r of us large salaries. But if four
dollars a week--two dollars for each of us--would be satisfactory--"

"I shall be satisfied with it," said Mr. Layton. "In fact," he added,
frankly, "I shall consider it quite a welcome addition to my salary. My
father died a year since, and my mother and sister are compelled to
depend upon me in part for support. But I have not been able to do as
much for them as I wished. This addition to my earnings will give me the
means of increasing their comforts."

"Then it will be a pleasant arrangement all round," said Fosdick. "What
would you advise us to study?"

After a few inquiries as to their present attainments, Mr. Layton
recommended a course of mathematics, beginning with algebra, history,
and the French language. He gave the boys a list of the books they would
be likely to need.

The next evening the boys commenced studying, and determined to devote
an hour and a half each evening to mental improvement. They found Mr.
Layton an excellent teacher, and he on his side found them very apt
pupils.

Dick had an active, intelligent mind, and an excellent capacity, and
Fosdick had always had a thirst for learning, which he was now able to
gratify. As his salary would have been insufficient to pay his expenses
and the teacher besides, he was obliged to have recourse to his little
fund in the savings bank. Dick offered to assist him, but Fosdick would
not consent. Just as his savings were about exhausted, his wages were
raised two dollars a week, and this enabled him to continue the
arrangement without assistance.

In the course of a few weeks the boys commenced reading French, and
found it quite interesting.

CHAPTER IX.

ROSWELL CRAWFORD AT HOME.

While Fosdick and Dick are devoting their evenings to study, under the
guidance of Mr. Layton, we will direct the reader's attention to a young
gentleman who considered himself infinitely superior in the social scale
to either. Roswell Crawford could never forget that Dick had once been a
boot-black, and looked upon it as an outrage that such a boy should be
earning a salary of ten dollars a week, while he--a gentleman's son--was
only paid four, which he regarded as a beggarly pittance. Roswell's
father had once kept a small dry goods store on Broadway, but failed
after being in business a little less than a year. This constituted his
claim to gentility. After his failure, Mr. Crawford tried several kinds
of business, without