Thursday morning Jimmy took up his duties as efficiency expert at the
plant of the International Machine Company. Since his interview with
Compton his constant companion had been "How to Get More Out of Your
Factory," with the result that he felt that unless he happened to be
pitted against another efficiency expert he could at least make a noise
like efficiency, and also he had grasped what he considered the
fundamental principle of efficiency, namely, simplicity.

"If," he reasoned, "I cannot find in any plant hundreds of operations
that are not being done in the simplest manner it will be because I
haven't even ordinary powers of observation or intelligence," for after
his second interview with Compton, Jimmy had suddenly realized that the
job meant something to him beside the two hundred and fifty dollars a
month--that he couldn't deliberately rob Compton, as he felt that he
would be doing unless he could give value received in services, and he
meant to do his best to accomplish that end.

He knew that for a while his greatest asset would be bluff, but there
was something about Mason Compton that had inspired in the young man a
vast respect and another sentiment that he realized upon better
acquaintance might ripen into affection. Compton reminded him in many
ways of his father, and with the realization of that resemblance Jimmy
felt more and more ashamed of the part he was playing, but now that he
had gone into it he made up his mind that he would stick to it, and
there was besides the slight encouragement that he had derived from the
enthusiasm of the girl who had suggested the idea to him and of her
oft-repeated assertion relative to her "hunch", that he would make good.