‘Listen here, Collis,’ he said. ‘You mustn’t take this too damn bad. There’s a kind of a soirée up at John Frémont’s house tonight, and I’ve been invited to go along; so there wouldn’t be any harm done if you came along too. You could meet John Frémont and Jessie, which is something I promised you way back on the ship; and from what I hear, Laurence Melford’s going along too, with his family.’

‘Laurence Melford?’ asked Collis.

‘That’s right. Laurence himself, and Althea, and Sarah, and they do say Grant Melford, too. He’s Sarah’s younger brother, just come over from college in Massachusetts.’

Collis lit his cheroot. ‘Really, Andy, my spirits aren’t high enough for that kind of occasion. I think I’ll probably take dinner on my own, and go to bed.’

‘Nonsense! What are you, a hermit? You’ll come along and like it.’

‘Andy, I’m not in the mood.’

Andy looked at him slyly. ‘You care for Sarah Melford, don’t you?’

‘Of course I care for Sarah Melford,’ said Collis. He felt tired, and the thought of the Melfords, with all of their regal posturing and home-grown arrogance, was more than usually disagreeable.

Andy went back around his desk and sat down, with his heels firmly planted on his half-written letter.

‘I think you should come whatever. It will do you good as far as San Francisco society is concerned, and what’s more, Hannah will get to hear that you went, and might change her mind about telling you farewell. There isn’t nothing at all like making a woman jealous, especially when you’re supposed to be jealous about her.’

‘Are you really going to go on like this until I agree to come?’ Collis said wearily.

‘I surely am.’

‘In that case, strictly against my better judgement, I shall. I’m staying at the International. Come around and pick me up whenever you like.’

‘Well, that’s fine,’ said Andy. ‘And now I guess you want to talk about your blankets.’

‘I don’t want to talk about them. All I want to do is sell them.’

Andy thoughtfully ran his tongue around the inside of his cheek. ‘Is this an urgent sale? I mean, do you have to dispose of them while you’re here, on this particular trip?’

‘I must. Leland and Charles are both pressing me hard to pay for my share of Tucker & McCormick. They’ve already assigned me fifteen per cent of the stock, but on the strict condition that I pay them, in cash, before the end of the month.’

‘Did they have any particular month in mind?’

‘Of course they did. November. This month.’

‘November ’57?’

Collis stared at Andy sharply. ‘What’s the matter?’ he asked him. ‘Is there something wrong?’

‘Not in particular,’ said Andy.