Kingsblood Royal by Sinclair Lewis

Mr. Prutt noticed his mooning at the bank, and in his joky, pecking way he tittered, "You look so absent-minded, you must be in love, Neil." Yet through these days of wandering destiny, Neil was still one of our most trusty young executives, and the Veterans' Center was bringing in desirable new accounts of discharged soldiers, who might be wearing greasy tunics now, but later might become obstetricians or juke-box lessees or manufacturers of candy bars.

An unexpected number of the veterans who consulted him were Negroes, and Neil wondered uneasily if Ryan had sent them, and what Ryan had told them, and just how safe he was. But he dared ask nothing.