I am afraid you are my amanuensis!" Tommy immediately whistled, a louder and more glorious note than before.
"Don't be so cocky," cried Pym, in sudden rebellion.

"You are only my amanuensis if you can tell me what that is.

If you can't--out you go!" He had him at last! Not he! "An amanuensis," said Tommy, calmly, "is one who writes to dictation.
Am I to bring in my box?
It's at the door." This made Pym sit down again.

"You didn't know what an amanuensis was when you answered my advertisement," he said.
"As soon as I got to London," Tommy answered, "I went into a bookseller's shop, pretending I wanted to buy a dictionary, and I looked the word up." "Bring in your box," Pym said, with a groan.
But it was now Tommy's turn to hesitate.

"Have you noticed," he asked awkwardly, "that I sometimes whistle ?" "Don't tell me," said Pym, "that you have a dog out there." "It's not a dog," Tommy replied cautiously.
Pym had resumed his seat at the table and was once more toying with his pen.