"Yes."

"But what on earth for? Mind you, I ought not to be crabbing my own
paper like this, but you seem a good chap, and I don't want to see you
landed. Why are you doing it?"

"Oh, just for fun."

"Ah, now you're talking. If you can afford expensive amusements, go
ahead."

He put his feet on the table, and lit a short pipe. His gloomy views on
the subject of 'Squibs' gave way to a wave of optimism.

"You know," he said, "there's really a lot of life in the old rag yet.
If it were properly run. What has hampered us has been lack of capital.
We haven't been able to advertise. I'm bursting with ideas for booming
the paper, only naturally you can't do it for nothing. As for editing,
what I don't know about editing--but perhaps you had got somebody else
in your mind?"

"No, no," said Roland, who would not have known an editor from an
office-boy. The thought of interviewing prospective editors appalled
him.

"Very well, then," resumed Mr. Petheram, reassured, kicking over a heap
of papers to give more room for his feet. "Take it that I continue as
editor. We can discuss terms later. Under the present regime I have
been doing all the work in exchange for a happy home. I suppose you