Henry Seidel Canby, essayist and critic and occasional writer of
stories, is a Professor of English at the Sheffield Scientific School at
Yale University. His books include several volumes on the short story.
The commercial theme has been freely exploited by the popular magazine
writers. When it is written merely for the sake of getting in line with
a popular trend, it is likely to be empty and blusterous. In Mr. Canby's
story we are, of course, interested in the business atmosphere; but we
are more deeply interested in the portrayal of character. Cargan is
most fully drawn, and we watch him with increasing keenness as we see
him dominated by the various moods which the other personalities and the
shifting incidents and the changing environment engender. The skill
shown in the rapid but graphic sketching of Mrs. Cargan and Mrs. Waldron
is equally engaging. The story is perfect in its mastery of narrative
technique.