h his heavy bundle, more discontented than
ever. The bundle seemed heavier than ever. Dick had no such bundles to
carry. He had an easier time, his business position was better, and his
wages more than double. And all this in spite of the glaring fact that
Roswell was a gentleman's son, and Dick wasn't. Surely fortune was very
blind, and unfair in the distribution of her favors.

"I suppose he'll be crowing over me," thought Roswell, bitterly, judging
from what would have been his own feeling had the case been reversed. "I
hope he'll have to go back to boot-blacking some day. I wish mother'd
buy me a gold watch and chain. There'd be some sense in _my_ wearing
it."

Roswell evidently thought it very inappropriate that Dick should wear a
handsome gold watch, more especially as he was quite sure beforehand
that his mother would not gratify his own desire to possess one. Still
he resolved to ask.

There was another thing he meant to ask. Feeling that his services were
worth more than the wages he received, and convincing himself that his
employers would be unwilling to lose him, he determined to ask an
advance of two dollars a week, making six dollars in all. Not that he
considered that even this would pay him, but as he could hardly hope
that he would be appreciated according to his deserts, he limited his
request to that sum. He concluded to defer making his application until
Saturday evening, when he would receive his week's wages.

He consulted his mother upon this subject, and she, having nearly as
high an opinion of her promising son as he had himself, consented to the
application. If his cousin, James Gilbert, had heard of his intention,
he was enough of a business man to have dissuaded him from the attempt.
Though he saw fit to espouse the cause of Roswell against Dick, it was
more because he disliked the latter than because he was blind to the
faults of the former. Indeed, he had a very moderate opinion of his
young cousin's capabilities.

The days slipped by, and Saturday night came. It was nine o'clock before
Roswell was released, the Saturday-night trade being the best of the
week. The other clerks had been paid, Roswell's turn coming last,
because he was the youngest.

The designation of the firm was HALL & TURNER. Mr. Hall, the
senior partner, usually went home early in the evening; and Mr. Turner,
the junior partner, a man of about thirty-five, attended to the evening
business, and paid the weekly wage