room swung round her for a minute, and the cheers and the stamping went on. She ran her hand over her forehead and tried to do something with her paralyzed throat. Her voice was hoarse enough as it was with weeks of proof-reading, and she was afraid she would never be heard even if she could find something to say. Then she grew calm suddenly and raised her hand. And a semblance of silence settled upon the room.
“My dear people,” she began informally, “I can’t take this for myself ———”
“Speak for yourself. We’ll come to the others presently,” interrupted Roger, amidst laughter and more applause.
“But I haven’t done anything except enjoy it. It was a lot of fun. And I want to tell you it could never have been done without our staff. They did the hard and dirty work without any hope of honour and glory. They have been perfectly fine, never a grumble out of them, I’ll take it for them, the men, the women and the boys ———”
She looked down at Jimmy as she said it, and to his embarrassment he got a great cheer all to himself, while Valerie slipped down into her chair, leaving out the thanks she had meant to add. But the audience did not notice the omission as it applauded her again.
Roger was still standing on his chair. “To continue with the News. I ask all present to drink to the two gentlemen connected with that paper. I don’t have to tell anyone present of the luck we had in getting Mr. Barrington, the most brilliant journalist in the country, to help us out, or of the luck we had in getting a man like Mr. Lorrimer, who after being ill for six weeks could come back and make up for it in three.” Roger bowed to Bob and drank.
