“Won’t you sit down and keep me company a little while?” asked Thorndike, who was sociably inclined.
“Thank you, sir,” and Carl sat down in a chair beside him.
“Will you have a cigar?”
“No, thank you, sir. I don’t smoke.”
“That is where you are sensible. I began to smoke at fourteen, and now I find it hard to break off. My doctor tells me it is hurting me, but the chains of habit are strong.”
“All the more reason for forming good habits, sir.”
“Spoken like a philosopher. Are you in the employ of my friend, Mr. Jennings?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Learning the business?”
“That is my present intention.”