"Which way have you been this time?"
"Down in the country," returned Porter, indefinitely.
Fenton laughed and watched his client pulling the rubber bands from his package.
"What have you there—oats or wheat?"
"What I have here," said Porter, straightening out the crisp papers he had taken from his bundle, "is a few shares of Clarkson Traction stock."
"Oh!" Fenton picked up a ruler and played with it until Porter had finished counting and smoothing the stock certificates.
"There you are," said the banker, passing the papers over to Fenton. "See if they're all right."
Fenton compared the names on the face of the certificates with the assignments on the back, while Porter watched him and played with a rubber band.
"The assignments are all straight," said Fenton, finally.
He sat waiting and his silence irritated Porter, who reached across and took up the certificates again.