y thinks she should have a better chance for a new lodger if
her little parlour was fresh papered; but she is too rheumatic to do it
herself, and cannot afford to engage a workman. If you like to try,
under her directions, I will pay you as your work deserves."

"But, sir, I never papered a room in my life!"

"No more had the best paper-hanger in London when he first tried. But if
you do not like that work, what do you think of doing some writing for
me? Our tables of rules are dirty. If you will make good copies of our
rules for all the rooms in which they hang, in the course of the
holidays, I will pay you half-a-crown. But the copies must be quite
correct, and the writing good. I can offer you one other choice. Our
school library wants looking to. If you will put fresh paper covers to
all the books that want covering, write the titles on the backs, compare
the whole with the catalogue, and arrange them properly on the shelves,
I will pay you half-a-crown."

Holt's pleasure in the prospect of being out of debt was swallowed up in
the anxiety of undertaking anything so new to him as work out of school.
Hugh hurried him on to a decision.

"Do choose the papering," urged Hugh. "I can help you in that, I do
believe. I can walk that little way, to widow Murray's; and I can paste
the paper. Widow Murray will show you how to do it; and it is very easy,
if you once learn to join the pattern. I found that, when I helped to
paper the nursery closet at home."

"It is an easy pattern to join," said Mr. Tooke.

"There, now! And that is the chief thing. If you do the library books, I
cannot help you, you know. And remember, you will have two miles to walk
each way; four miles a day in addition to the work."

"He can sleep at Crofton, if he likes," said Mr. Tooke.

"That would be a queer way of staying at uncle Shaw's," observed Hugh.

"Then there is copying the rules," said Holt. "I might do that here; and
you might help me, if you liked."

"Dull work!" exclaimed Hugh. "Think of copying the same rules three or
four times over! And then, if you make mistakes, or if you do not write
clearly, where is your half-crown? I don't mean that I would not help
you, but it would be the dullest work of all."

Mr. Tooke sat patiently waiting till Holt had made up his mind. He
perceived something that never entered Hugh's mind: that Holt's pride
was hurt at the notion of doing workman's work. He wrote on a slip of
paper these few word