t next to him, handled
the "spoon fork," what he did with the napkin and the finger bowl, so
that, I will venture to say, not one in ten would have suspected he
had not spent his life in the parlor of a millionaire.

Dinner over, the party returned to the parlor, where Bobby unfolded
his plan for the future. To make his story intelligible, he was
obliged to tell them all about Mr. Hardhand.

"The old wretch!" exclaimed Mr. Bayard. "But, Robert, you must let me
advance the sixty dollars, to pay Squire Lee."

"No, sir; you have done enough in that way. I have given my note for
the money."

"Whew!" said Mr. Butler.

"And I shall soon earn enough to pay it."

"No doubt of it. You are a lad of courage and energy, and you will
succeed in everything you undertake."

"I shall want you to trust me for a stock of books, on the strength of
old acquaintance," continued Bobby, who had now grown quite bold, and
felt as much at home in the midst of the costly furniture, as he did
in the "living room" of the old black house.

"You shall have all the books you want."

"I will pay for them as soon as I return. The truth is, Mr. Bayard, I
mean to be independent. I didn't want to take that thirty-five
dollars, though I don't know what Mr. Hardhand would have done to us,
if I hadn't."

"Ellen said I ought to have given you a hundred, and I think so
myself."

"I am glad you didn't. Too much money makes us fat and lazy."

Mr. Bayard laughed at the easy self-possession of the lad--at his big
talk; though, big as it was, it meant something. When he proposed to
go to the store, he told Bobby he had better stay at the house and
rest himself.

"No, sir; I want to start out to-morrow, and I must get ready to-day."

"You had better put it off till the next day; you will feel more like
it then."

"Now or never," replied Bobby. "That is my motto, sir. If we have
anything to do, now is always the best time to do it. Dr. Franklin
says, 'Never put off till to-morrow what you can do to-day.'"

"Right, Robert! you shall have your own way. I wish my clerks would
adopt some of Dr. Franklin's wise saws. I should be a great deal
better off in the course of a year if they would."

CHAPTER IX

IN WHICH BOBBY OPENS VARIOUS ACCOUNTS, AND WINS HIS FIRST VICTORY

"Now, Bobby, I understand your plan," said Mr. Bayard, when they
reached the store; "but the details must be settled. Where do you
intend to go?"

"I hardly know, sir. I