waistcoats--a fastidiousness which opened the slant eyes of Matzai,
being unusual--and what with pausing to smoke a brooding cigar, it stood
roundly twelve before he was ready for the street. One need not call
Richard lazy. He was no one to retire or to rise with the birds; why
should he? "Early to bed and early to rise" is a tradition of the
copybooks. It did well when candlelight was cheap at a dollar the dozen,
but should not belong to a day of electricity no dearer than the sun.

Before going out, Richard crossed to a writing cabinet and pressed a
button, the white disk whereof showed in its mahogany side. It was not
the bell he used for the wheat-hued Matzai, and owned a note peculiar to
itself. As though in response came Mr. Gwynn, irreproachable, austere.

Upon the advent of Mr. Gwynn, one might have observed sundry amazing
phenomena, innocent at that. Mr. Gwynn did not sit down, but stood in
the middle of the room. On the careless other hand, Richard did not
arise from the chair into which he had flung himself, but sat with his
hat on, puffing blue wreaths and tapping his foot with a rattan.

"Mr. Gwynn," quoth Richard, "you will catch the four-o'clock limited to
New York. Talon & Trehawke, Attorneys, Temple Court, have on sale a
majority of the stock of the _Daily Tory_. Buy it; notify those in
present charge of the editorial and business departments of the new
proprietorship. There will be no changes in the personnel of the paper
so far as refers to New York. You are to say, however, that you will
give me charge in Washington. Talon & Trehawke can put you in control,
and forty-eight hours should be enough to carry out my plans. The
balance of the stock you will buy up at your leisure. This is Tuesday;
have the bureau here ready for me by Thursday evening."