There was a moment of amazed silence, then a roar from the company.  Men leaped to their feet and yelled.  And there stood poor T-S-not enjoying the ovation!

“Give it to them,” whispered Carpenter; and the magnate, thus held up, took out the roll of bills, and turned it over to the trembling official, who leaped onto a chair and waved the miracle before the crowd.  “A thousand dollars!  A thousand dollars!” He counted it over before their eyes and called, louder than ever, “A thousand dollars!”

Carpenter, followed by T-S and the secretary and myself, went down the line of tables, shaking hands with many on the way, and being patted on the back by others.  Also T-S shook hands, and was patted.  Seats were found for us, and food was brought—­double portions of it, as if to make the plight of the poor magnate even more absurd!  I watched him out of the corner of my eye; he enjoyed that costly meal just about as much as Carpenter had enjoyed the one at Prince’s last night!

However, he was game, and spilled no tears into his soup; and Carpenter ate with honest appetite, having had no breakfast.  The strikers about us ate as if they had missed both breakfast and supper; they laughed and chatted and made jokes with us—­you would have thought they were celebrating the winning of the strike and the end of all their troubles.  In the midst of the meal I noted two well-dressed young men by the door, asking questions; I chuckled to myself, seeing more head-lines—­double ones, and extra size: 

PROPHET OF GOD VAMPS MOVIE KING MAGNATE OF SCREEN PAYS THOUSAND FOR LUNCH

But I knew that T-S had never yet paid a thousand dollars without getting something for it, and I was not surprised when, after he had gulped down his meal, he turned to his host and, disregarding the company and the excitement, demanded, “Now, Mr. Carpenter, tell me, do I git de contract?”

Carpenter had had his jest, and was through with it.  He answered, gravely:  “You must understand me, Mr. T-S.  You don’t want a contract with me.”

“I don’t?”

“If I were to sign it, it would not be a week before you would be sorry, and would be asking me to release you.”

“Vy is dat, Mr. Carpenter?”

“Because I am going to do things which will make me quite useless to you in a business way.”

“Dat can’t be true, Mr. Carpenter!”

“It is true, and you will realize it soon.  I assure you, it won’t be a day before you will be ashamed of having known me.”

T-S was gazing at the speaker, not certain whether this was something very terrible, or only a polite evasion.  “Mr. Carpenter,” he answered, “if all de vorld vas to give you up, I vouldn’t!”

Said Carpenter:  “I tell you, before the cock crows again, you will deny three times that you know me.”  And then, without awaiting response from the amazed T-S, he turned to speak to the man on the other side of him.