Morning came, and Jack was busy before breakfast, but he went to the house early.
"I must be there when the 'hands' come," he said to Mrs. Murdoch. "Molly ought to be in the office, too—"
"I've told Mr. Murdoch," she said, "but he has a severe headache. He can't bear to talk."
"He needn't talk if he doesn't feel able," replied Jack. "The Eagle will come out all right!"
Mary could hardly wait to finish her cup of coffee, but she tried hard to appear calm. She was ready as soon as Jack, but she did not have quite so much confidence in her ability to do whatever might be necessary.
There was to be some press-work done that forenoon, and the pony-engine had steam up when the foreman and the two type-setters reached the office.
"Good-morning, Mr. Black," said Jack, as he came into the engine-room. "It's all right. I'm Jack Ogden, a friend of Mr. Murdoch's. The new editor's upstairs. There's some copy ready. Mr. Murdoch will not be at the office for a week."
"Bless me!" said Mr. Black. "I reckoned that we'd have to strike work. What we need most is a 'devil'—"
"I can be 'devil,'" said Jack. "I used to run the Standard."
"Boys," said the foreman, without the change of a muscle in his pasty-looking face, "Murdoch's hired a proxy. I'll go up for copy."