Ferens came in, removed the bacon plates and set on the table a silver water-heated dish that contained poached eggs and haddock. A long time afterwards Tietjens said:

‘Yes, in principle I’m determined to. But I shall take three days to think out the details.’

He seemed to have no feelings about the matter. Certain insolent phrases in Sylvia’s letter hung in his mind. He preferred a letter like that. The brandy made no difference to his mentality, but it seemed to keep him from shivering.

Macmaster said:

‘Suppose we go down to Rye by the 11.40. We could get a round after tea now the days are long. I want to call on a parson near there. He has helped me with my book.’

Tietjens said:

‘Did your poet know parsons? But of course he did. Duchemin is the name, isn’t it?’

Macmaster said:

‘We could call about 2.30. That will be all right in the country. We stay till four with a cab outside. We can be on the first tee at five. If we like the course we’ll stay next day: then Tuesday at Hythe and Wednesday at Sandwich. Or we could stay at Rye all your three days.’

‘It will probably suit me better to keep moving,’ Tietjens said. ‘There are those British Columbia figures of yours. If we took a cab now I could finish them for you in an hour and twelve minutes. Then British North America can go to the printers. It’s only 8.30 now.’

Macmaster said, with some concern:

‘Oh, but you couldn’t. I can make our going all right with Sir Reginald.’

Tietjens said:

‘Oh, yes I can. Ingleby will be pleased if you tell him they’re finished. I’ll have them ready for you to give him when he comes at ten.’

Macmaster said:

‘What an extraordinary fellow you are, Chrissie. Almost a genius!’

‘Oh,’ Tietjens answered. ‘I was looking at your papers yesterday after you’d left and I’ve got most of the totals in my head. I was thinking about them before I went to sleep. I think you make a mistake in overestimating the pull of Klondyke this year on the population. The passes are open, but relatively no one is going through. I’ll add a note to that effect.’

In the cab he said:

‘I’m sorry to bother you with my beastly affairs. But how will it affect you and the office?’

‘The office,’ Macmaster said, ‘not at all. It is supposed that Sylvia is nursing Mrs.