"Haven't you enough troubles in your own business, Dad?" smiled Hal.
"Machinery, son. Automatic, at that. Runs itself and turns out the dollars, regular, for breakfast. Very different from the newspaper game."
"I should like your advice."
"On the take-it-or-leave-it principle, I suppose," answered Dr. Surtaine, with entire good humor. "In the Pierce matter you left it. How do you like the results?"
"Not very much."
Dr. Surtaine spread out upturned hands, in dumb, oracular illustration of his own sagacity.
"But I'd do the same thing over again if it came up for decision."
"That's exactly what you mustn't do, Hal. Banging around the shop like that, cracking people on the knuckles may give you a temporary feeling of power and importance" (Hal flushed boyishly), "but it don't pay. Now, if I get you out of this scrape, I want you to go more carefully."
"How are you going to get me out of it?"
"Square it with E.M. Pierce. He's a good friend of mine."