“Well.⁠ ⁠… Good morning, Mr. Crookes.”

“Good morning.”

Left alone, Crookes took a turn the length of the room. Then he paused in the middle of the floor, looking down thoughtfully at his trim, small feet.

“Jadwin!” he muttered. “Hm!⁠ ⁠… Think you’re boss of the boat now, don’t you? Think I’m done with you, hey? Oh, yes, you’ll run a corner in wheat, will you? Well, here’s a point for your consideration Mr. Curtis Jadwin, ‘Don’t get so big that all the other fellows can see you⁠—they throw bricks.’ ”

He sat down in his chair, and passed a thin and delicate hand across his lean mouth.