of this afternoon. We'll take it right now if you're ready."

"Quite ready, sir."

"Hal, where's Europe?"

"Europe? In the usual place on the map, I suppose."

"You didn't bring it back with you, then?"

"Not a great deal of it. They mightn't have let it through the customs."

Dr. Surtaine snapped a rubber band from a packet of papers lying on his
desk. "Considering that you seem to have bought it outright," he said,
twinkling, "I thought you might tell me what you intend doing with it.
There are the bills."

"Have I gone too heavy, sir?" asked Hal. "You've never limited me, and I
supposed that the business--"

"The business," interrupted his father arrogantly, "could pay those
bills three times over in any month. That isn't the point. The point is
that you've spent something more than forty-eight thousand dollars this
last year."

Hal whistled ruefully. "Call it an even fifty," he said. "I've made a
little, myself."

"No! Have you? How's that?"