“Of course it is! And that’s why it won’t do to stop it just when we’ve got it going well. I guess we’ll have to advertise for someone to come here and run it, Will. How much do you suppose we’d have to pay him?” “A couple of dollars a day, I guess. Say I wonder――――” “What?” “I wonder if we could get Jimmy Brennan, Tom!” “Gee, if we could! I suppose, though, he makes a lot more at the machine shop than we could afford to pay him.” “I suppose so. Would you ask him?” “Not yet. Let’s wait till we’ve been running a full month, Will, and then see just how we stand. Are you keeping a strict account of everything?” “Of course I am!” replied Willard indignantly. “I’ve got every cent set down.” “That’s the ticket. Then at the end of the month we――we’ll strike a balance and see where we stand. Then we’ll know how much we can afford to offer Jimmy. I don’t believe he makes much more than twenty a week, Will.” “Neither do we――yet,” replied Willard dryly. “I guess we will, though. Father was saying the other evening that there’s a heap more travel in winter than there is in summer. So if we can make, say, twenty-five a week now we ought to make more in the winter, Tom.” “Sure. Well, I guess it’s almost supper time. Will you come over this evening and see Jimmy fix the car?” “Yes, I’ll be around. Why don’t you stay and have supper with us, though?” “Can’t; I’ve got some things to do. You come over. Say, maybe we can sort of find out from Jimmy how much he’s getting now, eh? You――you might kind of get him talking, you know, Will.” “I like your cheek!” laughed Willard. “Why don’t you do it yourself?” “Oh, you’re the diplomat of this firm,” answered Tom with a grin. CHAPTER XVI AN INTERVIEW WITH THE POLICE On Monday The Ark was running again apparently as well as ever save for an occasional rumbling sound that issued from the differential. Perhaps had The Ark been a quieter car normally the noise from the broken pinion would have been more apparent. As it was, one would hardly have guessed that anything was wrong. Very early Monday morning Tom and Willard went out on the Graywich road and Willard had his first lesson. As he had attended most if not all of the lessons given Tom by Jimmy Brennan, and had even held the wheel himself once or twice, Willard was not quite a novice. But whereas Tom had taken to driving as a duck takes to water Willard was decidedly suspicious and nervous. “Oh, go on!” Tom would command impatiently. “Throw your lever! It isn’t going to bite you!”