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So engrossed was he in his ht footstep in the outer office, and it was only when it was followed by a tap on the door of the inner office that he aith a start to the fact that clients were in his midst He wished that he had taken his father's advice and locked up the office Probably this was sohtful bore anted to , and Sam had neither the ability nor the inclination to assist him

Was it too late to escape? Perhaps if he did not answer the knock, the blighter ht think there was nobody at home But suppose he opened the door and peeped in? A spasy seized Sam He dropped silently to the floor and concealed hi that sort of thing

There was another tap Then, as he had anticipated, the door opened Sam, crouched like a hare in its for to bring this delicate operation off with success He felt he had acted just as Napoleon would have done in a similar crisis And so, no doubt, he had to a certain extent; only Napoleon would have seen to it that his boots and about eighteen inches of trousered legs were not sticking out, plainly visible to all who entered

"Good ," said a voice

Sam thrilled from the top of his head to the soles of his feet It was the voice which had been ringing in his ears through all his waking hours

"Are you busy, Mr Marlowe?" asked Billie, addressing the boots

Saled out from under the desk like a disconcerted tortoise

"Dropped my pen," he mumbled, as he rose to the surface

He pulled himself with an effort that was like a physical exercise He stared at Billie du speech, he invited her to sit down, and seated hiain

"Yes?" said Billie

"Fountain-pen," babbled Saold nib," went on Sam, with the painful exactitude which coes of intoxication

"Really?" said Billie, and Sam blinked and told hi to advantage It suddenly occurred to higle with Widgery He smoothed it down hastily, and felt a trifle an to assert itself to some extent He must make an effort to appear as little of a fool as possible in this girl's eyes And what eyes they were! Golly! Like stars! Like two bright planets in