id,
putting the notes in his old pocket-book. Then he replied to
Carroll's remark concerning the weather, that it was indeed cold, and
he thought there would be a frost.

"Yes, I think so," said Carroll.

Then Allbright put on his own rather shabby, dark overcoat and his
hat and took his leave. Much to his surprise, Carroll extended his
hand, something which he had never done before.

"Good-bye," he said.

Allbright shook the extended hand, and felt a sudden, unexplained
emotion. He returned the good-bye, and wished Mr. Carroll a pleasant
vacation and restoration to health.

"I am tired out and ill," Carroll admitted, in a weary voice, and his
eyes, as they now met the other man's, were haggard.

"There's two weeks' vacation," Allbright told his sister when he
reached home that night, "and I don't know, but I'm afraid business
ain't going just to suit Captain Carroll, and that's the reason for
it."

"Has he paid you?" asked his sister, quickly, and her placid forehead
wrinkled. Her illness had made her irritable.

"Yes," replied her brother. He looked at her meditatively. He was
about to tell her something--that he was almost sure that Carroll had
gone out and pawned his watch to pay him--then he desisted. He
reflected that his sister was a woman, and would in all probability
tell the woman down-stairs and her son about it, and that it would be
none of their business whether he worked for a man who was honest
enough, or hard up enough, to pawn his watch to pay him his month's
salary or not. He was conscious of sentiments of loyalty both to
himself and to Carroll. During the next two weeks he often strolled
in the neighborhood of the office and stood looking up at the
familiar windows. One day he saw some men carrying away a desk which
looked familiar, but he was not sure. He hesitated about asking them
from what office they had removed it until they had driven away and
it was too late. He went up on the elevator and surveyed the office
door, but it looked just as usual, with the old sign thereon. He
tried it softly, but it was locked.

When he reached the sidewalk he encountered Harrison Day, the young
clerk. He did not see him at first, but a nervous touch on his arm
arrested his attention, and then he saw the young man's face with its
fast-winking eyes.

"Say," said Harrison Day, "it's all right, ain't it?"

"What's all right?" demanded Allbright, a trifle shortly, drawing
away. He had never liked Harr