advertisement. He liked the
way it was put, and the conditions it imposed, and, indeed, was so much
taken up with the study of it that he almost forgot to set it up in
type.

"Whatever are you dreaming about?" said young Gedge. "You've stood like
that for a quarter of an hour at least. You'll have Durfy after you if
you don't mind."

The name startled Reginald into industry, and he set the advertisement
up very clearly and carefully, and re-read it once or twice in the type
before he could make up his mind to go on to the next.

The thought of it haunted him all day. Should he tell Horace, or Gedge,
or his mother of it? Should he go and give Durfy notice then and there?
No, he would reply to it before he told any one; and then, if the
answer _was_ unsatisfactory--which he could not think possible--then no
one would be the wiser or the worse for it.

The day flew on leaden wings. Gedge put his friend's silence down to
anxiety as to the consequences of yesterday's adventure and did and said
what he could to express his sympathy. Mr Durfy alone, sitting at his
table, and directing sharp glances every now and then in his direction,
could guess the real meaning of his pre-occupation, and chuckled to
himself as he saw it.

Reginald spent threepence on his way home that evening--one in procuring
a copy of the _Rocket_, and two on a couple of postage-stamps. Armed
with these he walked rapidly home with Horace, giving him in an absent
sort of way a chronicle of the day's doings, but breathing not a word to
him or his mother subsequently about the advertisement.

After supper he excused himself from joining in the usual walk by saying
he had a letter to write, and for the first time in his life felt
relieved to see his mother and brother go and leave him behind them.

Then he pulled out the newspaper and eagerly read the advertisement once
more in print. There it was, not a bit changed! Lots of fellows had
seen it by this time, and some of them very likely were at this moment
answering it. They shouldn't get the start of him, though!

He sat down and wrote--

"Sir,--Having seen your advertisement in the _Rocket_, I beg to apply
for particulars. I am respectable and fairly intelligent, and am at
present employed as compositor in the _Rocket_ newspaper-office. I
shall be glad to increase my income. I am 18 years of age, and beg to
enclose stamp for a reply to this address.

"Yours truly,--

"Reginald Cru