human
My name is Hosford and I represent the Niquoia Improvement Company as its manager and resident engineer, said the lounger, shifting the dead cigar from one corner of his hard-bitted mouth to the other.
gpt
You're Brillard, the government man, I take it?
human
Brouillard, if you please, was the crisp correction. And then with a careful effacement of the final saving trace of hospitality in tone or manner:
gpt
What can we do for you, Mr. Hosford?
human
A good many things, first and last. I'm two or three days ahead of my outfit, and you can put me up somewhere until I get a camp of my own. You've got some sort of an engineers' mess, I take it?
gpt
We have, said Brouillard briefly. With Anson and Griffith absent on the field-work, there were two vacancies in the staff mess. Moreover, the law of the desert prescribes that not even an enemy shall be refused bread and bed.
human
You'll make yourself at home with us, of course,
gpt
All right; so much for that part of it, said the self-invited guest.
human
Now for the business end of the deal--why don't you sit down?
gpt
You were speaking of the business matter,
human
Yes. I'd like to go over your plans for the power dam in the upper canyon. If they look good to me I'll adopt them.
gpt
Perhaps we'd better clear away the underbrush before we begin on the standing timber, Mr. Hosford, he said, when the tobacco was glowing militantly in the pipe bowl.
human
Have you been given to understand that this office is in any sense a tail to your Improvement Company's kite?
gpt
I haven't been 'given to understand' anything, was the gruff rejoinder.
human
Our company has acquired certain rights in this valley, and I'm taking it for granted that you've had the situation doped out to you. It won't be worth your while to quarrel with us, Mr. Brouillard.
gpt
I am very far from wishing to quarrel with anybody, said Brouillard, but his tone belied the words.
human
At the same time, if you think that we are going to do your engineering work, or any part of it, for you, you are pretty severely mistaken. Our own job is fully big enough to keep us busy.
gpt
You're off, said the big man coolly.
human
Somebody has bungled in giving you the dope. You want to keep your job, don't you?
gpt
That is neither here nor there. What we are discussing at present is the department's attitude toward your enterprise. I shall be exceeding my instructions if I make that attitude friendly to the detriment of my own work.