When he took them to the office at nine o’clock, the hour at which he had arranged to meet Rushton, the latter had not yet arrived, and he did not put in an appearance until half an hour later. Like the majority of people who do brain work, he needed a great deal more rest than those who do only mere physical labour.
“Oh, you’ve brought them sketches, I suppose,” he remarked in a surly tone as he came in. “You know, there was no need for you to wait: you could ’ave left ’em ’ere and gone on to your job.”
He sat down at his desk and looked carelessly at the drawing that Owen handed to him. It was on a sheet of paper about twenty-four by eighteen inches. The design was drawn with pencil and one half of it was coloured.
“That’s for the ceiling,” said Owen. “I hadn’t time to colour all of it.”
With an affectation of indifference, Rushton laid the drawing down and took the other which Owen handed to him.
“This is for the large wall. The same design would be adapted for the other walls; and this one shows the door and the panels under the window.”
Rushton expressed no opinion about the merits of the drawings. He examined them carelessly one after the other, and then, laying them down, he inquired:
“How long would it take you to do this work—if we get the job?”
“About three weeks: say 150 hours. That is—the decorative work only. Of course, the walls and ceiling would have to be painted first: they will need three coats of white.”
Rushton scribbled a note on a piece of paper.