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holas," said Sally. "I am Mr. Nicholas' sister." On a previous occasion when she had made this announcement, disastrous results had ensued; but to-day it went well. It seemed to hit the office-boy like a bullet. He started convulsively, opened his mouth, and dropped the ruler. In the interval of stooping and recovering it he was able to pull himself together. He had not been curious about Sally's name. What he had wished was to have the name of the person for whom she was asking repeated. He now perceived that he had had a bit of luck. A wearying period of disappointment in the matter of keeping the paper-weights circulating while balancing the ruler, had left him peevish, and it had been his intention to work off his ill-humour on the young visitor. The discovery that it was the boss's sister who was taking up his time, suggested the advisability of a radical change of tactics. He had stooped with a frown: he returned to the perpendicular with a smile that was positively winning. It was like the sun suddenly bursting through a London fog. "Will you take a seat, lady?" he said, with polished courtesy even unbending so far as to reach out and dust one with the sleeve of his coat. He added that the morning was a fine one. "Thank you," said Sally. "Will you tell him I'm here." "Mr. Nicholas is out, miss," said the office-boy, with gentlemanly regret. "He's back in New York, but he's gone out." "I don't want Mr. Nicholas. I want Mr. Kemp." "Mr. Kemp?" "Yes, Mr. Kemp." Sorrow at his inability to oblige shone from every hill-top on the boy's face. "Don't know of anyone of that name around here," he said, apologetically. "But surely..." Sally broke off suddenly. A grim foreboding had come to her. "How long have you been here?" she asked. "All day, ma'am," said the office-boy, with the manner of a Casablanca. "I mean, how long have you been employed here?" "Just over a month, miss." "Hasn't Mr. Kemp been in the office all that time?" "Name's new to me, lady. Does he look like anything? I meanter say, what's he look like?" "He has very red hair." "Never seen him in here," said the office-boy. The truth shone coldly on Sally. She blamed herself for ever having gone away, and told herself that she might have known what would happen. Left to his own resources, the unhappy Ginger had once more made a hash of it. And this hash must have been a more notable and outstanding hash than any of his pr
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