“But this long counter—”
“It’s not a counter, it’s a desk.”
“And that bar-tender in his white jacket—”
“Tut! Tut! He’s not a bar-tender. He’s an Import Goods Delivery Clerk.”
“What’ll you have, gentlemen,” said the Import Clerk, polishing a glass as he spoke.
“Two whisky and sodas,” said my friend, “long ones.”
The Import Clerk mixed the drinks and set them on the desk.
I was about to take one, but he interrupted.
“One minute, sir,” he said.
Then he took up a desk telephone that stood beside him and I heard him calling up Montreal. “Hullo, Montreal! Is that Montreal? Well, say, I’ve just received an offer here for two whisky and sodas at sixty cents, shall I close with it? All right, gentlemen, Montreal has effected the sale. There you are.”