“But the port must indeed have warmed you,” said Mills quickly.  “Why, it was madness!  What if he had consented?”

Mr. Taynton smiled.

“Ah, well, I in my slow synthetic manner had made up my mind that it was really quite impossible that he should consent to go into the books and vouchers.  To begin with, he has a new motor car, and every hour spent away from that car just now is to his mind an hour wasted.  Also, I know him well.  I knew that he would never consent to spend several hours over ledgers.  Finally, even if he had, though I knew from what I know of him not that he would not but that he could not, I could have—­I could have managed something.  You see, he knows nothing whatever about business or investments.”

Mills shook his head.

“But it was dangerous, anyhow,” he said, “and I don’t understand what object could be served by it.  It was running a risk with no profit in view.”

Then for the first time the inherent strength of the quietness of the one man as opposed to the obvious quickness and comprehension of the other came into play.

“I think that I disagree with you there, my dear fellow,” said Mr. Taynton slowly, “though when I have told you all, I shall be of course, as always, delighted to recognise the superiority of your judgment, should you disagree with me, and convince me of the correctness of your view.  It has happened, I know, a hundred times before that you with your quick intuitive perceptions have been right.”

But his partner interrupted him.  He quite agreed with the sentiment, but he wanted to learn without even the delay caused by these complimentary remarks, the upshot of Taynton’s rash proposal to Morris.

“What did young Assheton say?” he asked.

“Well, my dear fellow,” said Taynton, “though I have really no doubt that in principle I did a rash thing, in actual practice my step was justified, because Morris absolutely refused to look at the books.  Of course I know the young fellow well:  it argues no perspicuity on my part to have foreseen that.  And, I am glad to say, something in my way of putting it, some sincerity of manner I suppose, gave rise to a fresh mark of confidence in us on his part.”

Mr. Taynton cleared his throat; his quietness and complete absence of hurry was so to speak, rapidly overhauling the quick, nimble mind of the other.

“He asked me in fact to continue being steward of his affairs in any event.  Should he marry to-morrow I feel no doubt that he would not spend a couple of minutes over his financial affairs, unless, unless, as you foresaw might happen, he had need of a large lump sum.  In that case, my dear Mills, you and I would—­would find it impossible to live elsewhere than in the Argentine Republic, were we so fortunate as to get there.  But, as far as this goes I only say that the step of mine which you felt to be dangerous has turned out most auspiciously.  He begged me, in fact, to continue even after he came of age, acting for him at my present rate of remuneration.”