"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 from his pocket two gold pieces and handed them to Rodney.
"Thank you very much, sir," said Rodney. "I shall find this money very useful, as I have taken a room, and am setting up housekeeping.""Then you have left the Lodging House?""Yes, sir; I only spent one night there."
"You are right. It is no doubt a great blessing to the needy street boys, but you belong to a different class.""It is very fortunate I went there last evening, or I should not have met you and Mr. Goodnow.""I am glad to have been the means of doing you a service," said the Englishman kindly, shaking hands with Rodney, who bowed and went back to his work.
"I am not sure but you are taking too much notice of that boy, Mulgrave," said the merchant.
"No fear! He is not a common boy. You won't regret employing him.""I hope not."Then they talked of other matters, for Mr. Mulgrave was to start on his return to England the following day.
At five o'clock Rodney's day was over, and he went back to Bleecker Street. He found Mike already there, working hard to get his hands clean, soiled as they were by the stains of blacking.
"Did you have a good day, Mike?" asked Rodney.
"Yes; I made a dollar and ten cents. Here's a quarter towards the rent.""All right! I see you are prompt in money matters.""I try to be. Do you know, Rodney, I worked better for feelin'
that I had a room of my own to go to after I got through.
I hope I'll soon be able to get into a different business.""I hope so, too."Two days later Rodney's trunk arrived. In the evening he opened it.
He took out a dark mixed suit about half worn, and said, "Try that on, Mike."Mike did so. It fitted as if it were made for him.
"You can have it, Mike," said Rodney.
"You don't mean it?" exclaimed Mike, delighted.
"Yes, I do. I have plenty of others."
Rodney supplemented his gift by a present of underclothing, and on the following Sunday the two boys went to Central Park in the afternoon, Mike so transformed that some of his street friends passed him without recognition, much to Mike's delight.
