Alfred read the draft of the contract, and when he came to the blank left for the amount that Haworth was to get when the agreement was signed, he stopped and looked at Pentecost. The latter said that Mr. Haworth had consented to allow the matter to stand over till the day of signing—nine days from then. However, he would say before witnesses that it would be a figure satisfactory to Mr. Haworth after considering certain facts which he, Pentecost, would then be in a position to give him. “He’s willing,” and Pentecost said it appreciatively, “to allow us that much more time to feel out the market.” He then went on to tell them that, as a result of a discussion they’d just had in the basement, Mr. Haworth had agreed to another matter to be included in the contract. It was to the effect that, in case the negotiations for the purchase of the invention were successful, Mr. Haworth would sign for a term of five years, to work exclusively for the firm of Harker & Pentecost, on such inventive undertakings as they should designate, receiving as compensation a salary of six thousand a year. Harker was struck with astonishment at this, but in an instant realized the importance of the stipulation to the firm. Alfred, too, was surprised—though he showed no sign of it. Neither need have troubled to hide his feelings, as Haworth cared nothing about them one way or another. Alfred was beginning to put away the papers in his document case, when Pentecost spoke of wishing to suggest a method for safeguarding the secrecy of this unpatented mechanism when they had occasion to refer to it in any way, orally or in writing. His idea was that they allude to it as “The Machine,” and in case some allusion to the mechanism was necessary, they should use for that purpose, _as a blind_, some other of Mr. Haworth’s inventions, preferably an apparatus on which a patent _had_ been allowed. “Letters may fall into the hands of outsiders,” Mr. Pentecost explained. “Telegrams and telephonic communications are of necessity known to various persons, and personal conversations are quite liable to be overheard. By using the name and description of some other device these dangers may be eliminated and we will understand what is meant.” He happened to come upon one of Mr. Haworth’s earlier inventions that would very well answer the purpose—a combination gas and compressed-air engine, really a most ingenious thing. They could speak of this as “The Machine” or as “The Gas and Air Engine,” and allude to its construction when necessary. He was very desirous of having this blind used in the contract—for contracts frequently have to be made public and this would make everything safe. This ended the discussion of the contract. But Pentecost, turning to Haworth, said there was an important matter that he rather hated to speak of, but with an extra-hazardous operation like this it was vital. “What is it?” Haworth asked, slightly apprehensive.