Ember (65 page)

T
hu
s
M
a
y
er
s
t
ood
at
t
h
e
r
eady
on
t
h
i
s
d
r
ea
r
y
N
ew
Y
o
r
k
m
orning
,
st
ee
ling
hi
m
s
e
lf
to
look
upon
his
em
ploy
e
r
,
for
th
e
r
e
wa
s
a
lw
a
ys
th
a
t
initi
a
l
jolt
of
surpris
e
upon
looking
at
M
r
.
Wa
ll
a
c
e,
a
nd
Ma
y
e
r
could
not
l
e
t
it
show
.

M
r
.
W
a
ll
a
c
e
h
ad
been
go
n
e
f
r
om
N
ew
Y
o
r
k
f
or
t
h
r
ee
y
ea
rs
.
And
though
h
e
h
a
d
k
e
pt
d
e
t
a
il
e
d
corr
e
spond
e
nc
e
w
ith
Ma
y
e
r
in
a
ll
th
a
t
ti
me,
Ma
y
e
r
h
a
d
no
id
ea
wh
e
r
e
his
boss
h
a
d
gon
e
or
why
.

But
h
e
wa
s
h
e
r
e
now
.
Ma
y
e
r
hop
e
d
th
a
t
Wa
ll
a
c
e
h
a
d
su
mm
on
e
d
hi
m
tod
a
y
to
t
e
ll
hi
m
wh
e
r
e
h
e
h
a
d
b
ee
n
.
Ma
y
e
r
did
not
,
how
e
v
e
r
,
int
e
nd
to
hold
his
br
ea
th
.

“
S
ir
,
”
he
s
a
i
d
when
M
r
.
Wa
ll
ace
s
i
mp
l
y
sa
t
s
t
a
ri
ng
ou
t
t
he
w
i
ndows
t
o
wa
t
ch
t
he
rain
t
u
r
n
B
r
oadway
i
n
t
o
a
s
t
udy
of
s
li
ck
b
l
acks
and
g
r
ays,
an
undu
l
a
ti
ng
snake
of
cabs
and
umb
r
e
ll
as
as
t
he
popu
l
ace
wen
t
abou
t
t
he
ir
bus
i
ness.

Wa
ll
a
c
e
’s
l
a
rg
e
for
m
wa
s
lik
e
ston
e,
th
e
only
m
ov
eme
nt
c
ame
fro
m
th
e
stil
e
tto
knif
e
h
e
t
w
irl
e
d
in
his
h
a
nd
.
I
t
wa
s
an
e
l
e
g
a
nt
wea
pon
of
polish
e
d
st
ee
l
w
ith
a
bl
a
ck
e
n
ame
l
hilt
.

Wa
ll
ace
cons
t
an
tl
y
had
it
i
n
hand,
wh
irli
ng
it
ove
r
h
i
s
fi
nge
r
s,
a
r
ound
h
i
s
w
ri
s
t
,
i
n
comp
li
ca
t
ed
movemen
t
s
so
qu
i
ck
t
he
kn
if
e
became
a
fl
ash
of
s
li
ve
r
.
I
t
c
l
ea
rl
y
r
e
l
axed
t
he
man,
and
h
i
s
p
l
ay
was
so
e
ff
o
rtl
ess
and
a
rtf
u
l
he
p
r
obab
l
y
cou
l
d
do
so
i
n
h
i
s
s
l
eep.

“
The
con
tr
ac
t
s
on
t
he
desk,
Maye
r
.
”
Wa
ll
ace
’
s
deep
vo
i
ce
a
l
mos
t
made
Maye
r
j
ump.
“
Look
t
hem
ove
r
and
see
if
t
hey
a
r
e
t
o
you
r
li
k
i
ng.
”

F
rowning
in
confusion
,
Ma
y
e
r
b
e
nt
to
study
th
e
contr
a
cts
in
qu
e
stion
,
a
nd
his
br
ea
th
l
e
ft
hi
m
in
a
sh
a
rp
e
xh
a
l
a
tion
as
th
e
w
ords
began
to
ma
k
e
s
e
ns
e.
H
is
h
a
nds
shook
as
h
e
look
e
d
up
.
“
Y
ou
a
r
e
ma
king
me
a
p
a
rtn
e
r?
”

“
E
qu
a
l
p
a
rtn
e
r
a
nd
offici
a
l
n
e
w
pr
e
sid
e
nt
of
Wa
ll
a
c
e
S
t
ee
l
.
I
h
a
v
e
n
ot
pa
i
d
p
r
oper
a
tt
e
n
t
i
on
t
o
t
h
e
c
o
m
pa
n
y
.
Y
ou
sh
a
ll
do
b
e
tt
e
r
.
”
M
r
.
Wa
ll
a
c
e
ma
d
e
a
sound
of
am
us
eme
nt
.
T
h
e
knif
e
in
his
h
a
nd
c
ame
to
a
sudd
e
n
stop
,
a
nd
h
e
s
e
t
it
g
e
ntly
on
his
d
e
sk
as
h
e
turn
e
d
to
look
at
hi
m.
“
D
o
not
t
e
ll
me
you
a
r
e
going
to
obj
e
ct
,
Ma
y
e
r
.
”