oor she reminded him of
his vow.

"You will, now? I shall expect to hear when you come home that he has
had notice."

"Oh, certainly he shall go, but I am doubtful whether I had better not
wait till I have somebody in my eye whom I can put in his place."

"Nonsense! you can find somebody easily enough."

Mr. Furze strode into his shop looking and feeling very important.
Instead of the usual kindly "Good morning," he nodded almost
imperceptibly and marched straight into his counting-house. It had been
his habit to call Tom in there and open the letters with him, Tom
suggesting a course of action and replies. To-day he opened his
correspondence in silence. It happened to be unusually bulky for a small
business, and unusually important. The Honourable Mr. Eaton was about to
make some important alterations in his house and grounds. New
conservatories were to be built, and an elaborate system of hot-water
warming apparatus was to be put up both for house and garden. He had
invited tenders to specification from three houses--one in London, one in
Cambridge, and from Mr. Furze. Tom and Mr. Furze had gone over the
specification carefully, but Tom had preceded and originated, and Mr.
Furze had followed, and, in order not to appear slow of comprehension,
had frequently assented when he did not understand--a most dangerous
weakness. To his surprise he found that his tender of 850 pounds was
accepted. There was much work to be done which was not in his line, but
had been put into his contract in order to save subdivision, and
consequently arrangements had to be made with sub-contractors. Materials
had also to be provided at once, and there was a penalty of so much a day
if the job was not completed by a certain time. He did not know exactly
where to begin; he was stunned, as if somebody had hit him a blow on the
head, and, after trying in vain to think, he felt that his brain was in
knots. He put the thing aside; looked at his other letters, and they
were worse. One of his creditors, a blacksmith, who owed him 55 pounds
for iron, had failed, and he was asked to attend a meeting of creditors.
A Staffordshire firm, upon whom he had depended for pipes, in case he
should obtain Mr. Eaton's order, had sent a circular announcing an
advance in iron, and he forgot that in their offer their price held good
for another week. He was trustee under an old trust, upon which no
action had been taken for years; he remembered non