George McKline was a hard working and diligent man. He was employed as a proof-reader for a scientific publication in New York and took his work seriously.

As silence was the order of his day George was allocated a glass-panelled office in the corner of the open plan floor at the publishing house where he had been a valued employee of 30 years service. Each morning he was the first to arrive for work and the last to leave each night and was held in high regard by all 43 people working on the same floor as himself. One morning George's wife turned up at the reception desk in a state of clear agitation, claiming her husband had not returned home for three nights and was not answering her calls.

Surprised at this George's boss informed Mrs McKilne that her husband was sitting at his desk as normal and offered to accompany her to his office to help find out what the problem was. In no time at all the mystery was unravelled when they discovered George had expired and was propped up in his chair facing away from the rest of his co workers.