rward individual that he was, he asked
her:

"What possessed you to suppose I could read it?"

"Oh," said Dora, innocently, "I knew you were a French scholar, because
Mr. Birge told me so."

Someway it was an immense satisfaction to Theodore to know that Dora's
intention had not been to make light of his supposed ignorance. As he
went home in the moonlight he laughed a little, and indulged himself in
his old habit of soliloquizing.

"It's just the matter of fine boots and gloves, and a few things of that
sort. I did decide once this evening to push the thing through, and make
my way up in spite of gloves and boots and broadcloth, and I would now
but for one thing. In fact I _have_; we braved it through together. That
one girl is worth all the rest of them, and she came to the rescue
fairly and squarely. If she had failed me I would have showed the whole
of them a few things, but she didn't, and there's no occasion for making
it such a martyrdom for any of them hereafter. On the whole, I believe
I'll manage to get dear old Grandma McPherson other work besides
tailoring after this. There is no earthly reason why I shouldn't dress
as respectable as any body. I don't know but I owe it to Mr. Stephens to
do so. Yes, sir, I've changed my mind--boots and broadcloth shall be my
servants hereafter."

Keeping in mind this new resolution, Theodore secured the first leisure
moment, and inquired of Mr. Stephens what route to take.

"Going to have a new suit of clothes?" questioned that gentleman in a
tone of polite indifference, not at all as though he had watched and
waited for the development of that very idea. "Well, let me see. I think
Barnes & Houghton will serve you quite as well as any. They are
on--wait, I will give you their address."

The hour which Theodore had chosen was not a fashionable one at the
great establishment of Barnes & Houghton, and he found some half dozen
clerks lounging about, with no more important occupation than to coax
some fun out of any material which chanced to fall in their way.

"I want to look at some business suits," began Theodore, addressing the
foremost of them, with a slight touch of hesitancy and embarrassment. It
was new business to him.

"Then I'd advise you to look at them by all means; always do as you want
to when you can as well as not, my boy," was the answer which he
received, spoken in a tone of good-humored insolence, and not a clerk
moved.

"Would you like a white ve