"I would dearly love to preside at the head of that table, Mr. Necker, but Mr. Balfe was speaking of something that perhaps my brother should hear about first."
"What's that, Andie?"
"Let it wait, Greg."
"Better now. What is it?"
"You may not like it."
"Maybe not, but we may as well have it now, Andie."
"I was to tell you that after this work is done there's another job waiting you on the west coast, just as important, just as needful of your supervision, and no more reward to it than this."
"Whee-eu!" whistled Necker. "The steamer captain had him right."
"Then I'm afraid"—Welkie turned to Necker—"it's off between us."
"Don't say that yet. Wait till you hear. What are you working for? Leaving the money end out of it, which I know you don't care for and never will care for, what are you getting? You want recognition? And prestige? Do you get them? Not a bit. Who really knows of this work? A few engineers who keep tabs on everything, yes. Who else? Nobody. The government, for good reasons of their own, don't want it mentioned in the press. Why, it's hardly mentioned in the engineering journals."