en he looked at her. The maddening impatience he
had felt many times--impatience for the strength and efficiency of
manhood--once more tormented him; it grew an intolerable thought to him
that so many years must pass before he should be prepared to do a man's
work, earn a man's wages--do as August Scheffer was doing.

Such sombre reflections as these absorbed him, when he became suddenly
conscious of the eyes of Josephine. She sat looking upon him; disturbed
anew, it seemed, by the show of his disturbance. His eyes met hers, and
she said:

'What is it, Paul? What has gone wrong with you?'

'Nothing. But it is enough to give one the horrors to see _you_ looking
so like destruction. Something has happened, Josephine; what is it?'

'What fine shoes you have on, Paul!' she said, quickly, pretending to be
absorbed in the discovery she had only that instant made.

Paul laughed, and blushed.

'I earned them,' said he.

'Earned them!' Josephine's beautiful eyes were full of surprise, of
admiration even, as she now fixed them on her brother. 'I wish I could
earn anything--a row of pins, or a loaf of bread.'

'If you did, you wouldn't eat all the loaf yourself. But I spent all my
wage on myself, you see! But I did earn them--at least, I'm going to,
before I get through.'

'How in the world did you do it, Paul?'

'I am a tutor, Josephine,' said he, with mock gravity. She answered,
earnestly:

'You're a good fellow, any way, tutor or not. It's a secret, then, this
business?'

'Yes, the deadest kind of a dead secret. But I shall tell you. I made a
mental reservation of you. August Scheffer----'

Josephine started, trembled, looked away from Paul, recovered herself in
an instant; then looked back again, and straight into his eyes. Paul saw
nothing strange in this; he went on quietly:

'Scheffer is getting ambitious! If I had a shop and such a business as
his, catch me bothering about books!'

'He was always fond of reading,' answered Josephine. 'You know what a
reader his mother was? No, you don't know. You were too young. Well, he
wants you to help him, and you are to be shod.'

'Yes, that's the whole of it. Why don't you laugh, or be surprised. I
shall do my best with him.'

'I should hope you would do better than your best. Be punctual and
steady in this business; for, really, you owe August Scheffer more than
a shop full of shoes is worth. You will get as much good as you can
possibly give. I wish I had your