“Do you think he’d mind if we suggested something of the sort to him?” pursued Jeffrey. The rest looked doubtful, but Hope broke out eagerly with:
“Of course he wouldn’t! He’s just as nice and—and good-natured as he can be. Let’s do it!”
But Poke hung back. “He’d probably tell us to mind our own miserable business,” he objected.
“There’d be no harm in trying it,” said Jim. “Let’s all go up and tell him we’ve heard that he’s going to leave and that we’re sorry and—and—”
“And then what?” asked Poke. “Tell him he doesn’t know his business and that he’s made a mess of things?”
“Why not?” asked Jeffrey quietly. “It’s so, isn’t it?”
“If you’ll do the talking,” suggested Jim, “it’ll be all right, Jeff. What do you say, Gil?”
“Oh, I’ll go.”
“Will you, Poke?”
“Not by a long shot!”