, he said, carelessly:
"Here, lad, take my coat up to the private office; I will follow you. Go
slowly, though, through the crowd of shoppers."
With a respectful bow the boy took the coat from him.
It so happened that one of the rules of the house was that the employees
must not use the elevators, and by the time Kendale had climbed the
fourth flight of stairs he was thoroughly exhausted, the perspiration
fairly streaming down his face.
"Don't you know enough to go by way of the elevator, you young idiot?"
he roared, almost gasping for breath.
"You forget it's against the rules for us to do so, Mr. Armstrong,"
returned the lad.
"Rules be hanged!" cried his companion. "How many more floors up is it?"
The lad looked up into his face in the greatest amazement. Such a
question on the lips of the head of the firm rather astounded him; but
then, perhaps it had not occurred to the gentleman just how many flights
of steps the boys were obliged to climb.
"We are only on the fourth floor, sir," he responded, "and it's up the
other four flights, you know.
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