"I will endeavor to give satisfaction, if you are kind enough to give me a place in your establishment."
Then he pa.s.sed over the paper to the merchant.
"Ah, very good!" said Mr. Goodnow approvingly. "You won"t be expected to do any writing yet but I like to take into my store those who are qualified for promotion."
He rang a little bell on his desk.
A boy about two years older than Rodney answered the summons.
"Send Mr. James here," said the merchant.
Mr. James, a sandy complexioned man, partially bald, made his appearance.
"Mr. James," said the merchant, "I have taken this boy into my employ.
I don"t know if one is needed, but it is at the request of a friend. You can send him on errands, or employ him in any other way."
"Very well, sir. I can find something for him to do today at any rate, as young Johnson hasn"t shown up."
"Very well. Whats your name, my lad?"
"Rodney Ropes."
"Make a note of his name, Mr. James, and enter it in the books. You may go with Mr. James, and put yourself at his disposal."
Rodney followed the subordinate, who was the head of one of the departments, to the second floor. Here Mr. James had a desk.
"Wait a minute," he said, "and I will give you a memorandum of places to call at."
In five minutes a memorandum containing a list of three places was given to Rodney, with brief instructions as to what he was to do at each. They were places not far away, and fortunately Rodney had a general idea as to where they were.
In his search for positions he had made a study of the lower part of the city which now stood him in good stead.
As he walked towards the door he attracted the attention of the young clerk with whom he had just spoken.
"Well, did you see Mr. Goodnow?" asked the young man, stroking a sickly looking mustache.
"Yes."
"Has he taken you into the firm?"
"Not yet, but he has given me a place."
The clerk whistled.
"So you are one of us?" he said.
"Yes," answered Rodney with a smile.
"Then you ought to know the rules of the house."
"You can tell me later on, but now I am going out on an errand."
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 pa.s.sed.
"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 cla.s.sical 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 eyegla.s.s, and surveying Rodney as if he were a curious specimen. "You don"t happen to know anything of Sanscrit, do you?"