Let me go and find out if he is gone to the office yet." No! to be sure he was not gone.

He was quietly smoking a cigar in his study, sitting in an easy-chair near the open window, and leisurely glancing at all the advertisements in _The Times_.

He hated going to the office more and more since Dunster had become a partner; that fellow gave himself such airs of investigation and reprehension.
He got up, took the cigar out of his mouth, and placed a chair for Mr.
Corbet, knowing well why he had thus formally prefaced his entrance into the room with a-- "Can I have a few minutes' conversation with you, Mr.Wilkins ?" "Certainly, my dear fellow.

Sit down.

Will you have a cigar ?" "No! I never smoke." Mr.Corbet despised all these kinds of indulgences, and put a little severity into his refusal, but quite unintentionally; for though he was thankful he was not as other men, he was not at all the person to trouble himself unnecessarily with their reformation.
"I want to speak to you about Ellinor.