"The chief is going back to the Coast." Bones opened his mouth wide in astonishment. "Back to the Coast?" he said incredulously. "You don't mean he's chucking jolly old Twickenham?" Hamilton nodded. "He's had an excellent offer from some people in the City to control a trading company. By the way, did you ever hear of the Mazeppa Company?" Bones shook his head. "I've heard of Mazeppa," he said. "He was the naughty old gentleman who rode through the streets of Birmingham without any clothes." Hamilton groaned. "If I had your knowledge of history," he said despairingly, "I'd start a bone factory. You're thinking of Lady Godiva, but that doesn't matter. No, I don't suppose you've heard of the Mazeppa Company; it did not operate in our territory." Bones shook his head and pursed his lips. "But surely," he said, "dear old Excellency hasn't accepted a job without consulting me?" Hamilton made derisive noises. "He fixed it up in a couple of days," he said, after a while. "It doesn't mean he'll be living on the Coast, but he'll probably be there for some months in the year. The salary is good--in fact, it's two thousand a year. I believe Sanders has to qualify for directorship by taking some shares, but the dear chap is enthusiastic about it, and so is Patricia. It is all right, of course. Sanders got the offer through a firm of solicitors." "Pooh!" said Bones. "Solicitors are nobody." He learnt more about the company that afternoon, for Sanders called in and gave a somewhat roseate view of the future. "The fact is, Bones, I am getting stale," he said, "and this looks like an excellent and a profitable occupation." "How did you get to hear about it, Excellency?". asked Bones. His attitude was one of undisguised antagonism. He might have been a little resentful that the opportunity had come to Sanders through any other agency than his own. "I had a letter from the solicitors asking me if the idea appealed to me, and recalling my services on the Coast," said Sanders. "Of course I know very little about the Mazeppa Trading Company, though I had heard of it years gone past as a very profitable concern. The solicitors were quite frank, and told me that business had fallen off, due to inexperienced management. They pointed out the opportunities which existed--the possibilities of opening new stations--and I must confess that it appealed to me. It will mean hard work, but the salary is good." "Hold hard, Sir and Excellency," said Bones. "What did you have to put up in the way of shares?" Sanders flushed. He was a shy man, and not given to talking about his money affairs. "Oh, about five thousand pounds," he said awkwardly. "Of course, it's a lot of money; but even if the business isn't successful, I have a five-year contract with the company, and I get more than my investment back in salary."