y offer he would be
glad to assist Pliny to a better position than he now held.

In spite of his wish to be cordial, his letter was felt by the Tarbox
family to be cold, and they regretted that they had not treated him
better during his brief visit to them.

But then how could they suppose he would be so successful? If the time
should ever come when he recovered his property, they would be prepared
to make a determined effort to convince him that they had always been
his affectionate friends.

About this time Frank received another letter, which afforded him
greater satisfaction than the one from Newark.

This letter was from Col. Vincent, who, it will be remembered, had
purchased Ajax when Mr. Manning persisted in selling him. It was as
follows:

"My Dear Frank: I learned incidentally from one of our townsmen, who
recently met you in New York, that you have been very successful in
obtaining employment, and that of an honorable and responsible
character. It relieved my mind, for, knowing how hard it is for a boy to
make his own way in a large city, I feared that you might be suffering
privation, or living poorly. I hope, however, you would in that case
have applied to me for such help as your father's old friend would have
been glad to offer.

"Your stepfather has not been heard from directly. I learn, however,
from some friends who have met him abroad that he is having trouble with
Mark, who is proving difficult to manage, and has contracted a dangerous
taste for gaming. Mr. Manning was obliged to leave Baden-Baden on
account of this unfortunate tendency, and is even thinking of returning
to the Cedars, where his son will be removed from temptation. To this,
however, Mark will be likely to make strenuous opposition. He will find
it dull to settle down here after having tasted the gayety of Europe."

Here followed a little local gossip, which the writer thought might
prove interesting to Frank, and the letter concluded with a cordial
invitation to our hero to spend a Sunday with him, or a longer time, if
he could be spared from his duties.

Frank was disposed to accept the invitation, but his acceptance was
postponed by an unusual service which he was called upon to render to
Mr. Percival.

Of this the reader will hear everything in the next chapter.

CHAPTER XXXII

MR. PERCIVAL'S PROPOSAL

One morning, after writing several letters for his employer, the young
secretary asked Mr. Percival if he h