"Yes," stammered Paul. "I ought to have brought it back to you before."
"I could charge you interest on it."
The smile that accompanied the speech escaped Paul.
"I'll pay whatever you think proper," he said.
"Nonsense, boy! I was only joking," the publisher hastened to say. "But tell me something; what was it you wanted that money for? You must have needed it badly or you would not have been threatening to sell out your Liberty Bond."
"I was going to buy a typewriter, sir."
"Oh! And you didn't get it. That was a pity."
The man tapped the edge of the bill he held against the desk thoughtfully. Paul waited for him to speak; but when after an interval he still remained silent the lad shifted uneasily from one foot to the other and remarked:
"I guess I'll be going along, sir. The half hour you were to give me is up."
Then Mr. Carter spoke.