'The _what_?' said the little old gentleman.

'The G. B.,' said H. O., and I winked at him to shut up, but he didn't
see me, and the G. B. did. He waved his hand at _me_ to shut up, so I had
to, and H. O. went on--'It stands for Generous Benefactor.'

The old gentleman frowned. Then he said, 'Your Father sent you here, I
suppose?'

'No he didn't,' said Dicky. 'Why did you think so?'

The old gentleman held out the card, and I explained that we took that
because Father's name happens to be the same as Dicky's.

'Doesn't he know you've come?'

'No,' said Alice, 'we shan't tell him till we've got the partnership,
because his own business worries him a good deal and we don't want to
bother him with ours till it's settled, and then we shall give him half
our share.'

The old gentleman took off his spectacles and rumpled his hair with his
hands, then he said, 'Then what _did_ you come for?'

'We saw your advertisement,' Dicky said, 'and we want a hundred pounds
on our note of hand, and my sister came so that there should be both
kinds of us; and we want it to buy a partnership with in the lucrative
business for sale of useful patent. No personal attendance necessary.'

'I don't think I quite follow you,' said the G. B. 'But one thing I