He carried it to the post-office one afternoon, after his work in the
printing office was over, and dropped it unobserved into the
letter-box. He did not want the postmaster to learn his secret, as
he would have done had he received it directly from him, and noted
the address on the envelope.

For the rest of the week, Harry went about his work weighed down with
his important secret--a secret which he had not even shared with
Ferguson. If the essay was declined, as he thought it might very
possibly be, he did not want any one to know it. If it were
accepted, and printed, it would be time enough then to make it known.
But there were few minutes in which his mind was not on his literary
venture. His preoccupation was observed by his fellow-workmen in the
office, and he was rallied upon it, good-naturedly, by Ferguson, but
in a different spirit by Clapp.

"It seems to me you are unusually silent, Harry," said Ferguson.
"You're not in love, are you?"

"Not that I know of," said Harry, smiling. "It's rather too early
yet."

"I've known boys of your age to fancy themselves in love."

"He is is more likely thinking up some great discovery," said Clapp,
sneering. "You know he's a second Franklin."

"Thank you for the compliment," said our hero, good-humoredly, "but I
don't deserve it. I don't expect to make any great discovery at
present."

"I suppose you expect to set the river on fire, some day," said
Clapp, sarcastically.

"I am afraid it wouldn't do much good to try," said Harry, who was
too sensible to take offence. "It isn't so easily done."

"I suppose some day we shall be proud of having been in the same
office with so great a man," pursued Clapp.

"Really, Clapp, you're rather hard on our young friend," said
Ferguson. "He doesn't put on any airs of superiority, or pretend to
anything uncommon."

"He's very kind--such an intellect as he's got, too!" said Clapp.

"I'm glad you found it out," said Harry. "I haven't a very high idea
of my intellect yet. I wish I had more reason to do so."

Finding that he had failed in his attempt to provoke Harry by his
ridicule, Clapp desisted, but he disliked him none the less.

The fact was, that Clapp was getting into a bad way. He had no high
aim in life, and cared chiefly for the pleasure of the present
moment. He had found Luke Harrison a congenial companion, and they
had been associated in more than one excess. The morning previous,
Clapp had e