Ridgett. "Absolutely O.K."
Mr. Ridgett was a small sandy man of fifty, who obviously wished to
make himself as agreeable as might be possible in rather difficult
circumstances. During the afternoon he listened with an air of
interested attention while Dale told him at considerable length the
series of events that had led up to this crisis.
"For your proper understanding," said the postmaster, "I'll ask you
once more to cast your eye over the position of the instruments;" and
he marched Mr. 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. "I told them it was wrong from the first--when they
were refitting the office, at the time of the extensions. My
experience at Portsmouth had taught me the danger."
It seemed that one evening, about three weeks ago, a certain soldier
on leave had been lounging against the counter, close to the glass
screen. On the other side of the screen the apparatus was clicking
merrily while Miss Yorke, the telegraph clerk, despatched a message.
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