Dowling cried. "I never heard such
impertinence in my life."
"You haven't done a stroke of work for five years," Tavernake
went on, unmoved, "and my efforts have supplied you with a fairly
good income. In future, those efforts will be directed towards
my own advancement."
Mr. Dowling turned back toward the car.
"Young man," he said, "you can brazen it out as much as you like,
but you have been guilty of a gross breach of faith. I shall
take care that the exact situation is made known in all
responsible quarters. You'll get no situation with any firm with
whom I am acquainted--I can promise you that. If you have
anything more to say to Dowling, Spence & Company, let it be in
writing."
They parted company there and then. Tavernake and Beatrice went
down the hill in silence.
"Does this bother you at all?" she inquired presently.
"Nothing to speak of," Tavernake answered. "It had to come. I
wasn't quite ready but that doesn't matter."
"What shall you do now?" she asked.
"Borrow enough to buy the whole of the hill," he replied.
She looked back.
"Won't that mean a great deal of money?"
He nodded.
"It will be a big thing, of course," he admitted. "Never mind, I
dare say I shall be able to interest some one in it. In any
case, I never meant Mr. Dowling to make a fortune out of this."
They walked on in silence a little further. Then she spoke
again, with some hesitation.
"I suppose that what you have done is quite fair, Leonard?"
He answered her promptly, without any sign of offence at her
question.
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