"'A hundred and four.

"'And British Broken Hills?'

"'Seven to seven-and-six.'

"'Wonderful!' he cried, with his hands up. 'This quite
fits in with all that I had heard. My boy, my boy,
you are very much too good to be a clerk at Mawson's!'

"This outburst rather astonished me, as you can think.
'Well,' said I, 'other people don't think quite so
much of me as you seem to do, Mr. Pinner. I had a
hard enough fight to get this berth, and I am very
glad to have it.'

"'Pooh, man; you should soar above it. You are not in
your true sphere. Now, I'll tell you how it stands
with me. What I have to offer is little enough when
measured by your ability, but when compared with
Mawson's, it's light to dark. Let me see. When do
you go to Mawson's?'

"'On Monday.'

"'Ha, ha! I think I would risk a little sporting
flutter that you don't go there at all.'

"'Not go to Mawson's?'