Maxwell threw down his pencil, pushed some calculations across the table, and looked about. When he joined Duff the office was old-fashioned and shabby; now they used two rooms in an ambitious building, and the furniture was new and the decoration rather extravagant. Stained glass and polished cedar and maple struck a note of prosperity. Maxwell had a talent for suggestion and meant the handsome furniture to indicate that the house went ahead. Some of the expensive decoration was recent, and when Maxwell speculated about Duff’s remarks he smiled.
For all that his look was disturbed. He had returned from the bank and although he had used clever persuasion the B. N. A. manager was firm. Moreover, Maxwell’s calculations indicated that the fellow’s caution was justified. Maxwell wanted money,
