ork. She was rather tall for her age; her face was pretty, and her
form delicately moulded. She was all gentleness and grace, and rude men
were awed by her presence.

Andre smiled as sweetly as a woman when he saw her, and his eye
followed her as she went to the stove, and placed the pail by its side.

"Maggie, send Leo to me as soon as you go home," said he, in the
softest of his soft tones, as she left the shop.

CHAPTER II.

BOY WANTED.

From the tin kettle, which Maggie had placed by the stove, there arose
an odor of fried sausages--a savory mess to a hungry man, possessed of
a reasonable amount of confidence in the integrity and
conscientiousness of sausage-makers in general. Andre made himself as
useful as possible to his employers, and they could not well spare him
in the middle of the day to go home to his dinner, for during 'change
hours the shop was full of customers. If there was a lull any time
before three o'clock, he ate the contents of the tin pail; if not, he
dined at a fashionable hour.

Andre could not well be spared, because there were certain dignified
men, presidents of banks and insurance companies, venerable personages
with a hold upon the last generation, who came from their homes in the
middle of the day to read the newspapers at the "China," or the
"Fireman;" staid old merchants, who had retired from active life, and
went to the counting-room only to look after the junior partners--men
who always shaved down town, and would not let any barber but Andre
touch their faces. His hand was so soft and silky, his touch so tender
and delicate, and his razors were so keen and skilfully handled, that
he was a favorite in the shop.

Years before, Andre had set up a shop for himself; but he had no talent
for business, and the experiment was a failure. He was too effeminate
to control his journeymen, and his shop was not well ordered. All his
regular customers insisted on being shaved by Andre; and, while he paid
the wages of two men, he did all the work himself. The rent and other
expenses overwhelmed him; but he had the good sense to sell out before
he became involved in debt.

There he was, in the shop of Cutts & Stropmore, and there he was likely
to be--a journeyman barber to the end of his mortal pilgrimage. The
highest wages were paid him; but Andre had no ambition to gratify, and
when one week's wages were due, every cent of the earnings of the
preceding one was invariably used up.