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For two days the trading progressed finely, and McElroy had so far laid aside his doubts as to take delight in the quality of the rare furs. Never before had such pelts stacked themselves in the sorting-room. It was a sight for eyes tired by many springs of common trade. Then, like a bomb in a peaceful city, came a running word of excitement.
One evening Phil sat in the sorting-room of the General Post-Office with his hand to his head for the eight o'clock mail was starting; his head, eyes, and hands had been unusually active during the past two hours, and when the last bundle of letters dropped from his fingers into the mail-bags, head, eyes, and hands were aching.
"Now then, my lads, off with you." The postmen had come into the sorting-room, and were packing their bags and slinging their parcels. "Sharp's the word." Picking up his unopened letter, the postmaster went through the public office, stood on the outer threshold, and looked up and down the street.
Lewis exclaimed; "has she never known anything but this?" His shocked tone did not disturb the old man. "Want to see my herb-house?" he said. "Guess you'll find some of the sisters in the sorting-room. I'm Nathan Dale," he added, courteously. They had come to the open door of a great, weather-beaten building, from whose open windows an aromatic breath wandered out into the summer air.
Down below in the sorting-room Dale greeted Mr. Ridgett very heartily. "Here I am. May I venture to come in a minute? I'm only a visitor till Monday, you know." And he told Ridgett how he had taken a liberty in returning before the stipulated date; but he had written to headquarters explaining the circumstances, and he had no doubt they would approve. "There's the funeral, you know.
"Corlier," he said quietly, "leave the gate to Cif Bordoux. Take one man and get to the southwest bastion. You, Gifford," turning to that young clerk who worked in the sorting-room, "man the northwest. Garcon and Dupre will take the forward two. The rest will stand ready with guns and ammunition along the four walls and at the gates. We know not what will transpire."
Ridgett from the sorting-room to the public office, and showed him the gross error that had been committed in placing the whole telegraphic apparatus right at the front, close to the window, merely screened from the public eye and the public ear by glass partition-work, instead of placing it all at the back, out of everybody's way.
These works presented a busy spectacle of useful industry. There was the sorting-room, where great masses of waste-paper of every kind was being picked over by about 100 men and separated into its various classes. The resulting heaps are thrown through hoppers into bins.
He might have posted it at an office or a pillar nearer home, but he has an idea, founded no doubt on experience, that people, especially policemen, are apt to watch his movements and prefers a longish walk to the General. There! we take a header and descend with the cataract into the basket. On emerging in the great sorting-room, somehow, we catch sight of the Bones epistle at once.
He noiselessly slipped from the bed, huddled on some clothes, washed his face in cold water at the kitchen sink, and let himself out of the house. The open air refreshed him almost as much as sleep could have done. He walked nearly five miles and back on the Manninglea Road, and would not even glance at the busy sorting-room when he came in again.
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