Mr. Robert regarded him closely. An undersized boy in spectacles, with a large head and an air of gravity and old age on his young features, which the junior thought somewhat ill-placed for such an occasion. “I suppose you never twizzle round on your chair, Bassett?” he said, slowly. Bassett shivered at the idea. “No, sir,” he said, solemnly; “I’ve got my work to do.” Mr. Robert sought for other explanations. “And, of course, you have a stool,” he remarked; “you couldn’t swing round on that.” “Not even if I wanted to, sir,” said the unbending Bassett. Mr. Robert nodded, and taking some papers from his table held them before his face and surveyed the youth over the top. Bassett stood patiently to attention. “That’s all right,” said the other; “thank you.” “Thank you, sir,” said Bassett, turning to the door. “By the way,” said Mr. Robert, eying him curiously as he turned the handle, “what exercise _do_ you take?” “Exercise, sir?” said Bassett. Mr. Robert nodded. “What do you do of an evening for amusement after the arduous toils of the day are past? Marbles?” “No, sir,” said the outraged one. “If I have any time to spare I amuse myself with a little shorthand.” “Amuse!” exclaimed the other. He threw himself back in his chair and, sternly checking its inclination to twirl again, sought for a flaw in the armour of this paragon. “And what else do you do in the way of recreation?” “I’ve got a vivarium, sir.” Mr. Robert hesitated, but curiosity got the better of his dignity. “What’s that?” he inquired. “A thing I keep frogs and toads in, sir,” was the reply. Mr. Robert, staring hard at him, did his honest best to check the next question, but it came despite himself. “Are you—are you married, Bassett?” he inquired. Bassett regarded him calmly. “No, sir,” he said, with perfect gravity. “I live at home with my mother.” The junior partner gave him a nod of dismissal, and for some time sat gazing round the somewhat severely furnished office, wondering with some uneasiness what effect such surroundings might have on a noble but impressionable temperament. He brought round a few sketches the next day to brighten the walls, and replaced the gum-bottle and other useful ornaments by some German beer-mugs. Even with these aids to industry he found the confinement of office somewhat irksome, and, taking a broad view of his duties, gradually relieved Bassett of his errands to the docks. It was necessary, he told himself, to get a thorough grasp of the whole business of ship-owning. In the stokeholds of Vyner and Son’s’ steamships he talked learnedly on coal with the firemen, and, quite unaided, hit on several schemes for the saving of coal—all admirable except for the fact that several knots per hour would be lost. “The thing is to take an all-round view,” he said to Captain Trimblett, of the SS. _Indian Chief_, as he strolled back with that elderly mariner from the ship to the office one day. “That’s it, sir,” said the captain.