e enough," said Gilbert, who did not in his heart set a very
high estimate upon the services of his young cousin, and who, had the
business been his own, would certainly not have engaged him at any
price.

Roswell thought it best not to say any more, having on some previous
occasions been greeted with remarks from his cousin which could not by
any means be regarded as complimentary.

"Do you think I had better come in at ten o'clock, Cousin James?"
inquired Roswell, as breakfast was over, and Gilbert prepared to go to
the counting-room.

"Well, perhaps you may come a little earlier, say about half-past nine,"
said the book-keeper.

"All right," said Roswell.

Being rather sanguine, he made up his mind that he was going to have the
place, and felt it difficult to keep his good fortune secret. Now, in
the next house there lived a boy named Edward McLean, who was in a
broker's office in Wall Street, at a salary of six dollars a week. Now,
though Edward had never boasted of his good fortune, it used to disturb
Roswell to think that his place and salary were so much superior to his
own. He felt that it was much more respectable to be in a broker's
office, independent of the salary, than to run around the city with
heavy bundles. But if he could enter such an establishment as Rockwell &
Cooper's, at a salary of ten dollars, he felt that he could look down
with conscious superiority upon Edward McLean, with his six dollars a
week.

He went over to his neighbor's, and found Edward just starting for Wall
Street.

"How are you, Roswell?" said Edward.

"Pretty well. Are you going down to the office?"

"Yes."

"You've got a pretty good place,--haven't you?"

"Yes, I like it."

"How much do you get?"

"Six dollars a week."

"That's very fair," said Roswell, patronizingly.

"How do you like your place?" asked Edward. "I believe you're in a
dry-goods store on Sixth Avenue."

"Oh, no," said Roswell.

"You were?"

"Yes, I went in temporarily to oblige them," said Roswell, loftily;
"but, of course, I wouldn't engage to remain any length of time in such
a place, however large the inducements they might offer."

Considering Roswell's tone, it would hardly have been supposed that the
large inducements were four dollars a week, and that, even at that
compensation, his services were not desired.

"Then it wasn't a good place?" said Edward.

"Well enough for such as liked it," said Roswell. "I have no complaint
o