'Let's start being honest with each other, William. One of the reasons I have had to be particularly cautious lately is that Matthew's judgment is no longer reliable.'

'Leave Matthew out of this. Ies me yoxere blocking; I am head of the department!

'I can't leave Matthew out of it. I wish I could. The final overall responsibility to the board for anyone's actions is mine, and he is the number two man in the bank's most important department!

Tes, and therefore my responsibility, because I am the number one man in that department!

'No, William, it cannot remain your responsibility alone when Matthew comes into the office drunk at eleven o'clock in the morning, no matter how long and close your friendship has been.'

'Don't exaggerate.'

'I am not exaggerating, William. For over a year now this bank has been carrying Matthew Lester, and the only thing that has stopped me mentioning my worries to you before is your close personal relationship with him and his family. I wouldn't be sorry to see him hand in his resignation. A bigger man would have done so long ago, and his friends would have told him so.'

'Never,' said William. 'If he goes, I go.'

'So be it, William,' said Tony. 'My first responsibility is to our investors, not to your old school chums.'

'You'll live to regret that statement, Tony,' said William, as he stormed out of the chairman's office and returned to his own room in a furious temper.

'Where is Mr. Lester?' William demanded as he passed his secretary.

'He's not in yet, sir.'

William looked at his watch, exasperated.

'Tell him I'd like to see him the moment he arrives!

'Yes, Sir., William paced up and down his office, cursing. Everything Tony Simmons had said about Matthew was accurate, which only made matters worse. He began to think back to when it had all begun, searching for a simple explanation. His thoughts were interrupted by his secretary.

'Mr. Lester has just arrived, sir.1 Matthew entered the room looking rather sheepish, displaying all the signs of another hangover. He had aged badly in the past year, and his skin had lost its fine, athletic glow. William hardly recognised him as the man who had been his closest friend for nearly twenty years.

'Matthew, where the hell have you been?'

'I overslept,' Matthew replied, uncharacteristically scratching at his face. 'Rather a late night, I'm afraid!

'You mean you drank too much.'

'No, I didn~t have that much. It was a new girlfriend who kept me awake all night. She was insatiable!

'When will you stop, Matthew? You've slept with nearly every single woman in Boston.'

'Don't exaggerate, William, There must be one or two left; at least I hope so. And then don't forget all the thousands of married ones.'

'It's not funny, Matthew.'

'ON come on, William. Give me a break.'

'Give you a break? I've just had Tony Simmons on my back because of you, and what?s more I know he's right. You'll jump into bed with anything wearing a skirt, and worse, you're drinking yourself to death. Your judgment has gone to pieces. Why, Matthew? Tell me why. There must be some simple explanation. Up until a year ago you were one of the most reliable men I have ever met in my life. What is it, Matthew? What am I supposed to say to Tony Sirnmons?'

'Tell Simmons to go to hell and mind his own business!

'Matthew, be fair, it is his business. We are running a bank, not a bordello, and you came here as a director on my personal recommendation.'

'And now I'm not measuring up to your standards, is that what you're saying?'

'No, I'm not saying that.'

'Then what the hell are you saying? 'Buckle down and do some work for a few weeks. In no time everyone will have forgotten all about it.'

'Is that all you want?'

'Yes,' said William.

'I shall do as you command, 0 Master,' said Matthew, and he clicked his heels and walked out of the door.

'Oh, hell,' said William.

That afternoon William wanted to go over a client's portfolio with Matthew but nobody seemed to be able to find him. He had not returned to the office after lunch and was not seen again that day. Even the pleasure of putting young Richard to bed in the evening could not distract William from his worries about Matthew. Richard could already say two and William was trying to make him say three, but he insisted on saying 'tree'.

'If you can't say three, Richard, bow can you ever hope to be a bariker?'