luded that her face had a moral expression,
and she was pleased with the idea.

"Let me see it;" and she asked Bobby to walk in and be seated, while
she went for her spectacles.

As she was looking over the book, our hero went into a more elaborate
recommendation of its merits. He was sure it would interest the young
and the old; it taught a good lesson; it had elegant engravings; the
type was large, which would suit her eyes; it was well printed and
bound; and finally, it was cheap at one dollar.

"I'll take it," said the old lady.

"Thank you, ma'am."

Bobby's first victory was achieved.

"Have you got a dollar?" asked the lady, as she handed him a
two-dollar bill.

"Yes, ma'am;" and he gave her his only dollar and put the two in its
place, prouder than a king who has conquered an empire. "Thank you
ma'am."

Bidding the lady a polite good morning, he left the house, encouraged
by his success to go forward in his mission with undiminished hope.

CHAPTER X

IN WHICH BOBBY IS A LITTLE TOO SMART

The clouds were rolled back, and Bobby no longer had a doubt as to the
success of his undertaking. It requires but a little sunshine to
gladden the heart, and the influence of his first success scattered
all the misgivings he had cherished.

Two New England shillings is undoubtedly a very small sum of money;
but Bobby had made two shillings, and he would not have considered
himself more fortunate if some unknown relative had left him a
fortune. It gave him confidence in his powers, and as he walked away
from the house, he reviewed the circumstances of his first sale.

The old lady had told him at first she did not wish to buy a book,
and, moreover, had spoken rather contemptuously of the craft to which
he had now the honor to belong. He gave himself the credit of having
conquered the old lady's prejudices. He had sold her a book in spite
of her evident intention not to purchase. In short, he had, as we
have before said, won a glorious victory, and he congratulated himself
accordingly.

But it was of no use to waste time in useless self-glorification, and
Bobby turned from the past to the future. There were forty-nine more
books to be sold; so that the future was forty-nine times as big as
the past.

He saw a shoemaker's shop ahead of him, and he was debating with
himself whether he should enter and offer his books for sale. It would
do no harm, though he had but slight expectations of doing anything.