“I guess I won’t sell just now,” observed Bean.

“I don’t understand this at all,” said Markham, allowing it to be seen that he was shocked.

Bean wavered, but he was nettled.  He was going to lose his job anyway.  You might as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb.  To Markham standing there, hurt and displeased, he looked up and announced curtly: 

“I can imagine nothing of less consequence!”

He had the felicity to see Markham wince as from an unseen blow.  Then Markham walked back to his own room.  His tread would have broken ice capable of sustaining a hundred Tullys.

He saw it all now.  They were plotting against him.  They had learned of his plan to become a director and they were trying to freeze him out.  He had never spoken of this plan, but probably they had consulted some good medium who had warned them to look out for him.  Very well, if they wanted fight they should have fight.  He wouldn’t sell that stock, not even to Breede himself—­

“Buzz!  Buzz!  Buzz!” went the electric call over his desk.  That meant Breede.  Very well; he knew his rights.  He picked up his note-book and answered the summons.

Breede, munching an innocent cracker, stared at him.

“How long you had that Federal stock?”

“Aunt bought it five years ago.”

“Where?”

“Chicago.”

“Want to sell?”

“I think I’d rather—­”

“You won’t sell?”

“No!”

“’S all!”

Back at his machine he tried to determine whether he would have “let out” at Breede as he had at Tully and at Markham.  He had supposed that Breede would of course nag him as the other two had.  And would he have said to Breede with magnificent impudence, “I can imagine nothing of less consequence?” He thought he would have said this; the masks were very soon bound to be off Breede and himself.  The flapper might start the trouble any minute.  But Breede had given him no chance for that lovely speech.  No good saying it unless you were nagged.

He became aware that the “Federal people” Markham had mentioned were gathering in Breede’s room.  Several of them brushed by him.  Let them freeze him out if they could.  He wondered what they said at meetings.  Did every one talk, or only the head director?  Markham had said this was to be an informal meeting.

It is probable that Bean would not have been much enlightened by the immediate proceedings of this informal meeting.  The large, impressive, moneyed-looking directors sat easily about the table in Breede’s inner room, and said little of meaning to a tyro in the express business.

The stock was pretty widely held in small lots, it seemed, and the agents out buying it up were obliged to proceed with caution.  Otherwise people would get silly ideas and begin to haggle over the price.  But the shares were coming in as rapidly as could be expected.