Four days a month--and if they didn't happen to have a spare man lying round handy, to send up here to take my place, I couldn't go then even." Marion regarded him meditatively.

"You can have an hour's recess now, if you like," she offered generously after a minute.

"I'll stay and answer the phone, and stand them off if they want to talk to you.

I'm good at that.

You can go and climb down to the lake and fish, and have fun." "Tell me to go and jump in the lake and I might do it," Jack returned gloomily.