Otherwise you would have had no reason to
suspect the genuineness of it."

"Does Ben Bradford charge me with it? Just wait till I see him."

"That will be some time unless you go to Boston. Jones &
Porter happened to have a vacancy, and Ben stepped into it.
Your letter got him a place."

"I don't believe it," said Sam faintly.

"It's true, and it's lucky for you. If Ben had been obliged to come
home he would have given you the worst licking you ever had."

Chapter XXVI

Ben Finds a Boarding-Place

Henry Porter had a fine suite of rooms in the Back Bay District of
Boston. Ben spent the night with him.

"You've got a nice home," said our hero.

"Yes," said the bookkeeper. "My rooms alone cost me fifteen
dollars a week."

"Without board?" ejaculated Ben.

"Yes," said the young man, smiling.

"Why, that is almost eight hundred dollars a year."

"Quite correct. I see you think me extravagant."

"I was wondering how you could afford it."

"Your surprise is natural. If I only depended on my salary, I
certainly should not hire such expensive apartments. But a good
aunt left me twenty thousand dollars, two years since, and this
being well invested yields me about fourteen hundred dollars a
year."

"I wonder you don't go into business."

"I have thought of it, but doubt whether I should manage a
business of my own judiciously. If not, I should run the risk of
losing all my money. I like keeping books for my uncle, and
he pays me a good salary. With this and the income from my
property I can live as well as I wish without incurring any risk
at all."

"I don't know but that is best," said Ben.

"Now let me speak of your own plans, Ben. Your income is
six dollars a week."

"Yes, sir."

"You must regulate your expenses accordingly."

"I want to do so, Mr. Porter. How much board shall I have to
pay?" asked Ben anxiously.

"I cannot tell without inquiring. There is a boarding-house on
Warren Avenue, kept by a worthy lady of my acquaintance. How
much do you fell able to pay?"

"I should like to have enough over to buy my clothes."

"We will see if we can manage it Get your hat and we will go to
the boarding-house now."

It was a three-story brick house, such as is common in Boston. It
was unusually neat for a boarding-house of medium grade, Mrs.
Draper being an excellent housekeeper, with a horror of dirt.

"How do you do, Mr. Porter?" was the landlady's greeting. Mr.
Por