king lad with a
somewhat long face, a nose that William himself always referred to as
"pug," round blue eyes, freckles, and hair--well, just "mouse coloured"
William's mother always called it.

Their acquaintanceship ripened into friendship very fast; too fast
Whimple thought, for by mid-afternoon he had told the boy a great deal
about himself and his past and his prospects. And William had
listened, asking a question occasionally, sometimes interjecting a
remark, and always, so Whimple says now, with an aptness that surprised
and delighted him. William evinced no surprise and no regret when
informed that bright as were the prospects, two dollars a week, for the
present, was the maximum salary he could hope for.

"Don't worry about that," said William when Whimple apologised for the
smallness of the amount. "It'll help some at home, and mebbe I ain't
worth no two dollars a week anyhow."

"Don't underestimate yourself, William," said Whimple.

"No chance of me doing that. Say, Mr. Whimple, supposin' I'm any good
and business improves, me salary goes up too--that's right, ain't it?"

"That's right, my boy."

"Then," solemnly, "it's up to us to increase the business, and to make
this office too small to hold the people that want to hire you."

And Whimple smiled again. The lad's cheeriness, the eagerness of the
keen young face, and the tone of the voice put new heart into him. The
fame he had dreamed of on the day he had been called to the bar was
still a phantom; the struggle to earn a living in the profession he had
chosen in the years when youth brooked no obstacles was keener far than
ever he had believed possible, yet there remained to him hope, courage,
and the determination to "look for the silver lining." At thirty he
had few clients, and a legacy that brought him just $6.00 a week, and
often had been his only barrier against real want. His father and
mother had died while he was just a boy; relatives had given him a home
until at eighteen he had started "clerking" in a law office, and with
his wages and his legacy had carried himself through to the day when
his name appeared among those called to the bar. Simmons he had met in
the clerking days; the young architect was financially better equipped
than the lawyer, and Whimple had not hesitated at times to accept of
his assistance--though he never felt free until the obligation had been
repaid. It was Simmons who had insisted on the arrangement for