an was entirely to blame. It was a shame
the way Gulligan carried on. As soon as you ran out he turned upon me
for not stopping you, and we had some pretty hot words."

"Good for you!" cried Matt. "I must thank you, not only for myself,
but for Miss Bartlett as well."

"Those hot words have cost me my situation," went on Andrew Dilks more
soberly.

Instantly Matt's face fell.

"That's too bad, indeed, it is!" he said earnestly. "Why, I would
rather have gone home and got the money to pay for the broken stuff
than have that happen."

"It was not altogether on account of the broken piece of bric-a-brac,"
went on Andrew Dilks. "Gulligan has been angry at me for over two
weeks--ever since I wouldn't pass off a counterfeit five-dollar bill
he had taken in. I said the bill ought to be burned up, but he
wouldn't hear of it."

"But now you are out of a job."

"That's true. But I don't much care. Working for him was not easy, and
he never paid me my weekly wages of ten dollars until I had asked for
it about a dozen times."

"I thought auctioneers made more than that," said Matt. There was
something about Andrew Dilks that pleased him, and he was becoming
interested in the conversation.

"Most of them do--a good deal more. But Gulligan considered that he
had taught me the business, and that I was still under his thumb."

"Why don't you go in business for yourself? It seems to me it would
just suit me," said Matt enthusiastically. "I once passed through the
town of Rahway, out in New Jersey, and a fellow not much older than
you had a big wagon there, and was auctioning stuff off at a great
rate--crockery ware, lamps, albums, razors, and a lot more of goods.
They said he had been selling goods there every night for a week."

"Those are the fellows who make money," returned Andrew Dilks. "Here
in the city the business is done to death. Give a man a good team of
horses and a wagon, and enough money to stock up, and he can travel
from place to place and make a small fortune."

"I believe you. Why don't you start out?"

"I haven't enough money, that's the only reason."

"How much would it take?"

"The price of the turnout, from two hundred dollars up, and about a
hundred dollars for stock. You know stock can be purchased as often as
desired."

"By crickety! If I had the money I would go in with you!" cried Matt,
caught with a sudden idea. "That sort of thing would just suit me."

"You? Why I thought you were a ci