uld probably only be retained a very little while at the figure he had
given him. He had made the mistake of starting him low, thinking that
Eugene's talent after so severe an illness might be at a very low ebb.
He did not know, being new to the art directorship of a newspaper, how
very difficult it was to get increases for those under him. An advance
of ten dollars to anyone meant earnest representation and an argument
with the business manager, and to double and treble the salary, which
should have been done in this case, was out of the question. Six months
was a reasonable length of time for anyone to wait for an increase--such
was the dictate of the business management--and in Eugene's case it was
ridiculous and unfair. However, being still sick and apprehensive, he
was content to abide by the situation, hoping with returning strength
and the saving of a little money to put himself right eventually.

Angela, of course, was pleased with the turn of affairs. Having suffered
so long with only prospects of something worse in store, it was a great
relief to go to the bank every Tuesday--Eugene was paid on Monday--and
deposit ten dollars against a rainy day. It was agreed between them that
they might use six for clothing, which Angela and Eugene very much
needed, and some slight entertainment. It was not long before Eugene
began to bring an occasional newspaper artist friend up to dinner, and
they were invited out. They had gone without much clothing, with
scarcely a single visit to the theatre, without friends--everything. Now
the tide began slowly to change; in a little while, because they were
more free to go to places, they began to encounter people whom they
knew.

There was six months of the drifting journalistic work, in which as in
his railroad work he grew more and more restless, and then there came a
time when he felt as if he could not stand that for another minute. He
had been raised to thirty-five dollars and then fifty, but it was a
terrific grind of exaggerated and to him thoroughly meretricious art.
The only valuable results in connection with it were that for the first
time in his life he was drawing a moderately secure living salary, and
that his mind was fully occupied with details which gave him no time to
think about himself. He was in a large room surrounded by other men who
were as sharp as knives in their thrusts of wit, and restless and greedy
in their attitude toward the world. They wanted to liv