blurting out what was in his mind as to her change of prospects, he
reasoned with incredible swiftness that the change must be a hard
thing to this girl, and that she was to be handled the more tenderly
and delicately because she was such a pretty girl. He became twice
as polite as before. He moved the chair nearer to her.

"Please sit down," he said. He handed to her the wooden arm-chair as
if it had been a throne. Nellie Stone bent frowning over her
day-book.

"Now let me see," said the young man, seriously, with perfect
deference of manner, only belied by the rollicking admiration in his
eyes. "You have never held a position in a factory before, I think?"

"No," replied Ellen.

"There is at present only one vacancy that I can think of," said
Flynn, "and that does not pay very much, but there is always a
chance to rise for a smart hand. I am sure you will be that," he
added, smiling at her.

Ellen did not return the smile. "I shall be contented to begin for a
little, if there is a chance to rise," she said.

"There's a chance to rise to eighteen dollars a week," said Flynn.
He smiled again, but it was like smiling at seriousness itself.
Ellen's downright, searching eyes upon his face seemed almost to
forbid the fact of her own girlish identity.

"What is the job you have for me?" said she.

"Tying strings in shoes," answered Flynn. "Easy enough, only child's
play, but you won't earn more than three dollars a week to begin
with."

"I shall be quite satisfied with that," said Ellen. "When shall I
come?"

"Why, to-morrow morning; no, to-morrow is Friday. Better come next
Monday and begin the week. That will give you one day more off, and
the hot wave a chance to get past." Flynn spoke facetiously. It was
a very hot day, and the air in the office like a furnace. He wiped
his forehead, to which the dark rings of hair clung. The girl at the
desk glanced around adoringly at him.

"I would rather not stop for that if you want me to begin at once,"
said Ellen.

Flynn looked abashed. "Oh, we'd rather have you begin on the even
week--it makes less bother over the account," he said. "Monday
morning at seven sharp, then."

"Yes," said Ellen.

Flynn walked off with an abrupt duck of his head. He somehow felt
that he had been rebuffed, and Ellen rose.

"I told you you'd get one," said the girl at the desk. "Catch Ed
Flynn not giving a pretty girl a job." She said it with an accent
of pain as well as malice.