"I've been preparing for the time when I'd have to cut
loose," he went on finally. "Now, I suppose it is coming. Ah,
well, perhaps it will be better--who can tell? I may not do so
much, but it will all be mine, with no strings attached. Perhaps,
after all, it is for the best."
Talking over his troubles seemed to do Norton some good, for I am
sure that he left us in a better frame of mind than we had found
him.
Kennedy wished him good-luck, and we again entered the lift.
We found Whitney in an even greater state of excitement than
Norton had been. I am sure that if it had been any one else than
Kennedy he would have thrown him out, but he seemed to feel that
he must control himself in our presence.
"What do you know about that fellow Norton, up at your place?" he
demanded, almost before we had seated ourselves.
"A very hard-working, ambitious man his colleagues tell me,"
returned Kennedy, purposely I thought, as if it had been a red rag
flaunted before a bull.
"Hard-working--yes," bellowed Whitney. "He has worked me hard. I
send him down to Peru--yes, I put up most of the money. Then what
does he do? Just kids me along, makes me think he's accomplishing
a whole lot--when he's actually so careless as to let himself be
robbed of what he gets with my money.
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