, was Phil
Davids. Phil had thought better of his determination, and wisely
judging that if Mr. Linden wanted to see him he probably would
accomplish the measure some time, concluded the shortest way was to see
him as smoothly as possible. So in he walked and made his bow, grumly
civil, but civil.

Mr. Linden's opening remark, after he had given the boy his hand (which
even he liked to touch) was at least peculiar.

"Phil--do you know what a smart boy you are?"

And the answer was a strictly true, though blundering, "No, sir."

"I don't know _how_ smart you could be, myself," said Mr. Linden, "but
I know you are very smart now. You always make me think of the man who
found a bag of jewels lying in the road and didn't know what they were."

It occurred to Phil's mind that not to know jewels when they were seen
was a doubtful proof of smartness; so he answered with a somewhat
surly, "How, sir?"

"This man," Mr. Linden went on, "instead of having his jewels set in
gold, to wear or to sell, went round the town flinging them at his
neighbour's windows--or his neighbour's cats,--as you do, Phil, with
your very bright powers of head and tongue. Why don't you make a man of
yourself--and use those powers for something worth while?"

"You never see me doin' it, sir!" said Phil, answering the most
interesting part of Mr. Linden's address.

"Don't I?" said Mr. Linden,--"I see and hear a good many things. But
nobody can get on in the world after such a prickly fashion,--why even
a porcupine smooths himself down before he tries to go ahead. If you
were to be a lawyer Phil, you'd fight your clients instead of helping
them fight,--and if you were a farmer, you'd be like the man who burnt
up three stacks of his hay because the fourth got wet."

Phil reddened, though he couldn't help smiling, and was evidently
getting angry.

"That 'ere farmer was a big fool!" he said.

"Yes, we are agreed upon that point," said Mr. Linden,--"I daresay he
would have said so himself next day. Well Phil--this was not what I
wanted to talk to you about to-day--much as I like to see smart boys
make the most of themselves. I want to know exactly what it was that
you heard Reuben Taylor say about Miss Derrick."

Phil's eyes opened unmistakeably.

"I never heerd him say nothing about her!" he said boldly.

"Then why did you say you did?" said Mr. Linden, with the cool face of
one who knows his ground.

"I didn't!" said Phil. "I'm blessed if I