A discovery that encouraged Don the following week was that by some unconscious power of absorption he grew sufficiently familiar with the financial jargon of the office to feel that it really was within the possibilities that some day he might understand it fully. He found several opportunities to talk with Powers, and the latter, after recovering from his surprise at the primitive nature of some of Don"s questions about notes and bonds, went to some trouble to answer them.
Not only that, but he mentioned certain books that might supply fuller and more fundamental information.
"I know these sound like fool questions," Don apologized, "but I"ve never been down in this end of the town much."
"That"s all right," replied Powers. "Come to me any time you"re stuck."
After Powers went out, Don sat down and tried to recall some of the things he had been told. He remembered some of them and some of them he didn"t. But that day at lunch Miss Winthrop handed him a stenographic report of the entire conversation. Don looked over it in amazement. It was in the form of question and answer.
_Mr. Pendleton:_ Say, old man, what is a gold bond, anyway?
_Mr. Powers:_ I beg your pardon?
And so on down to Don"s final apology.
_Mr. Pendleton:_ I know these sound like fool questions--
_Mr. Powers:_ That"s all right--
"Read it over in your spare time," advised Miss Winthrop; "then you won"t ask him the same questions twice."
"But how in thunder did you get this?" he inquired.
"I wasn"t busy just then, and took it down. I knew you"d forget half he told you."
"It was mighty good of you," he answered. "But I wish you had left out my talk. Now that I see it in type, it sounds even more foolish than I thought it was."
"I"ve seen a lot of things that didn"t turn out well in type," she nodded. "But you needn"t read that part of it. What Powers said was worth while. He knows what he"s talking about, and that"s why he"s the best bond salesman in the house."
"What sort of a salary does _he_ draw?"
"I don"t know," she answered. "And if I were you I"d forget the salary end of my job for a while."
"It"s a mighty important end," he declared.
"I don"t see it," she returned frankly. "I suppose you"re starting on twenty-five?"
"That"s all," he admitted.
"It"s all you"re worth. Any one to support besides yourself?"
"No."
"Then what you worrying about?"
"But, good Heavens, a man can"t live on that--any length of time."
"Can"t? I know men who support a wife and children on less."
"Eh?"
"And do it decently," she nodded. "I live on half of that myself."
"You?"
"Of course. Did you think I drew a salary like Farnsworth?"
She laughed at his open astonishment. It appeared genuine.
"You live on half of twenty-five dollars a week?" he repeated.
She did not care to pursue the subject. It was a bit too personal.
"So do hundreds of thousands of others," she informed him. "On that and less than that. Now, you put that paper away in your pocket, and don"t ask Powers another question until you know it by heart. Then get after him again. When you run across something you don"t know, why don"t you write it down?"
He took out his engagement-book on the spot and made an entry.
"I"ve written down that you say it"s possible to live on twenty-five dollars a week," he informed her, as he replaced the book in his pocket.
"Don"t be silly," she warned. "You"d better write down something about not worrying about your salary at all."
"I"ll do that," he returned.
He took out his engagement-book again and scribbled a line.
"Miss Winthrop says not to worry about my salary."
[Ill.u.s.tration: "CAN"T? I KNOW MEN WHO SUPPORT A WIFE AND CHILDREN ON LESS"]
"I didn"t say it," she protested.
"Them"s your very words."
"I mean--" she grew really confused. "I mean--you needn"t put it down that I said it. You ought to say it to yourself."
He shook his head. "That"s too deep for me."
"Then let"s drop the subject," she answered curtly. "Only don"t get the idea that it"s I who am worrying about your salary, one way or the other."
"No need of getting peeved about it," he suggested.
"Not in the slightest," she agreed.
But she did not wait for her eclair, and went back to the office in anything but a good humor.
On the whole, Miss Winthrop was rather disappointed in him as a result of this last interview--the more so because he had begun the day so well. Her hopes had risen high at the way he approached Powers, and at the seriousness with which he had listened to what Powers had to say.
He had acted like a man eager to learn. Then he had spoiled it all by placing undue emphasis on the salary end.