In about an hour Rodney returned. He had been detained at two of the
places where he called.

"Do you remember what I said?" asked the young clerk as he passed.

"Yes."

"The first rule of the establishment is for a new hand to treat ME on
his first day."

"That's pretty good for you," said Rodney, laughing; "I shall have to
wait till my pay is raised."

About the middle of the afternoon, as Rodney was helping to unpack a
crate of goods, the older boy whom he had already seen in the office
below, walked up to him and said, "Is your name Ropes?"

"Yes."

"You are wanted in Mr. Goodnow's office."

Rodney went down stairs, feeling a little nervous. Had he done wrong,
and was he to be reprimanded?

He could think of nothing deserving censure. So far as he knew he had
attended faithfully to all the duties required of him.

As he entered the office, he saw that Mr. Goodnow had a visitor, whose
face looked familiar to him. He recalled it immediately as the face of
the English gentleman who had visited the Lodging House the day previous
with his employer.

"So I find you at work?" he said, offering his hand with a smile.

"Yes, sir," answered Rodney gratefully, "thanks to you."

"How do you think you will like it?"

"Very much, sir. It is so much better than going around the street with
nothing to do."

"I hope you will try to give satisfaction to my friend, Mr. Goodnow."

"I shall try to do so, sir."

"You mustn't expect to rise to be head salesman in a year. Festina
lente, as the Latin poet has it."

"I shall be satisfied with hastening slowly, sir."

"What! you understand Latin?"

"Pretty well, sir."

"Upon my word, I didn't expect to find a boy in the News boys' Lodging
House with classical attainments. Perhaps you know something of Greek
also!" he said doubtfully.

In reply Rodney repeated the first line of the Iliad.

"Astonishing!" exclaimed Mr. Mulgrave, putting up his eyeglass, and
surveying Rodney as if he were a curious specimen. "You don't happen to
know anything of Sanscrit, do you?"

"No, sir; I confess my ignorance."

"I apprehend you won't require it in my friend Goodnow's establishment."

"If I do, I will learn it," said Rodney, rather enjoying the joke.

"If I write a book about America, I shall certainly put in a paragraph
about a learned office boy. I think you are entitled to something for
your knowledge of Greek and Latin--say five dollars apiece," and Mr.
Mulgrave drew