“Dear me, how extraordinarily unfortunate!” said Mr Medlock; “I quite understood that was your name. And the unlucky part of it is, we have got all the circulars printed, and many of them circulated. I have also given your name as Mr Reginald to the directors, and advertised it, so that I don’t see what can be done, except to keep it as it is. After all, it is a common thing, and it would put us to the greatest inconvenience to alter it now. Dear me, when I saw you in London I called you Mr Reginald, didn’t I?”
“No, sir; you called me Mr Cruden.”
“I must have supposed it was your Christian name, then.”
“Perhaps it doesn’t matter much,” said Reginald; “and I don’t wish to put the directors to any trouble.”
“To be sure I knew you would not. Well, I was saying, Reginald (that’s right, whatever way you take it!) the directors look upon you as a gentleman of character and education, and are satisfied to allow you to use your discretion and good sense in conducting their business. You have their names, which you can show to any one. They are greatly scattered, so that our Board meetings will be rare. Meanwhile they will be glad to hear how you are getting on, and will, I know, appreciate and recognise your services. By the way, I believe I mentioned (but really my memory is so bad) that we should ask you to qualify to the extent of £50 in the shares of the company?”
“Oh yes, I have the cheque here,” said Reginald, taking it out of his pocket.
“That’s right. And of course you will give yourself a receipt for it in the company’s name. Curious, isn’t it?”
With which pleasantry Mr Medlock departed, promising to look in frequently, and meanwhile to send in a fresh directory marked, and some new circulars for him to get on with.
Reginald, not quite sure whether it was all as good as he expected, set to work without delay to put into practice the various instructions he had received.
Mr Medlock’s invitation to him to see everything was comfortable could hardly be fully realised on 13 shillings a week. That must wait for Christmas, and meanwhile he must make the best of what he had.