The conductor tapped his desk with his baton.
"Don't worry," Milton commented as he settled himself for the next movement. "You'll get your wish all right."
Elkan looked inquiringly at his mentor, but Milton only placed his forefinger to his lips; and thereafter, until the conclusion of the symphony, the pauses between the movements of the symphony were so brief that Elkan had no opportunity to make further inquiries.
"Well, neighbour," asked the gentleman on his right, as the musicians filed off the stage for the ten-minutes' intermission, "what do you think of your first symphony?"
Elkan smiled and concealed his shyness by clearing his throat.
"The symphony is all right," he said; "but, with all them operators there, what is the use they are trying to save money hiring only one foreman?"
"One foreman?" his neighbour cried.
"Sure—the feller with the stick," Elkan went on blandly. "Naturally he couldn't keep his eye on all them people at oncet—ain't it? I am watching them fellers, which they are working them big brass machines, for the last half hour, and except for five or ten minutes they sit there doing absolutely nothing—just fooling away their time."
"Them fellers ain't fooling away their time," Milton said gravely. "They ain't got nothing to do only at intervals."
"Then I guess they must pay 'em by piecework—ain't it?" Elkan asked.