and there's never a bit of a car, and what'll I do at all, when I've to be at the Upper Edgecombe camp before twelve? I'll be glad now if so be you can tend me the loan of a car."