ever
had shown him any respect; he had called him Mister but a few times,
and that was just after Bill had come from another branch. Castle was
smaller than Watson and possessed an inferior personality. Bill was
big and humorous--and reckless. It was the joy of his life to torment
the teller; and yet he was not mean; he was not even obstreperous; he
got along splendidly with the manager, and showed him respect.

The teller's anger exhausted itself inwardly. Evan still stood with
his grip in his hand looking at the boys working behind their desks.
He felt that he ought to bid them good-bye, but he did not like to do
it individually, and it was almost as hard to say a general farewell.

"Good-bye," he called faintly from the front door. Castle did not
raise his head. Porter and Bill lifted theirs, but only to grin. The
manager stepped out of his office and extended his hand with a smile.

"Have a good time," he said, and whispered: "Monday night will do, if
your mother kicks very hard."

"Thank you, Mr. Robb, I----"

"That's all right."

On the train Evan rejoiced. He thought of the sad day he had landed at
the station of Mt. Alban with lonesomeness and misgivings; of the
thrills of discouragement and homesickness that had tortured him for
the first two weeks; of the blank explanations of "the porter," and
ensuing jumbles of figures and bills; and of his first look at that bed
above the vault. It all seemed to have happened at a remote period in
his life--probably in the pre-existent land; even balance day, but
three days past, was remote.

It was not in these seemingly ancient memories that Evan had his
rejoicing, but in the realization that they were memories. As the
train carried him buoyantly toward Hometon he recounted the
accomplishments he had acquired in four or five weeks. He could add
twice as rapidly as any high-school student in the average collegiate;
he knew the collection register and diary; he could enter up a
savings-bank passbook better than Perry--with a clearer hand and a much
clearer comprehension; he could draw a draft, reckon dates of maturity
without a calendar; and so on. But, what he prized most, he was
familiar with a host of technical terms, used in the banking business
the world over. And after buying his ticket and purchasing a hat-pin
for his sister, Lou, he had two dollars of his own money in his pocket.
That would buy up most of the ice-cream in Hometon, for one evenin