he was pleased as Punch. Surprised, of course, but pleased. He's
practically the whole board, as far as settling things is concerned, so
it is all right. He ain't the worst friend you've got, by a long shot."

I imagined that I understood what Captain Jed's "friendship" meant. My
accepting the bank position was one more bond binding me to his side in
the Shore Lane battle. And, so long as I was under Taylor's eye and his
own, I could not be subject to the Colton influence.

George and I discussed the question of salary, if his offer and my
prompt acceptance might be called a discussion. The pay was not large
to begin with, but it was more than I had a right to expect. And I was
perfectly honest when I said that money was not the consideration which
led me to make the sudden change in my habit of life. I was sick of
idleness; I had longed for something to occupy my life and time; I might
as well be doing this as anything; Taylor's offer had appealed to me
when he first made it; these were the excuses I evolved for my own
satisfaction and I tried to believe them real. But one reason I would
not admit, even in my thoughts, as a possibility. It was not that
girl, or anything she had said, which influenced me. No! over and over
again--no.

Sam Wheeler, the young fellow who acted as assistant bookkeeper and
messenger, came in, and Taylor, after showing me the books and giving
me a few hints as to what my duties would be, turned me over to him for
further instruction. I found I needed but little. The pages, with their
rows of figures, seemed like old friends. I almost enjoyed poring over
them. Was it possible that I was going to like this new venture of mine?

Before noon I was fairly certain of it. The work in a country bank is
different from that in the large city institutions, in that it is by no
means as specialized. I found that, later on, I should be expected
to combine the work of teller with that of bookkeeper. And this,
too, seemed natural. I worked as steadily as I could, considering
interruptions, and the forenoon was over almost before I knew it.

The interruptions, however, were numerous and annoying; some of them,
too, were amusing. Depositors came, saw me behind the bars of the
window, and, after expressing their astonishment, demanded to know what
I was doing there. If I had answered all the questions put to me by the
curious Denboroites I should have found time for little else. But Taylor
helped me by shoo