letter that went out over Mr. Burton's name.

From the window, high up on the ninth floor, Tom could look down behind
the big granite bank building upon a narrow, muddy place with barrel
staves for a sidewalk and tenements with conspicuous fire escapes, and
washes hanging on the disorderly roofs. This was Barrel Alley, where Tom
had lived and where his poor, weary mother had died. He could pick out
the very tenement. Strangely enough, this spot of squalor and unhappy
memories held a certain place in his affection even now.

Tom and Mr. Burton and Miss Ellison, the stenographer, were the only
occupants of the little office, but Mr. Temple usually came upstairs
from the bank each day to confer with Mr. Burton for half an hour or
so.

There was also another visitor who was in the habit of coming upstairs from
the bank and spending many half hours lolling about and chatting. This was
Roscoe Bent, a young fellow who was assistant something-or-other in the
bank and whose fashionable attire and worldly wisdom caused Tom to stand
in great awe of him.

Roscoe made no secret of the fact that he came up in order to smoke
cigarettes, which practice was forbidden down in the bank. He would come
up, smoke a cigarette, chat a while, and then go down again. He seemed
to know by inspiration when Mr. Burton and Mr. Temple were going to be
there. Up to the morning of this very day he had never shown very much
interest in either Tom or Temple Camp, though he appeared to entertain a
lively interest in Miss Ellison, and Tom envied him his easy manner and
his faculty for entertaining her and making her laugh.

On the morning of this day, however, when he had come up for his
clandestine smoke, he had manifested much curiosity about the camp,
looking over the maps and pictures and asking many questions.

Tom had felt highly flattered.

CHAPTER III

ROSCOE BENT

Indeed, Tom had felt so highly flattered that the memory of young Mr.
Roscoe Bent's condescension had lingered with him all day, and now he
was going to give himself the pleasure of walking through Rockwood Place
for a passing glimpse of the beautiful house wherein young Roscoe
resided.

Tom knew well enough that Roscoe had to thank the friendship between his
father and Mr. Temple for his position in the bank. In his heart he knew
that there was not much to be said for Roscoe; that _he_ could do many
things which Roscoe couldn't begin to do; but Roscoe on the other h