He stopped there, not because of his habit of speaking in tangents, but because the door opened, and an old man timidly paused at its threshold.
The master of the office turned his head slowly.
"Simpson?" he said.
"Yes, sir," said the man at the door.
"What does this mean? Where's Rollins?"
"He was using my room to compose that letter about the hospital, and so I took his place."
"Didn't he tell you we were not to be disturbed?"
"Yes, sir; but this man"—Simpson held out an envelope—"got by everybody. He told me you would see him at once if you only received his message."
The man at the head of the table reached for the envelope. He read a card that it had contained.
"Show him in," he said.