"Come into my office," said Bones, "my private office."
The girl had taken him in with one comprehensive glance, and a little
smile trembled on the corner of her lips as she followed the harassed
financier into his "holy of holies."
"My little den," said Bones incoherently. "Sit down, jolly old--young
miss. Take my chair--it's the best. Mind how you step over that
telephone wire. Ah!"
She did catch her feet in the flex, and he sprang to her assistance.
"Upsy, daisy, dear old--young miss, I mean."
It was a breathless welcome. She herself was startled by the warmth of
it; he, for his part, saw nothing but grey eyes and a perfect mouth,
sensed nothing but a delicate fragrance of a godlike presence.
"I have come to see you----" she began.
"Jolly good of you," said Bones enthusiastically. "You've no idea how
fearsomely lonely I get sometimes. I often say to people: 'Look me up,
dear old thing, any time between ten and twelve or two and four; don't
stand on ceremony----'"
"I've come to see you----" she began again.
"You're a kind young miss," murmured Bones, and she laughed.
"You're not used to having girls in this office, are you?"
"You're the first," said Bones, with a dramatic flourish, "that ever
burst tiddly-um-te-um!"
To be mistaken for a welcome visitor--she was that, did she but guess
it--added to her natural embarrassment.
"Well," she said desperately, "I've come for work."
He stared at her, refixing his monocle.
"You've come for work my dear old--my jolly old--young miss?"
"I've come for work," she nodded.
Bones's face was very grave.
"You've come for work." He thought a moment; then: "What work? Of
course," he added in a flurry, "there's plenty of work to do! Believe
me, you don't know the amount I get through in this sanctum--that's
Latin for 'private office'--and the wretched old place is never
tidy--never! I am seriously thinking"--he frowned--"yes, I am very
seriously thinking of sacking the lady who does the dusting. Why, do
you know, this morning----"
Her eyes were smiling now, and she was to Bones's unsophisticated eyes,
and, indeed, to eyes sophisticated, superhumanly lovely.
"I haven't come for a dusting job," she laughed.
"Of course you haven't," said Bones in a panic. "My dear old lady--my
precious--my young person, I should have said--of course you haven't!
You've come for a job--you've come to work! Well, you shall have it!
Start right away!"
She stared.
"What shall I do?" she asked.
"What would I like you to do?" said Bones slowly. "What about
scheming, getting out ideas, using brains, initiative, bright----" He
trailed off feebly as she shook her head.
"Do you want a secretary?" she asked, and Bones's enthusiasm rose to
the squeaking point.