He felt, indeed, more at ease with him when he needed "jollying along." Reticence was not even etiquette in a case as usual as this.
"Say," he broke out, "perhaps I oughtn't to have worried you.

Are you up against it?
Down on your luck, I mean," in hasty translation.
Mount Dunstan grinned a little.
"That's a very good way of putting it," he answered.

"I never heard 'up against it' before.

It's good.

Yes, I'm up against it.
"Out of a job ?" with genial sympathy.
"Well, the job I had was too big for me.