"It won't be as bad as you think, dear. I guess Lee is entitled to crow
a little."
* * * * *
Lee Gorman looked at the intercom on his desk as though it had snapped
at him. "Who?" he barked. But there had been no mistake. Gorman sat in
puzzled silence for a few moments. Then he said, "All right, show him
in."
Joshua Lake entered the office with his hat in one hand and a briefcase
in the other. He paused halfway to Gorman's desk. "You haven't changed
much, Lee."
"You have," Gorman answered. "You look like the devil."
"I've been working hard." Joshua Lake covered the intervening distance
and stood before the desk. Gorman surveyed him coldly--up and down.
Joshua looked around the office as Gorman sat silent, not inviting him
to sit down.
"You've done very well, Lee. This is the first time I've seen your
plant."
"I've expanded a little since my basement days. You remember my basement
days, don't you Joshua?"