of
Messrs. Twining, Western, and Twining, where we shall find Mr. Western
about consigning to the waste-paper basket a large pile of letters. This
gentleman was very fashionably dressed, of dark complexion, with the
languid air and drawling intonation of a Southerner.

At an adjoining desk sat an elderly sharp-faced gentleman, who was looking
over his spectacles at the movements of his partner. "What a mass of
letters you are about to destroy," he remarked.

Mr. Western took from his month the cigar he was smoking, and after puffing
from between his lips a thin wreath of smoke, replied: "Some of the most
atwocious scwawls that man ever attempted to pewuse,--weplies to the
advertisement. Out of the whole lot there wasn't more than a dozen amongst
them that were weally pwesentable. Here is one wemawkably well witten: I
have desiwed the witer to call this morning at eleven. I hope he will make
as favouwable an impwession as his witing has done. It is now almost
eleven--I pwesume he will be here soon."

Scarcely had Mr. Western finished speaking, ere the door opened, and Esther
entered, followed by Charlie. Both the gentlemen rose, and Mr. Twining
offered her a chair.

Esther accepted the proffered seat, threw up her veil, and said, in a
slightly embarrassed tone, "My brother here, took the liberty of replying
to an advertisement of yours, and you were kind enough to request him to
call at eleven to-day."

"We sent a note to _your_ brother?" said Mr. Twining, in a tone of
surprise.

"Yes, sir, and here it is," said she, extending it to him.

Mr. Twining glanced over it, and remarked, "This is your writing, Western;"
then taking Charlie's letter from the desk of Mr. Western, he asked, in a
doubting tone, "Is this your own writing and composition?"

"My own writing and composing," answered Charlie.

"And it is vewy cweditable to you, indeed," said Mr. Western.

Both the gentlemen looked at the note again, then at Charlie, then at
Esther, and lastly at each other; but neither seemed able to say anything,
and evident embarrassment existed on both sides.

"And so you thought you would twy for the situation," at last remarked Mr.
Western to Charlie.

"Yes, sir," he answered. "I was and am very anxious to obtain some
employment." "Have you a father?" asked Mr. Twining.

"Yes, sir; but he was badly injured by the mob last summer, and will never
be able to work again."

"That's a pity," said Western, sympathisingly