noon
`` Little old steamer -- ca n't swim a stroke , '' said Bean . '' 'S all , '' said Breede , still shaking his head helplessly . At his desk outside Bean feigned to be absorbed in an intricate calculation . In reality he was putting down `` 400,000 , '' then `` $ 400,000 , '' then `` $ 400,000.00 '' By noon he had covered several pages of his note-book with this instructive exercise . Once he had written it $ 398,973.87 , with a half-formed idea of showing it to old Metzeger . As he was going out Tully trod lightly over a sheet of very thin ice and accosted him . `` The market was not discouraging to-day , '' said Tully genially . ''