ir," and so
saying Dick walked out of the office, leaving the big man staring after
him as though he had received a severe shock.

As he passed by the row of busy bookkeepers Dick caught a chuckle from
one, while another, under cover of his big open ledger thrust out his
hand and seizing on the sleeve of Dick's coat gave it several little
nudges as if trying to indicate how thoroughly they enjoyed his
independent way of taking the supercilious nabob down a peg, for no one
in his employ dared to call his soul his own; if he had, he would never
have remained there a single day.

Dick had not intended to be impudent, even though the arrogant manner in
which Mr. Graylock had patronized him, and compared him to his
disadvantage with his paragon of a son, had cut him to the quick.

He felt certain he would have been even more unhappy in that
establishment than if he had taken service with Ezra Squires.

Still Dick would not allow himself to feel cast down; these two men did
not constitute the whole business section of Riverview, and somehow he
believed that in good time he would surely come upon a congenial place
where he might receive living wages for his best work, and not feel that
he was in the employ of a tyrant.

CHAPTER VI

BOUND FOR THE OLD FISHING HOLE

While he was at it Dick visited every place where he fancied there was
the least chance of finding an opening.

The result was not very encouraging.

In nearly every instance he was greeted with a negative shake of the
head, and the information that since the dull summer season was at hand,
instead of taking on more help the chances were there would be less
required.

When he came to the substantial stone building in which the bank of
Harvey Gibbs had its quarters, he hesitated, and heaved a sigh, for it
seemed folly to think of venturing in there, much as he yearned to go.

And as he stood taking a longing look through the fine plate glass
windows where he could see several men at work on the books, and the
cashier just getting ready to wait on the first customer of the morning,
who should come tripping along the street but consequential Charles
Doty, the boy who ran messages for the bank, and made himself generally
useful between times, looking toward the time when he was to be elevated
to the president's chair, as he often whimsically declared.

Charles was prone to indulge in early morning naps, and there were times
when he could be seen sne