ry in
order to carry out my deception successfully. I was correct in my
surmise. He received me with kindness, and showing me into his
private office asked a few direct questions, which I answered to his
satisfaction seemingly. I represented myself as one of that much-to-be
pitied class, referred to by Mr. Chelm, of well-educated but impecunious
young people, who only needed employment to be comfortable and happy. I
had no parents, nor brothers and sisters, and up to this time had
supported myself by teaching and by copying; but the stress of the times
had little by little cut off the sources of my income, and when he met
me yesterday I had sunk down exhausted and in despair over the prospect
of finding anything to do. Such was my pitiful tale.

Fortunately my handwriting did not require to be explained away or
disguised like the rest of me. It spoke for itself, being legible and
bold, somewhat resembling a man's in the latter particular. Mr. Prime
looked pleased as he glanced at the specimen I prepared for his
inspection, and I felt that the battle was won. A few minutes later I
was engaged as a confidential clerk at a modest salary. My duties for
the time were to answer letters, and to copy out and arrange sets of
figures at his direction; and he suggested that I should as soon as
possible learn short-hand.

I could scarcely help laughing aloud as I sat and tried to realize my
new position. Mr. Prime's business was as yet, I soon perceived,
lamentably small. The office was commodious, but my employer had besides
me only a book-keeper to help him,--a gaunt, withered-looking man of
sixty. This personage glanced at me now and again over his spectacles
suspiciously, and would, I dare say, have joined hands with my enemy the
police officer, as to the probabilities affecting my moral character.
Everything else was done by Mr. Prime, who I was pleased to notice was
as spruce as ever in his personal appearance. His gloves, his boots, his
cravats, and Ike, the beautifully ugly Ike, were as irreproachable as
ever.

It is wonderful how easily one grows accustomed to almost any change of
circumstances. Of course the first few days of my new life were
excessively strange, and I passed through various stages of alarm and
mortification at my own hardihood in entering upon it. But after the
first week I settled down to my work with interest and composure, no
longer disturbed by a fear of detection. For so skilful was my disguise