to be sneezed at. He could wear gloves and save his
hands.

But the appearance of gloves was the signal for a general hooting and
jeering from the boys of his own age who were employed there, and who
had from the first looked askance at Harold because they knew how
greatly he was their superior, and fancied an affront in everything he
did and every word he said, it was spoken so differently from their own
dialect.

'I can't stand it,' Harold said to Jerrie, after a week's trial with the
gloves. 'I'd rather sweep the streets than be jeered at as I am. I don't
mind the work. I am getting used to it, but the boys are awful. Why,
they call me 'sissy,' and 'Miss Hastings,' and all that.'

So Harold left the employ of Peterkin, greatly to the chagrin of that
functionary, who had found him the most faithful boy he had ever had.
But this was years ago, and matters had changed somewhat since then.
Harold was a man now--a graduate from Harvard, with an air and dignity
about him which commanded respect even from Peterkin, who was sitting
upon his high stool when Harold came in with his application. Billy, who
was Harold's fast friend, was now in the business with his father, and
as he chanced to be present, the thing was soon arranged, and Harold
received into the office at a salary of twelve dollars per week, which
was soon increased to fifteen and twenty, and at last, as the autumn
advanced and Harold began to talk of taking the same school in town
which he had once before taught, he was offered $1,500 a year, if he
would remain, as foreman of the office, where his services were
invaluable. But Harold had chosen the law for his profession, and as
teaching school was more congenial to him than writing in the office,
and would give him more time for reading law, he declined the salary and
took the school, which he kept for two successive winters, going between
times into the office whenever his services were needed, which was very
often, as they knew his worth, and Billy was always glad to have him
there.

In this way he managed to lay aside quite a little sum of money, besides
paying his interest to Arthur, and when Maude came home from Europe in
March he felt himself warranted in beginning _to raise the roof_. He was
naturally a mechanic, and would have made a splendid carpenter; he was
also something of an architect, and sketched upon paper the changes he
proposed making. The roof was to be raised over Jerrie's room; there