“No.”
“How much?” he asked.
“I have been elected to the Philomathean, Mr. Whitely,” I said, concluding that an explanation might be the easiest escape, after all, “and to it I owe a distinct duty. If you were not my employer, I should feel called upon to work against you.”
“Why?” he exclaimed, in surprise.
“Is it necessary to say?” I answered.
“Yes. What is your objection to me?”
“Did you never read Æsop’s fable of the jackdaw?” I asked.
“That’s it, is it? And you are opposing my election?”
“By not the slightest act.”
“Then why did Blodgett predict that I would surely be rejected? I’ve a reputation as a writer, as a philanthropist, and as a successful business man. What more do they want?”